1 Kings 21:17
in 1 Kings 21Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the word of Jehovah came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
KJV
And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,
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This verse in 1 Kings 21
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite
on 1 Kings 21:17-19
The prophet who vanished under Jezebel's threat in chapter nineteen is sent to meet her victim's killer in the stolen vineyard itself. Elijah's charge is one unanswerable question, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession, followed by a sentence that binds Ahab's death to the ground he has just walked onto, in the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine. This is the third house condemned by the dogs formula, after Jeroboam's at 14:11 and Baasha's at 16:4, and 22:38 records it kept to the word.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
What good canst thou expect from it when it is purchased with blood ( Hab. ii. 12 ) and thou hast caused the owner thereof to lose his life? " Job xxxi. Now that he is pleasing himself with his ill-gotten wealth, and giving direction for the turning of this vineyard into a flower-garden, his meat in his bowels is turned.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the prophet,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?--While Ahab was in the act of surveying his ill-gotten possession, Elijah, by divine commission, stood before him. The appearance of the prophet, at such a time, was ominous of evil, but his language was much more so (compare Eze 45:8;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיְהִי֙ | vayhi | and it came | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| דְּבַר־ | devar- | [the] word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אֵלִיָּ֥הוּ | ʾeliyahu | Elijah | H452 → | 71 times |
| הַתִּשְׁבִּ֖י | hatishbi | the Tishbite | H8664 → | 6 times |
| לֵאמֹֽר׃ | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
וַיְהִי֙and it came
vayhiH1961 →3559 times
דְּבַר־[the] word of
devar-H1697 →1440 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אֵלִיָּ֥הוּElijah
ʾeliyahuH452 →71 times
הַתִּשְׁבִּ֖יthe Tishbite
hatishbiH8664 →6 times
לֵאמֹֽר׃<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 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
Psalms 9:12For the Avenger of bloodshed remembers; He does not ignore the cry of the afflicted.
it leads to
- Psalms 34:6
This poor man called out, and the LORD heard him; He saved him from all his troubles.
- Exodus 3:7
The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the affliction of My people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their oppressors, and I am aware of their sufferings.
- Revelation 16:6
For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.”
- Psalms 34:6
Through
2 Kings 5:26But Elisha questioned him, “Did not my spirit go with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to accept money and clothing, olive groves and…
it leads to
- Colossians 2:5
For although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I delight to see your orderly condition and firm faith in Christ.
- 1 Corinthians 5:3
Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
- 2 Kings 6:12
But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
- Colossians 2:5
Through
Isaiah 26:21For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.
it leads to
- Jude 1:14–15
Enoch, the seventh from Adam, also prophesied about them: “Behold, the Lord is coming with myriads of His holy ones
- Isaiah 13:11
I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity. I will end the haughtiness of the arrogant and lay low the pride of the ruthless.
- Jude 1:14–15
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.