1 Kings 18:5-16

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 18:1-16

In these verses we find, I. The sad state of Israel at this time, upon two accounts:? 1. Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord (1 Kgs. 18:4), slew them, 1 Kgs. 18:13. Being an idolater, she was a persecutor, and made Ahab one. Even in those bad times, when the calves were worshipped and the temple at Jerusalem deserted, yet there were some good people that feared God and served him, and some good prophets that instructed them in the knowledge of him and assisted them in their devotions. The... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:5

And Ahab said unto Obadiah, go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks ,.... To observe in what condition they were, and the places adjoining to them, the meadows and valleys: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive ; particularly those which belonged to the king's stables, to find provisions for which it was found difficult: that we lose not all the beasts ; many of them, doubtless, were lost through the drought already, and there... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:6

So they divided the land between them, to pass through it ,.... And one took one part, and the other the other part: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself ; Ahab not caring to trust any but Obadiah, who he knew was a faithful man, lest they should be bribed by those that had grass not to discover it. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:7

And as Obadiah was in the way ,.... In his district, making his observations: behold, Elijah met him : where is not said; but he was, no doubt, upon the road from Zarephath to Samaria: and he knew him that is, Obadiah knew Elijah, having seen him at Ahab's court before he absconded: and fell on his face, and said, art thou that my lord Elijah? thus doing him honour and reverence both by words and gesture, as being an extraordinary prophet of the Lord. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:8

And he answered him, I am ,.... He did not desire to be concealed, his orders were to show and make himself known to Ahab, and Obadiah was one of his domestic servants: go tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here ; in such a place, ready to face him at any time. Elijah, by calling Ahab the lord of Obadiah, as he tacitly reproves him for calling him lord, shows reverence to Ahab as a king, and yet that he was fearless of him, as he was the prophet and ambassador of the Lord of hosts to him. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:9

And he said, what have I sinned ,.... Or in what have I offended God or his prophet, that revenge should be taken on me in this way: that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to slay me ? for that he supposed would be the consequence of it, as he argues and more plainly expresses his sense in the following words. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:10

As the Lord thy God liveth ,.... Which is the form of an oath he thought fit to make, to ascertain the truth of what he was about to say: there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee ; which is either an hyperbolical expression, signifying he had sought for him in many places, and in every place he could think of; or it must be understood either of the ten tribes, which were as so many nations and kingdoms as they had been; or were more in the times of the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:11

And now thou sayest, go tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here. Which, if I should not be able to make good, would be of fatal consequence to me; and that it is plain he feared, by what he next says. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:12

And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not ,.... This he supposed might possibly, and very probably, be the case, since small raptures might have been already, and known to Obadiah, as there were afterwards, see 2 Kings 2:16 , and then he should not know where he was, nor be able to direct his master where to find him: and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me ; for telling... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:13

Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord? how I hid one hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water? See Gill on 1 Kings 18:4 , this he said not in a way of ostentation, but to show that it would be very ungenerous and ungrateful, as well as impolitic, to sacrifice such a friend at court to the Lord's prophets as he had been, and might still continue to be. read more

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