And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.
So Elisha went back home, took his pair of oxen, killed them, and cooked their meat using the wooden yoke and plow as fuel for the fire. He gave the meat to the people, and they ate it. Then he got up, followed Elijah, and served him.
Elisha made a complete break from his old life by using his farming equipment as fuel to cook a farewell meal, then committed fully to following and serving Elijah.
📚 Historical Context
This occurs when the prophet Elijah called Elisha to be his successor while Elisha was plowing fields. In ancient agricultural society, oxen and farming equipment represented a person's livelihood and economic security. By burning his wooden yoke and plow to cook the oxen, Elisha was making an irreversible decision to leave farming forever.
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