1 Kings 19:16 (DBY)

Passage

and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint prophet in thy stead.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:14 And he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it away.

1 Kings 19:15 And Jehovah said to him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when thou comest, anoint Hazael king over Syria;

1 Kings 19:16 and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint prophet in thy stead.

1 Kings 19:17 And it shall come to pass, [that] him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left [myself] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "jehu", "nimshi", "shalt", "thou", "anoint", "king", "over", and "israel". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "jehu" and "nimshi", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "And Jehovah said to him Go return..." into verse 17's "And it shall come to pass that...", so "jehu" and "nimshi" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "jehu" and "nimshi" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.