1 Kings 19:20 — Meaning and Application

King James Version

“And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and {then} I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? {Go...: Heb. Go return}”

1 Kings 19:20

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Understanding the surrounding verses prevents misinterpretation:

Yet I have left {me} seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him. {I have...: or, I will leave}

So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who {was} plowing {with} twelve yoke {of oxen} before him, and he with the twelfth: and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and {then} I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again: for what have I done to thee? {Go...: Heb. Go return}

And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

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1 Kings 19:1

"And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword."

1 Kings 19:2

"Then Jezebel sent a messenger unto Elijah, saying, So let the gods do {to me}, and more also, if I make not thy life as the life of one of them by to morrow about this time."

1 Kings 19:3

"And when he saw {that}, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which {belongeth} to Judah, and left his servant there."

1 Kings 19:4

"But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper tree: and he requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I {am} not better than my fathers. {for himself: Heb. for his life}"

1 Kings 19:5

"And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise {and} eat."

1 Kings 19:6

"And he looked, and, behold, {there was} a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. {head: Heb. bolster}"

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