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1 Kings 18:46

in 1 Kings 18

And 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.

This verse in 1 Kings 18

Commentary

7 notes on this verse

A commentator

Ephrem the Syrian

ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 18:46 · Written before 373.

In 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

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

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.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

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

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

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 & Brown

1802–1910

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

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 words

Every 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.

  • וְיַד־and [the] hand of

    veyad-H30271618 times

  • יְהוָ֗הYahweh

    yahwehH30686520 times

  • הָֽיְתָה֙it was

    hayetahH19613559 times

  • אֶל־to

    ʾel-H4135510 times

  • אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּElijah

    ʾeliyahuH45271 times

  • וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖סand he girded up

    vayshanesH8151

  • מָתְנָ֑יוloins his

    matenavH497547 times

  • וַיָּ֙רָץ֙and he ran

    vaiyarotzH7323103 times

  • לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before

    lifneiH64402123 times

  • אַחְאָ֔בAhab

    ʾachavH25692 times

  • עַד־until

    ʾad-H57041261 times

  • בֹּאֲכָ֖הcoming you

    boakhahH9352568 times

  • יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃Jezreel towards

    yizreelahH315736 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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 3:14

    So 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.

  • Through

    2 Kings 3:15

    But 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.

  • Through

    Ezekiel 1:3

    the 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.

  • Through

    Jeremiah 1:17

    Get 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.

Where this verse is studied

About 1 Kings

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.