1 Kings 19:1–21

19:3–5a There is a textual issue at the start of verse 3. The Masoretic Text reads “he saw” rather than “he was afraid” (the latter of which is based on the Greek translation of the OT, the Septuagint). The point in the Hebrew seems to be that the fearless Elijah (who, after all, has just executed 850 false prophets) “sees” that Jezebel’s heart has not been changed.¹ He sees that he is up against a woman as committed to Baal as he is to Yahweh. Elijah flees in response to the ongoing hard-heartedness of Jezebel (and of the people of Israel, who refuse to stand up to her); he “arose and ran for his life.” After a brief stop at Beersheba, where Elijah “left his servant” (perhaps because he thinks he is finished as a prophet), “he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree.” Broom trees grow only in the most isolated, desolate places, which suits Elijah’s frame of mind perfectly.

Scholars have made many attempts to account for Elijah’s discouragement, but the key thing is to notice what the text itself presents as the reasons for his mind-set: “And he asked that he might die, saying, ‘It is enough; now, O Lord, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.’” Elijah focuses his concerns on the effectiveness of his ministry. His issues are not simply psychological. His concern is also theological. His prophetic ministry, notably the exhausting action of 1 Kings 18, has not led to any radical change in Israel. While the prophet is clearly drained (and perhaps even sliding into self-pity), the flow of the text demands that the focus fall on the recalcitrance of Israel. The prophet is not sitting under the broom tree because he is manic-depressive or simply because he is exhausted (although he is). The text points us to the fact that his years of ministry have apparently resulted in failure. There has been no return to Yahweh through his work or words, nor even through the dramatic events of 1 Kings 18. Elijah is suffering from a kind of “covenantal despair,” which has driven him to his knees, so “he lay down and slept under a broom tree.”²

19:5b–8 As Elijah sleeps under the broom tree, Yahweh intervenes through the agency of an angel, who rouses Elijah and says, “Arise and eat,” and provides him with food and drink, in this case “a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water” (the words used here for the food and drink are those used in 17:12–16; cf. Num. 11:8). The replenished prophet then goes straight back to sleep. Then “the angel of the Lord came again a second time and touched him and said, ‘Arise and eat, for the journey is too great for you.’” It is striking that at this point God does not reveal the destination to Elijah. Initially the focus is squarely on the fact that the prophet once more responds obediently to the word of God through his messenger. However, it quickly becomes apparent that God has commanded his servant to leave the relative safety of the wilderness south of Beersheba to make the six-week, 200-mile (320-km) trip to the Sinai desert.

So Elijah “arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God.” This is a considerable journey on foot by any standard, but the writer draws attention to both the “forty days and forty nights” and the fast along the way as part of a presentation of Elijah as a new Moses (cf. Ex. 34:28: “So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.”)³ Elijah, it seems, is here to hear from the God who reveals himself.

19:9 Upon Elijah’s arrival at Mount Horeb, it becomes clear that God is revisiting the exodus events at Horeb for the sake of the discouraged prophet. Elijah’s concern is that the work of God is grinding to a halt and that he has done no better than the motley crew of Israelites (and in particular the prophets and leaders) who have gone before him. And God’s response? He gives Elijah a refresher course in covenant theology.

Elijah takes shelter in “a cave,” calling to mind the time Moses was sheltered in the cleft of a rock when the Lord came to speak to him at Horeb (Ex. 33:22). Not surprisingly, therefore, we immediately read “the word of the Lord came to him” (the use of “behold” draws our attention to this). The question Yahweh asks is fascinating, given the fact that Elijah is at Horeb in response to the command of God through his messenger: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” In English this question can be asked in several different ways: “What are you doing here, Elijah?”; or “What are you doing here, Elijah?” Or even “What are you doing here, Elijah?” But none of those captures the way in which God seems to ask this question. This is not a rebuke; it is an invitation to Elijah to speak, or even to unburden himself. Elijah’s response shows that his main concern is the covenant between God and Israel itself.

19:10–11a The beginning of Elijah’s answer could easily be misunderstood as a proud statement: “I have been very jealous for the Lord, the God of hosts.”⁴ But there is neither boasting nor hubris here. Elijah has fulfilled his prophetic role by calling people to listen to, return to, and obey Yahweh. The problem is that his faithful service has apparently had no impact, and it is all too much for him. Elijah’s assessment of the situation starts accurately (“The people of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword,” which was presumably the work of Jezebel) but slides into self-pity. The suggestion, made through repeated use of the word “your,” is that this is largely Yahweh’s fault, as Elijah has done everything in his power to keep the people on track. The prophet feels isolated and abandoned, as underscored by the emphatic language: “I, even I only, am left, and they seek my life, to take it away.” Yahweh deals with his discouraged spokesman tenderly, simply asking him to come out of the cave “and stand on the mount before the Lord.”

19:11b–13 Another key moment is now flagged by the use of “behold.” This time, “the Lord passed by” as he did in Exodus 33:22. However, unlike in the Exodus narrative, a series of natural phenomena precedes the revelation. Initially, “a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire.” The wind and fire may be a throwback to the events of chapter 18, but, given the fact that the earthquake occurs in between, these may simply be a collection of elements often associated with theophany (cf. Ps. 104:1–4; Ezek. 1:4).

The final phrase of verse 12, “the sound of a low whisper,” is very difficult to translate. A wide range of translations has been suggested, from those in which a “still small voice” constitutes the revelation to those that understand it as a “deafening silence” that simply draws the prophet further out of the cave to hear God speak. This makes sense, especially given the emphasis in these chapters on the word of Yahweh. So, on hearing this “low whisper,” Elijah “wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” The build-up has heightened the tension and made it plain that the issue is how the prophet will respond to the word of the Lord. The repetition of the question underlines the fact that Elijah is here to be taught (perhaps even corrected) by Yahweh.

19:14–18 Elijah’s response begins by restating his previous protests word for word. God’s answer to his prophet does not address his complaint directly but responds to his concerns tangentially by telling him to “go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus,” outside the Syrian capital, and then to anoint three individuals: (1) “Hazael to be king over Syria,” (2) “Jehu the son of Nimshi” as “king over Israel,” and (3) “Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah” as “prophet in your place.” Yahweh’s answer to Elijah’s crisis of faith (or confidence) is to underline that he remains the God who orders all things according to his word. (And, given the immense power he has just demonstrated in the wind, earthquake, and fire, Elijah has every reason to believe him!) In particular, God orders the affairs of Israel’s neighbor Syria, the succession to the throne of Israel, and the continuation of the prophetic word beyond Elijah.

As the story unfolds, it turns out to be Elisha who does the anointing, but this appears to take place under the authority of Elijah. Indeed, Elisha’s key part in all this is anticipated in verse 17, as, after God acts in judgment through first Hazael and then Jehu, it falls to Elisha to ensure that the prophecy is fulfilled.

The statement that “I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him” is best taken as a future event and should thus be read as a statement that Yahweh’s work has not and will not be completely derailed, rather than as a corrective to Elijah’s plaintive cry that he is the only one left in Israel who is following God.

19:19–21 In keeping with his general determination to obey Yahweh immediately, Elijah “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.” Incidentally, his route takes him back through Jezebel country, which suggests renewed faith and courage on Elijah’s part. The details concerning the oxen confirm that Elisha is from a wealthy background. Elijah, however, is typically unimpressed. He simply “passed by him and cast his cloak upon him.” This highly symbolic act of “passing on the mantle” is not a literal anointing but nevertheless seems to fulfill the instruction of verse 16.

The impact on Elisha seems to be both immediate and dramatic. On sprinting after Elijah, he asks, “Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you.” At face value, this seems like an entirely reasonable request (especially given the level of commitment Elisha is pledging to Elijah).⁵ But the characterization of Elijah as blunt (if not occasionally rude!) continues; he appears rather underwhelmed at the prospect of taking on an apprentice, saying, “Go back again, for what have I done to you?” Not to be put off, the son and heir throws a feast for the residents of his community, as Elisha “took the yoke of oxen and sacrificed them and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen and gave it to the people, and they ate.” This has the effect of making it clear that this is a serious and permanent commitment. “Then he arose and went after Elijah and assisted him.”