I Kings 19:20 · Bible study
1 Kings 19:20 Commentary: Elisha’s Call
Hebrew · 9 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Does Elijah’s reply to Elisha test his devotion, grant permission, or rebuke a divided heart? Hebrew grammar and commentary insights reveal the tension.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Elijah’s ambiguous reply, “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”, tests the sincerity of Elisha’s call, leaving the choice wholly with him.
- Key words: eshsh'qah-na (cohortative “I want to kiss”), shuv (imperative “return”), ki “for” (causal conjunction). Elijah gives permission but attaches a question that forces self-examination.
- Main debate: Does Elijah rebuke a divided heart (Barnes), grant permission with a reminder (Keil, Cambridge), or test whether God has truly moved Elisha (Gill)?
- Theological theme: The cost of discipleship and the tension between earthly ties and heavenly calling, later echoed in Jesus’ teaching (Luke 9:62).
- Best use: A case study in discerning the nature of God’s call, not always loud or clear, but demanding a costly response.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you.” “Go on back,” Elijah replied, “for what have I done to you?”
WEB World English Bible 2000
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?”
KJV King James Version 1769
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?
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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?
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
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?'
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and I will follow thee. And he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
And he forthwith left the oxen, and run after Elias, and said: Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said to him: Go, and return back: for that which was my part, I have done to thee.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Entonces dejando él los bueyes, vino corriendo en pos de Elías, y dijo: Ruégote que me dejes besar mi padre y mi madre, y luego te seguiré. Y él le dijo: Ve, vuelve: ¿ qué te he hecho yo?
Então deixando ele os bois, veio correndo após Elias, e disse: Rogo-te que me deixes beijar meu pai e minha mãe, e logo te seguirei. E ele lhe disse: Vai, volta: que te fiz eu?
Élisée, quittant ses bœufs, courut après Élie, et dit: Laisse-moi embrasser mon père et ma mère, et je te suivrai. Élie lui répondit: Va, et reviens; car pense à ce que je t’ ai fait.
Er aber ließ die Rinder und lief Elia nach und sprach: Laß mich meinen Vater und meine Mutter küssen, so will ich dir nachfolgen. Er sprach zu ihm: Gehe hin und komme wieder; bedenke, was ich dir getan habe!
En hij verliet de runderen, en liep Elia na, en zeide: Dat ik toch mijn vader en mijn moeder kusse, daarna zal ik u navolgen. En hij zeide tot hem: Ga, keer weder; want wat heb ik u gedaan?
Ed Eliseo, lasciati i buoi, corse dietro ad Elia, e disse: “Ti prego, lascia ch’io vada a dar un bacio a mio padre e a mia madre, e poi ti seguirò”. Elia gli rispose: “Va’ e torna; ma pensa a quel che t’ho fatto!”
Który opuściwszy woły bierzał za Elijaszem, i rzekł: Niech pocałuję proszę ojca mego, i matkę moję, a pójdę za tobą; któremu rzekł: Idź, a wróć się zasię, ponieważ widzisz, com ci uczynił.
И оставил [Елисей] волов, и побежал за Илиею, и сказал: позволь мне поцеловать отца моего и мать мою, и я пойду за тобою. Он сказал ему: пойди и приходи назад, ибо что сделал я тебе?
以利沙就離開 牛，跑 到 以利亞那裡，說：「求 你容我先與父 母 親嘴，然後我便跟 隨你。」以利亞對他 說：「你回 去吧， 我向你 做了 甚麼呢？」
And letting the oxen be where they were, he came running after Elijah, and said, Only let me give a kiss to my father and mother, and then I will come after you. But he said to him, Go back again; for what have I done to you?
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · I Kings 19:20
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that Elisha fully understood the symbolic call when Elijah cast his mantle over him. He left his oxen immediately and ran after the prophet, a decisive break from his former life. Yet interpreters divide sharply on Elijah’s response: “Go back again; for what have I done to you?”
Keil and Delitzsch read it as permission without coercion: “I have not wanted to put any constraint upon thee, but leave it to thy free will.” The Cambridge Bible sees a reminder that God’s call is urgent, Elijah grants the request but warns that he cannot stay. Gill suggests Elijah is testing whether God has truly touched Elisha’s heart. Barnes interprets the reply as cold and reluctant, detecting a divided heart. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown frame it as: “Go, but keep in mind the solemn ceremony. It is not I, but God, who calls thee.” All agree that the question “What have I done to you?” defers authority from Elijah to God, leaving Elisha to weigh the cost.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Test of devotion: Gill and JFB: Elijah’s question exposes whether God has touched Elisha’s heart. The reply is a test, not permission to delay.
- Permission with reminder: Keil and Cambridge: Elijah grants the request but reminds Elisha that the call comes from God, not from him, so Elisha must not linger.
- Rebuke for divided heart: Barnes: Elijah sees reluctance and gives a cold reply, suggesting Elisha should go back to plowing if he hesitates.
What is clear: Elisha understood the call, left his oxen immediately, and after a brief farewell meal followed Elijah as his attendant—showing that he did eventually commit fully.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning of Elijah’s question “What have I done to you?” | Both sides agree that the question directs Elisha’s attention to God, not to Elijah, the call is from God. | Some say it is a test of Elisha’s devotion (Gill, JFB). Others say it is a reminder that Elijah has not forced him, he is free to go back to plowing if he chooses (Keil, Cambridge). |
| Tone of Elijah’s reply: “Go back again” | All agree Elijah grants the request to kiss his parents, as shown by Elisha’s subsequent farewell feast (v.21). | Barnes reads it as cold and reluctant, seeing a divided heart. Cambridge and Keil read it as permission that comes with a warning. The difference hinges on whether the tone is pastoral or stern. |
| Appropriateness of Elisha’s request to kiss his parents | Elisha recognizes that following Elijah means permanent separation and wants to say goodbye, a natural human desire. | Some commentators (Barnes, Jesus in Luke 9:62) imply that even a brief farewell shows a lack of wholeheartedness. Others (Keil, Gill) see it as a reasonable request, not necessarily a sign of divided loyalty. |
| The significance of Elisha’s wealth (twelve yoke of oxen) | Elisha was a wealthy landowner, so his decision to leave everything is costly. | Disagreement exists over whether this wealth is mentioned to magnify the sacrifice (Matthew Henry) or simply to provide context for the plowing imagery (Keil). Both are compatible. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Elisha appears in the narrative after Elijah’s crisis at Horeb (1 Kings 19). God commands Elijah to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha as his successor. The call comes unobtrusively: Elijah finds Elisha ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, a sign of substantial wealth. Abel Meholah, in the Jordan valley, is fertile farming land. Elisha is “with the twelfth”, personally handling the last yoke, not merely supervising. This is no idle son of privilege; he works alongside his servants.
The casting of the prophet’s mantle (גְלִימָה, ’adderet) is a known symbolic act. The mantle, a rough hair-cloak associated with prophetic identity (Zechariah 13:4), is thrown over Elisha as a tactile call to office. No word is spoken. That Elisha immediately abandons the oxen and runs after Elijah shows he understood the gesture. His request to kiss his father and mother reflects the near-eastern custom of farewell, kissing was a sign of respect and final parting (Ruth 1:9).
The narrative then records that Elisha returned briefly, slaughtered the oxen, boiled their meat with the yoke (signifying a complete break, he destroys his farming equipment), and gave a farewell feast to the people. Then he “arose and went after Elijah, and served him.” The whole sequence echoes the call of the first disciples in the Gospels (Matthew 4:20, 22). The tension in verse 20 lies in Elijah’s ambiguous reply: is he testing, granting, or rebuking? The cultural context of plowing and looking back (later invoked by Jesus in Luke 9:62) suggests that total commitment is the issue.
Textual Notes
The supplied sources note no significant textual variants for 1 Kings 19:20. The Masoretic Text is stable across manuscripts. The Septuagint and Vulgate render the verse consistently with the Hebrew. One minor variation: the Septuagint (Codex Vaticanus) reads “καταφιλήσω” (to kiss affectionately) for the Hebrew eshsh'qah, but this does not affect the meaning.
Reception History
Early church writers such as John Chrysostom and Jerome cited Elisha’s call as an example of leaving worldly possessions to follow God. They emphasized the renunciation of family ties and material wealth, often linking it to Jesus’ teaching in Luke 9:62. In the Reformation, Matthew Henry saw Elisha as a model of diligence in secular work before his call, a reminder that God can choose the ordinary. Modern scholarship, represented by Keil and Delitzsch and the Cambridge Bible, pays closer attention to the narrative’s ambiguity, highlighting the psychological depth of Elijah’s reply. The verse has been used in sermons about vocational discernment, particularly the tension between family obligations and radical discipleship.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The sudden call. Elijah casts his mantle without explanation. Elisha must respond in real time. God’s call often interrupts our routine, and the only appropriate response is immediate, like Matthew rising from the tax booth (Matthew 9:9) or Peter and Andrew dropping their nets (Matthew 4:20).
- The request for closure. Elisha asks to kiss his parents goodbye. This is not unreasonable, but the narrative pushes toward the cost of discipleship. Jesus later says, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom” (Luke 9:62). Elisha’s request is granted, but he still must prove that his heart is fully set.
- The ambiguous reply. Elijah’s “Go back… for what have I done to you?” can be heard three ways: a test (Gill), a permission with reminder (Cambridge), or a rebuke (Barnes). Preachers can use this ambiguity to ask congregations: what is God saying to you in this moment? Is He urging you to go back and tie up loose ends, or is He exposing a divided heart?
Five-point outline
- Elisha’s life before the call: wealthy farmer, working hard, not idle.
- The symbol: the mantle, God chooses ordinary objects to communicate extraordinary purposes.
- The response: leaving the oxen, running, urgency and faith in motion.
- The petition: “Let me kiss my father and mother”, the tension between family duty and divine calling.
- The answer: “Go… what have I done to you?”, God leaves room for our genuine yes or no, but He does not force.
Illustration hooks
- The unanswered email. You have a career opportunity that requires relocation. You ask for time to discuss with family. The recruiter says “Take your time, I haven’t done anything to pressure you.” Are they giving space, or testing your seriousness?
- The last conversation. Before leaving for college or military service, a young adult asks to say goodbye to parents. The wise mentor says “Go, but remember: you’re not coming back to the same life.”
- The unspoken expectation. A boss hands you a project without saying a word. You know it’s an important task. Do you drop everything or ask for instructions first? The silence itself is the test.
Questions your congregation is asking
- How do I know whether something is a “test from God” or just common sense asking me to slow down?
- Is it wrong to take care of family obligations when I feel called to serve God?
- Why does God’s call sometimes seem so vague, and how do I respond when I’m not sure what He wants?
Leading a Discussion
This passage captures a moment of decision. Elisha is called without warning, and his response, a request to kiss his parents, is natural yet risky. Elijah’s reply is unsettling because it refuses to give clear direction. Use these questions to explore how we handle competing loyalties.
Discussion questions
- What do we learn about Elisha from the fact that he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen? Why might the writer include that detail?
- Elisha immediately left the oxen and ran after Elijah. What does that tell you about his understanding of the call? Have you ever felt that kind of urgency?
- Why does Elisha ask permission to kiss his parents? Is this a sign of divided loyalty, or simple courtesy? Support your view from the passage.
- How do you read Elijah’s response? Which commentator’s interpretation (test, permission, rebuke) resonates most with you, and why?
- Compare this scene with Matthew 8:21, 22 and Luke 9:61, 62. What does Jesus’ teaching add to your understanding of Elisha’s situation?
- In what areas of your life do you find yourself saying “just let me do this first” before following God more fully?
- What one step can you take this week to respond to God’s call with the same decisiveness Elisha showed?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Matthew 4:20 | They immediately left their nets and followed him. |
| Matthew 4:22 | They immediately left the boat and their father, and followed him. |
| Matthew 8:21 | Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.” |
| Matthew 8:22 | But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.” |
| Matthew 9:9 | As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him. |
| Matthew 19:27 | Then Peter answered, “Behold, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” |
| Luke 9:61 | Another also said, “I want to follow you, Lord, but first allow me to say good-bye to those who are at my house.” |
| Luke 9:62 | But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for God’s Kingdom.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that Elisha immediately grasped his call to prophetic office as coming from God, not from Elijah. He resolved to obey without hesitation, only asking to say goodbye to his parents. The call itself carries accountability to God alone, not to any human messenger.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes sees Elijah's reply as deliberately cold: he refuses to let Elisha follow him conditionally. The request to kiss his parents goodbye reveals a divided heart, so Elijah sends him back, as if to say the sacrifice is not required because Elisha already treats it like one.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Elisha's request to kiss his parents is not casual; he recognizes the separation will be permanent and that a higher calling from God now overrides family ties. Elijah grants his request but reminds him that this is only a brief farewell, not a return to home duties, because God's voice is calling him.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note underscores that Elijah’s reply “Go, return” is not a rebuke but a deliberate test. By adding “what have
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill notes that when Elijah told Elisha to go back, it was a test. Elijah’s question implied that his mere gesture of casting the mantle had not done anything; rather, what mattered was whether God had truly touched Elisha’s heart and compelled him to follow.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the question "What have I done to you?" carries a divine summons, not a personal one. The ceremony just performed marks God's call, not human persuasion. No earthly affection should delay obedience to that higher claim.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch read deep symbolism into the scene: the twelve yoke of oxen pointed to the twelve tribes of Israel, whose spiritual field Elisha would later plow. Elijah's cloak was the sign of prophetic calling, and throwing it was a symbolic summons. Elijah's response stressed that Elisha's decision remained entirely free.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange argues that Elijah did not flee from Jezebel in fear or cowardice; rather he recognized the threat as a providential sign to withdraw in obedience. The theophany on Horeb was not a rebuke of the prophet's zeal but a revelation of God's true nature: not in destructive forces but in gentle grace, offering comfort and encouragement rather than correction.