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Contemporary English Version

1 Kings 19:19

Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Agriculture;   Bullock;   Elijah;   Elisha;   Excuses;   Mantle;   Minister, Christian;   Obedience;   Plow;   Shaphat;   Thompson Chain Reference - Agriculture;   Agriculture-Horticulture;   Call, Divine;   Divine;   Elijah;   Elisha;   God;   God's;   Invitations, Divine;   Invitations-Warnings;   Leadership;   Ministers;   Plowing;   Silence-Speech;   Voice;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Agriculture or Husbandry;   Ox, the;   Ploughing;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jezebel;   Ox;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Animals;   Elijah;   Elisha;   Farming;   Yoke;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Cattle;   Elijah;   Elisha;   Farm;   Mantle;   Shaphat;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Dress;   Mantle;   Mulberry Trees;   Shaphat;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Cattle;   Discipline;   Economic Life;   Elisha;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Elisha;   Ox, Oxen, Herd, Cattle;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - False Prophets;   Proverbs ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Shaphat ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Elisha;   Smith Bible Dictionary - A'bel-Meho'lah;   Mantle,;   Sha'phat;   Yoke;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Husbandry;   Ox;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elisha;   Mantle;   Plow;   Prophecy;   Skin;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Adoption;   Agriculture;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Elijah left there and found Elisha son of Shaphat as he was plowing. Twelve teams of oxen were in front of him, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah walked by him and threw his mantle over him.
Hebrew Names Version
So he departed there, and found Elisha the son of Shafat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke [of oxen] before him, and he with the twelfth: and Eliyah passed over to him, and cast his mantle on him.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.
New Century Version
So Elijah left that place and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field with a team of oxen. He owned twelve teams of oxen and was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah came up to Elisha, took off his coat, and put it on Elisha.
New English Translation
Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him.
Amplified Bible
So Elijah departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his mantle (coat) on him.
New American Standard Bible
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat while he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen in front of him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah came over to him and threw his cloak on him.
Geneva Bible (1587)
So he departed thence, and found Elisha the sonne of Shaphat who was plowing wt twelue yoke of oxen before him, and was with the twelft: & Eliiah went towards him, and cast his mantel vpon him.
Legacy Standard Bible
So he went from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.
Complete Jewish Bible
So he left and found Elisha the son of Shafat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he himself was behind the twelfth. Eliyahu went over to him and threw his cloak on him.
Darby Translation
And he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing [with] twelve yokes before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah went over to him, and cast his mantle on him.
Easy-to-Read Version
So Elijah left that place and went to find Elisha son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing 12 acres of land and was working on the last acre when Elijah came. Elijah went to Elisha and put his coat on Elisha.
George Lamsa Translation
So he departed thence and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, and twelve ploughs were ahead of him, and he was one of the twelve; and Elijah came up to him and cast his mantle upon him.
Good News Translation
Elijah left and found Elisha plowing with a team of oxen; there were eleven teams ahead of him, and he was plowing with the last one. Elijah took off his cloak and put it on Elisha.
Lexham English Bible
So he went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him. When he and the twelve passed Elijah, he threw his cloak on him.
Literal Translation
And he left there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat; and he was plowing; twelve pairs were before him, and he was with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him, and threw his mantle upon him.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he departed thence, & founde Elizeus ye sonne of Saphat, plowinge wt twolue yocke of oxen before him, & he him selfe was amoge the twolue. And Elias wete vnto him, & cast his cloke vpon him.
American Standard Version
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 over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him.
Bible in Basic English
So he went away from there and came across Elisha, the son of Shaphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen, he himself walking with the twelfth; and Elijah went up to him and put his robe on him.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
So he departed thence, & found Elisa the sonne of Saphat plowing, & hauing twelue yocke of oxen before him, and he with the twelue: And Elias went by him, and cast his mantle vpon him.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
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 over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him.
King James Version (1611)
So hee departed thence and found Elisha the sonne of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelue yoke of oxen before him, and hee with the twelfth: and Eliiah passed by him, and cast his mantle vpon him.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he departed thence, and finds Elisaie the son of Saphat, and he was ploughing with oxen; there were twelve yoke before him, and he with the twelve, and he passed by to him, and cast his mantle upon him.
English Revised Version
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 over unto him, and cast his mantle upon him.
Berean Standard Bible
So Elijah departed and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve teams of oxen, and he was with the twelfth team. Elijah passed by him and threw his cloak around him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Elie yede forth fro thennus, and foond Elise, sone of Saphat, erynge in twelue yockis of oxis; and he was oon in the twelue yockis of oxys, erynge. And whanne Elie hadde come to hym, Elie castide his mentil on hym.
Young's Literal Translation
And he goeth thence, and findeth Elisha son of Shaphat, and he is plowing; twelve yoke [are] before him, and he [is] with the twelfth; and Elijah passeth over unto him, and casteth his robe upon him,
Update Bible Version
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke [of oxen] before him, and he [was] with the twelfth: and Elijah passed over to him, and cast his mantle on him.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
World English Bible
So he departed there, 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 over to him, and cast his mantle on him.
New King James Version
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Then Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle on him.
New Living Translation
So Elijah went and found Elisha son of Shaphat plowing a field. There were twelve teams of oxen in the field, and Elisha was plowing with the twelfth team. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak across his shoulders and then walked away.
New Life Bible
So Elijah left there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat. Elisha was plowing with twenty-four bulls, and was with the last two. Elijah passed by him and threw his coat on him.
New Revised Standard
So he set out from there, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, who was plowing. There were twelve yoke of oxen ahead of him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and threw his mantle over him.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So he departed from thence, and found Elisha son of Shaphat, as he was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, he being with the twelfth, - so Elijah crossed over unto him, and cast his mantle towards him;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Elias departing from thence, found Eliseus, the son of Saphat, ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen: and he was one of them that were ploughing with, twelve yoke of oxen: and when Elias came up to him, he cast his mantle upon him.
Revised Standard Version
So he departed from there, and found Eli'sha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Eli'jah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.
THE MESSAGE
Elijah went straight out and found Elisha son of Shaphat in a field where there were twelve pairs of yoked oxen at work plowing; Elisha was in charge of the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak over him.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So he departed from there and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, while he was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth. And Elijah passed over to him and threw his mantle on him.

Contextual Overview

19 Elijah left and found Elisha plowing a field with a pair of oxen. There were eleven other men in front of him, and each one was also plowing with a pair of oxen. Elijah went over and put his own coat on Elisha. 20 Elisha stopped plowing and ran after him. "Let me kiss my parents good-by, then I'll go with you," he said. "You can go," Elijah said. "But remember what I've done for you." 21 Elisha left and took his oxen with him. He killed them and boiled them over a fire he had made with the wood from his plow. He gave the meat to the people who were with him, and they ate it. Then he left with Elijah and became his assistant.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Elisha: 1 Kings 19:16

he with: Exodus 3:1, Judges 6:11, Psalms 78:70-72, Amos 7:14, Zechariah 13:5, Matthew 4:18, Matthew 4:19

his mantle: 1 Kings 19:13, 1 Samuel 28:14, 2 Kings 2:8, 2 Kings 2:13, 2 Kings 2:14

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 11:5 - after the herd 1 Samuel 16:19 - with the sheep Amos 1:1 - who Matthew 9:9 - Follow Luke 4:27 - Eliseus Luke 5:28 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 12:13
Please save my life by saying that you are my sister."
Genesis 19:1
That evening the two angels arrived in Sodom, while Lot was sitting near the city gate. When Lot saw them, he got up, bowed down low,
Genesis 19:7
Then he said, "Friends, please don't do such a terrible thing!
Genesis 19:11
Then they struck everyone in the crowd blind, and none of them could even find the door.
Genesis 19:14
Lot went to the men who were engaged to his daughters and said, "Hurry and get out of here! The Lord is going to destroy this city." But they thought he was joking, and they laughed at him.
Genesis 19:16
At first, Lot just stood there. But the Lord wanted to save him. So the angels took Lot, his wife, and his two daughters by the hand and led them out of the city.
Genesis 19:17
When they were outside, one of the angels said, "Run for your lives! Don't even look back. And don't stop in the valley. Run to the hills, where you will be safe."
Genesis 19:22
Hurry! Run! I can't do anything until you are safely there." The town was later called Zoar because Lot had said it was small.
Genesis 19:25
He destroyed those cities and everyone who lived in them, as well as their land and the trees and grass that grew there.
Genesis 19:26
On the way, Lot's wife looked back and was turned into a block of salt.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

So he departed thence,.... From Mount Horeb, and came to Abelmeholah, which Bunting computes z at one hundred and fifty six miles:

and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; which may be understood either of twelve couple of oxen drawing one plough; which was a large number, but will not seem strange when it is observed, that Abelmeholah, where Elisha was ploughing, lay in the vale of Jordan, which was a clayey stiff ground, and required such a number of oxen to plough it up, especially at the first tilling of it, as this might be a; compare 1 Kings 4:12 A late traveller b observes, that at Damegraed, in upper Egypt on the Nile, six oxen yoked to plough had a great deal of difficulty to turn up the ground; or else, as the Jewish writers generally understand it, there were twelve ploughs, and a yoke of oxen to each, and a ploughman to attend everyone, and Elisha attended the twelfth; or was with one of the twelve, as the Targum, and might have the oversight of them all; Kimchi thinks, and so Abarbiuel after him, that this signified that he should be leader of the twelve tribes of Israel:

and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him; the skirts of it.

z Travels, &c. p. 204. a See Fuller's Pisgah-Sight, &c. B. 2. ch. 8. p. 175. b Norden's Travels in Egypt and Arabia, vol. 2. p. 85.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Plowing - Elisha’s occupation is an indication of his character. He is emphatically a man of peace. He passes the year in those rural occupations which are natural to the son of a wealthy yeoman - superintending the field-laborers himself, and taking a share in their toils. He thus presents a strong contrast to the stern, harsh, rugged Gileadite, who is almost half an Arab, who seems to have no settled home, no quiet family circle, who avoids the haunts of men, and is content for months to dwell in a cavern instead of under a roof.

With twelve yoke of oxen - He was plowing in a field with eleven other plows at work, each drawn by one yoke of oxen. Plowing with a single pair of oxen was the practice in Egypt, in Assyria, in Palestine, and in modern times throughout Western Asia.

Passed by him - Rather, “crossed over to him.” Perhaps it is meant that he crossed the stream of the Jordan.

Cast his mantle upon him - The action is explained as constituting a species of adoption, because a father naturally clothes his children. The notion of fatherhood and sonship was evidently understood between them 2 Kings 2:9-12.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:19. Twelve yoke of oxen — Elisha must have had a considerable estate, when he kept twelve yoke of oxen to till the ground. If, therefore, he obeyed the prophetic call, he did it to considerable secular loss.

He with the twelfth — Every owner of an inheritance among the Hebrews, and indeed among the ancients in general, was a principal agent in its cultivation.

Cast his mantle upon him — Either this was a ceremony used in a call to the prophetic office, or it indicated that he was called to be the servant of the prophet. The mantle, or pallium, was the peculiar garb of the prophet, as we may learn from Zechariah 13:4; and this was probably made of skin dressed with the hair on. See also 2 Kings 1:8. It is likely, therefore, that Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha to signify to him that he was called to the prophetic office. See more on this subject below.


 
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