1 Kings 19:16
in 1 Kings 19You are also to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah to succeed you as prophet.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
KJV
And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel–meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.
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This verse in 1 Kings 19
Commentary
7 notes on this verseAnd Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel,.... This was a son of Jehoshaphat, and a grandson of Nimshi; nor does he appear to have been anointed by Elijah, but by Elisha; and being done by his order and direction was the same as if it was done by himself, unless he was twice anointed, see 2Ki 9:1. and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room; which was in the half tribe of Manasseh, on this side Jordan; See Gill on Jdg 7:22.
This site's exposition
return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus
on 1 Kings 19:15-17
The answer to Elijah's complaint is not comfort but three commissions: Hazael to be anointed king over Syria, Jehu king over Israel, and Elisha prophet in Elijah's own room, the word anoint used here of a prophet's successor as it is elsewhere used of kings and priests. Verse seventeen binds the three into a single chain of judgment, whoever escapes Hazael's sword falls to Jehu, and whoever escapes Jehu's sword falls to Elisha, whom Barnes reads as a spiritual slaying by the word of the Lord rather than a literal one. The despairing I only am left is answered with instruments of judgment, not with sympathy.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram." As I have already said, "the sound of a sweet word" which comes after the storm and the fire divulged this good news. And …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), which is intended as a prediction that by these God would chastise the degenerate Israelites, plead his own cause among them, and avenge the quarrel of his covenant,
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Elisha - shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room - Jarchi gives a strange turn to these words: “Thy prophecy (or execution of the prophetic office) does not please me, because thou art the constant accuser of my children.” With all their abominations, this rabbin would have us to believe that those vile idolaters and murderers were still the beloved children of God! And why?
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
In the solitude of Sinai, God appeared to instruct him. "What doest thou here, Elijah?" was a searching question addressed to one who had been called to so arduous and urgent a mission as his.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Jehu, the son of Nimshi - In reality the grandson of Nimshi. But he seems to have been commonly known by the above title 2Ki 9:20; 2Ch 22:7, perhaps because his father had died and his grand-father had brought him up. Abel-meholah - See Jdg 7:22 note. (Conder identifies it with Ain Helweh.) Elisha ... shalt thou anoint - This is almost the only place where we hear of the anointing of prophets (compare 1Ch 16:22 and Psa 105:15).
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
You should anoint as prophet in your place. [God said,] “I do not want your prophecy, because you plead for the prosecution of My children.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 3 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאֵת֙ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| יֵה֣וּא | yehu' | Jehu | H3058 → | 58 times |
| בֶן־ | ven- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| נִמְשִׁ֔י | nimshi | Nimshi | H5250 → | |
| תִּמְשַׁ֥ח | timshach | you will anoint | H4886 → | 70 times |
| לְמֶ֖לֶךְ | lemelekh | to king | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וְאֶת־ | veet | and <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֱלִישָׁ֤ע | ʾelisha' | Elisha | H477 → | 58 times |
| בֶּן־ | ben- | [the] son of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| שָׁפָט֙ | shafat | Shaphat | H8202 → | |
| מֵאָבֵ֣ל | meavel | from Abel | H65 → | 6 times |
| מְחוֹלָ֔ה | mecholah | Meholah | H65 → | 6 times |
| תִּמְשַׁ֥ח | timshach | you will anoint | H4886 → | 70 times |
| לְנָבִ֖יא | lenavi' | to prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃ | tachteikha | in place of you | H8478 → | 505 times |
וְאֵת֙and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
יֵה֣וּאJehu
yehu'H3058 →58 times
בֶן־[the] son of
ven-H1121 →4930 times
נִמְשִׁ֔יNimshi
nimshiH5250 →
תִּמְשַׁ֥חyou will anoint
timshachH4886 →70 times
לְמֶ֖לֶךְto king
lemelekhH4428 →2525 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֑לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וְאֶת־and <obj.>
veetH853 →10935 times
אֱלִישָׁ֤עElisha
ʾelisha'H477 →58 times
בֶּן־[the] son of
ben-H1121 →4930 times
שָׁפָט֙Shaphat
shafatH8202 →
מֵאָבֵ֣לfrom Abel
meavelH65 →6 times
מְחוֹלָ֔הMeholah
mecholahH65 →6 times
תִּמְשַׁ֥חyou will anoint
timshachH4886 →70 times
לְנָבִ֖יאto prophet
lenavi'H5030 →314 times
תַּחְתֶּֽיךָ׃in place of you
tachteikhaH8478 →505 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
2 Kings 2:9After they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken away from you?” “Please, let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,”…
it leads to
- Numbers 11:17
And I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take some of the Spirit that is on you and put that Spirit on them. They will help you bear the…
- Deuteronomy 21:17
Instead, he must acknowledge the firstborn, the son of his unloved wife, by giving him a double portion of all that he has. For that son is the firstfruits of his father’s strength; the…
- John 16:7
But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send…
- Acts 20:25–36
Now I know that none of you among whom I have preached the kingdom will see my face again.
- Acts 8:17
Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
- Numbers 11:17
Through
Luke 4:27And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet. Yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”
it leads to
- 2 Kings 5:1–27
Now Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in his master’s sight and highly regarded, for through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. And…
- 2 Kings 5:1–27
Through
2 Kings 2:15When the sons of the prophets who were facing him from Jericho saw what had happened, they said, “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha.” And they went to meet him and bowed down…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 4:14
If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.
- Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- 1 Peter 4:14
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies4
About 1 Kings
Who and where
2 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonDivided kingdomElishaElijah's successor with the firstborn's double portion; the prophet of the healed spring, the widow's oil, the Shunammite's son, N…
- PersonDivided kingdomJehuThe furious-driving commander anointed at Elisha's order who purged the house of Ahab and Baal from Israel — zealous for the LORD,…
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 19:13; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.