So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the summit of Carmel, bent down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.
Parallel translations
- WEB So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down on the earth, and put his face between his knees.
- KJV So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,
- NKJV So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees,
- NASB So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bent down to the earth and put his face between his knees.
- NLT So Ahab went to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel and bowed low to the ground and prayed with his face between his knees.
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
While Ahab eats, Elijah climbs Carmel and bows in earnest prayer for rain. The prophet labors in intercession for God's promised mercy.
Overview
Elijah's posture, face between his knees, shows humble, fervent prayer. Though God had promised rain, Elijah still prays earnestly for it, modeling that God's promises are sought through prayer, not presumed apart from it. The New Testament cites Elijah here as an example of the power of a righteous person's prayer.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Luke 6:12In those days Jesus went out to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God.
- Acts 10:9The next day at about the sixth hour, as the men were approaching the city on their journey, Peter went up on the roof to pray.
- Gen 24:52When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed down to the ground before the LORD.
- Josh 7:6Then Joshua tore his clothes and fell facedown before the ark of the LORD until evening, as did the elders of Israel; and they all sprinkled dust on their heads.
- Mark 14:35Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him.
- Matt 14:23After He had sent them away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,
- 1 Kgs 19:13When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
- Ezra 9:6and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.
- Ps 89:7In the council of the holy ones, God is greatly feared, and awesome above all who surround Him.
- Isa 38:2Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to the LORD,
- 1 Kgs 18:19–20Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- Dan 9:7To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You.
- Dan 9:3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
- 2 Sam 12:16David pleaded with God for the boy. He fasted and went into his house and spent the night lying in sackcloth on the ground.
- Isa 6:2Above Him stood seraphim, each having six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying.
- Jas 5:16–18Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.
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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 18:42 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
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