1 Kings 19:18 (YLT)

Passage

and I have left in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him.'

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:16 and Jehu son of Nimshi thou dost anoint for king over Israel, and Elisha son of Shaphat, of Abel-Meholah, thou dost anoint for prophet in thy stead.

1 Kings 19:17 `And it hath been, him who is escaped from the sword of Hazael, put to death doth Jehu, and him who is escaped from the sword of Jehu put to death doth Elisha;

1 Kings 19:18 and I have left in Israel seven thousand, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that hath not kissed him.'

1 Kings 19:19 And he goeth thence, and findeth Elisha son of Shaphat, and he is plowing; twelve yoke <FI>are<Fi> before him, and he <FI>is<Fi> with the twelfth; and Elijah passeth over unto him, and casteth his robe upon him,

1 Kings 19:20 and he forsaketh the oxen, and runneth after Elijah, and saith, `Let me give a kiss, I pray thee, to my father and to my mother, and I go after thee.' And he saith to him, `Go, turn back, for what have I done to thee?'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "left", "israel", "seven", "thousand", "knees", "bowed", "baal", and "mouth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "left" and "israel", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "And it hath been him who is..." into verse 19's "And he goeth thence and findeth Elisha...", so "left" and "israel" 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 "left" and "israel" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.