What Is the Meaning of Picking Up the Mantle?
A person who "picks up the mantle" is taking over for someone else--usually a noteworthy person--in the pursuit of a goal.
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Mantle
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A mantle is a loose-fitting cloak worn over the shoulders.
Origin
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The expression comes from the Bible. In 2 Kings, Chapter 2, Verses 1-15, the prophet Elijah is carried up to heaven by a whirlwind. He leaves behind his mantle, and his disciple, Elisha, picks it up.
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Succession
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Elisha uses the mantle to part the Jordan River, as Elijah had done before him, and is hailed in Jericho as having assumed the spirit of Elijah.
Today
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The expression today is often used to suggest that the mantle--the leadership position--will be difficult to assume. When Sen. Edward Kennedy died in 2009, for example, political commentators theorized about who would pick up the mantle as the public face of the Kennedy clan.
Related Concept
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"Picking up the mantle" expresses a concept similar to "passing the torch." The key difference is the timing of the transfer of authority. In the first expression, the leader departs and leaves behind his mantle for someone to assume; in the second, the leader hands off his role to someone else, then departs.
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