1 Kings 19:19 (WEB)

Passage

So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him, and put his mantle on him.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:17 He who escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will kill; and he who escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will kill.

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”

1 Kings 19:19 So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him, and put his mantle on him.

1 Kings 19:20 Elisha left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, “Let me please kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” He said to him, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”

1 Kings 19:21 He returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and killed them, and boiled their meat with the instruments of the oxen, and gave to the people, and they ate. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and served him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "departed", "found", "elisha", "shaphat", "plowing", "twelve", "yoke", and "oxen". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "departed" and "found", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel..." into verse 20's "Elisha left the oxen and ran after...", so "departed" and "found" 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 "departed" and "found" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.