So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,
Parallel translations
- WEB Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.
- KJV And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
- NKJV So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
- NASB So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria.
- NLT So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. Meanwhile, the famine had become very severe in Samaria.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elijah obediently goes to meet Ahab while the famine grips Samaria severely.
Overview
Elijah courageously sets out to face the king who has been hunting him, trusting God's command. The note that the famine was severe underscores the depth of the crisis the drought has caused. Elijah's obedience in the face of danger again models the faith that acts on God's word regardless of risk.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jer 14:2–6“Judah mourns and her gates languish. Her people wail for the land, and a cry goes up from Jerusalem.
- Lev 26:26When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will bake your bread in a single oven and dole out your bread by weight, so that you will eat but not be satisfied.
- Deut 28:23–24The sky over your head will be bronze, and the earth beneath you iron.
- 2 Kgs 6:25So there was a great famine in Samaria. Indeed, they besieged the city so long that a donkey’s head sold for eighty shekels of silver, and a quarter cab of dove’s dung sold for five shekels of silver.
- Joel 1:15–20Alas for the day! For the Day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty.
- Jer 14:18If I go out to the country, I see those slain by the sword; if I enter the city, I see those ravaged by famine! For both prophet and priest travel to a land they do not know.’”
- Ps 51:4Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.
- Isa 51:12“I, even I, am He who comforts you. Why should you be afraid of mortal man, of a son of man who withers like grass?
- Ps 27:1Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Prov 28:1The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
- Heb 13:5–6Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, for God has said: “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 18:2 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.