1 Kings 18:46
in 1 Kings 18And the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah, and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and the hand of Jehovah was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
KJV
And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
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This verse in 1 Kings 18
Commentary
7 notes on this verseIn my opinion Elijah accorded a great honor to Ahab, of which he was unworthy, when he ran in front of him like a servant. And there are two reasons for this. In the first place, [the prophet intended] to comfort with his company the …
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The hand, &c. - God gave him more than natural strength, whereby he was enabled to outrun Ahab's chariot, for so many miles together. He girded, &c. - That his garments, which were long, might not hinder him.
9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me? 10 As the L ORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:97%@v9-10
And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Ran before Ahab - Many think that Elijah ran before the king in order to do him honor; and much learned labor has been spent on this passage in order to show that Elijah had put himself at the head of a company of chanters who ran before the king reciting his praises, or the praises of God; a custom which still exists in Arabian countries! I believe all these entirely mistake the writer’s meaning: Ahab yoked his chariot, and made all speed to Jezreel.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Elijah . . . girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab--It was anciently, and still is in some countries of the East, customary for kings and nobles to have runners before their chariots, who are tightly girt for the purpose.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Divinely directed, and divinely upheld, Elijah, instead of resting, ran in advance of the king’s chariot the entire distance of at least 16 miles to the entrance of Jezreel. He thus showed himself ready to countenance and uphold the irresolute monarch, if he would turn from his evil courses, and proceed to carry out the religious reformation which the events of the day had inaugurated. The entrance of Jezreel - Modern “Zerin.” Ahab had not removed the capital from Samaria 1Ki 22:10, 1Ki 22:37; but he had built himself a palace at Jezreel 1Ki 21:1, and appears to have resided there ordinarily. A contemporary Assyrian inscription speaks of him as “Ahab of Jezreel.” Elijah’s caution in accompanying Ahab only to “the entrance” is like that of the modern Arabs, who can seldom be induced to trust themselves within walls. He rested on the outskirts of the town, waiting to learn what Jezebel would say or do, knowing that it was she, and not Ahab, who really governed the country.
The words behind it
13 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיַד־ | veyad- | and [the] hand of | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| יְהוָ֗ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הָֽיְתָה֙ | hayetah | it was | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ | ʾeliyahu | Elijah | H452 → | 71 times |
| וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖ס | vayshanes | and he girded up | H8151 → | |
| מָתְנָ֑יו | matenav | loins his | H4975 → | 47 times |
| וַיָּ֙רָץ֙ | vaiyarotz | and he ran | H7323 → | 103 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| אַחְאָ֔ב | ʾachav | Ahab | H256 → | 92 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| בֹּאֲכָ֖ה | boakhah | coming you | H935 → | 2568 times |
| יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃ | yizreelah | Jezreel towards | H3157 → | 36 times |
וְיַד־and [the] hand of
veyad-H3027 →1618 times
יְהוָ֗הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הָֽיְתָה֙it was
hayetahH1961 →3559 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּElijah
ʾeliyahuH452 →71 times
וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖סand he girded up
vayshanesH8151 →
מָתְנָ֑יוloins his
matenavH4975 →47 times
וַיָּ֙רָץ֙and he ran
vaiyarotzH7323 →103 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
אַחְאָ֔בAhab
ʾachavH256 →92 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
בֹּאֲכָ֖הcoming you
boakhahH935 →2568 times
יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃Jezreel towards
yizreelahH3157 →36 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
Ezekiel 3:14So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness and in the anger of my spirit, with the strong hand of the LORD upon me.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 37:1
The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by His Spirit and set me down in the middle of the valley, and it was full of bones.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- 2 Kings 3:15
But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Jeremiah 20:7–9
You have deceived me, O LORD, and I was deceived. You have overcome me and prevailed. I am a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me.
- Ezekiel 37:1
Through
2 Kings 3:15But now, bring me a harpist.” And while the harpist played, the hand of the LORD came upon Elisha
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 16:23
And whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would pick up his harp and play, and Saul would become well, and the spirit of distress would depart from him.
- Ephesians 5:18–19
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
- 1 Samuel 16:23
Through
Ezekiel 1:3the word of the LORD came directly to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the River Kebar. And there the LORD’s hand was upon him.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 8:1
In the sixth year, on the fifth day of the sixth month, I was sitting in my house, and the elders of Judah were sitting before me; and there the hand of the Lord…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 8:1
Through
Jeremiah 1:17Get yourself ready. Stand up and tell them everything that I command you. Do not be intimidated by them, or I will terrify you before them.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:7–8
But the LORD told me: “Do not say, ‘I am only a child.’ For to everyone I send you, you must go, and all that I command you, you must speak.
- 1 Peter 1:13
Therefore prepare your minds for action. Be sober-minded. Set your hope fully on the grace to be given you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Jeremiah 1:7–8
Where this verse is studied
About 1 Kings

Who and where
3 names in this verse with a page on the site.
- PersonDivided kingdomElijahThe Tishbite who shut heaven for three years and a half, called down fire on Carmel, heard the still small voice at Horeb, and wen…
- PersonDivided kingdomAhabSeventh king of the northern kingdom, son of Omri, who "did evil above all that were before him"; Elijah's chief antagonist, conde…
- PlaceNorthern IsraelJezreelAhab's summer capital beside Naboth's vineyard; the city of the dogs' prophecy, where Jezebel fell and Jehu's wheels rolled.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 18:46; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
