The Meaning of 1 Kings 19:20 Explained

1 Kings 19:20

KJV: 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: 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: 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?

ASV: 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?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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? 

What does 1 Kings 19:20 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 19:15-21 - Appointing Jehovah's Instruments
Elijah was never reinstated in quite the position that he had occupied before his fatal flight. True, he was bidden to return, and work was given him to do. But that work consisted in anointing three men who were to share the ministry which he might have fulfilled, if only he had been true to his opportunities and faithful to his God. God's work must go forward, if not by us, then by others brought in to fill our place.
Hazael, king of Syria; Jehu, the rude captain; and Elisha, the young farmer. Each was as different as possible from the others; yet each had his special sphere in dealing with the idolatries and impurities that were destroying the chosen race. God's nets are not all constructed with the same size of meshes. Men may escape some of the bigger ones, who will be caught by the smaller ones. But God so orders the lives of men that once at least each encounters a mesh that cannot be evaded. What a comfort it is to think that God is at work in the world, and that, while statistics tell a sad tale, there may still be seven thousand secret disciples for every Elijah! [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 19

1  Elijah, threatened by Jezebel, flees to Beersheba
4  In the desert, being weary of his life, he is comforted by an angel
9  At Horeb God appears unto him, sending him to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha
19  Elisha, taking leave of his friends, follows Elijah

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 19:20 mean?

And he left - the oxen and ran after Elijah and said let me kiss please my father and my mother and [then] I will follow you and he said to him go back again for what have I done to you
וַיַּעֲזֹ֣ב אֶת־ הַבָּקָ֗ר וַיָּ֙רָץ֙ אַחֲרֵ֣י אֵֽלִיָּ֔הוּ וַיֹּ֗אמֶר אֶשְּׁקָה־ נָּא֙ לְאָבִ֣י וּלְאִמִּ֔י וְאֵלְכָ֖ה אַחֲרֶ֑יךָ וַיֹּ֤אמֶר לוֹ֙ לֵ֣ךְ שׁ֔וּב כִּ֥י מֶה־ עָשִׂ֖יתִי לָֽךְ

וַיַּעֲזֹ֣ב  And  he  left 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָזַב 
Sense: to leave, loose, forsake.
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
הַבָּקָ֗ר  the  oxen 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּקָר  
Sense: cattle, herd, oxen, ox.
וַיָּ֙רָץ֙  and  ran 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רוּץ 
Sense: to run.
אַחֲרֵ֣י  after 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אַחַר 
Sense: after the following part, behind (of place), hinder, afterwards (of time).
אֵֽלִיָּ֔הוּ  Elijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵלִיָּה 
Sense: the great prophet of the reign of Ahab.
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר  and  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֶשְּׁקָה־  let  me  kiss 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: נָשַׁק 
Sense: to put together, kiss.
נָּא֙  please 
Parse: Interjection
Root: נָא  
Sense: I (we) pray, now, please.
לְאָבִ֣י  my  father 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
וּלְאִמִּ֔י  and  my  mother 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: אֵם  
Sense: mother.
וְאֵלְכָ֖ה  and  [then]  I  will  follow 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Cohortative, first person common singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר  and  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לוֹ֙  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לֵ֣ךְ  go 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
שׁ֔וּב  back  again 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
עָשִׂ֖יתִי  have  I  done 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, first person common singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
לָֽךְ  to  you 
Parse: Preposition, second person feminine singular