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So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
1 Kings 18:6 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
  • BSB So they divided the land to explore. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went the other way by himself.
  • NKJV So they divided the land between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
  • NASB So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
  • NLT So they divided the land between them. Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

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

Ahab and Obadiah divide the land between them and set out in different directions to search.

Overview

The king and his steward part ways to cover more ground in the desperate search for water and grass. Obadiah's separate route providentially leads to his encounter with Elijah in the next verses. The arrangement, ordinary in itself, becomes the means by which God brings His prophet face to face with the king.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 1

  • Jer 14:3Their nobles send their little ones to the waters. They come to the cisterns, and find no water. They return with their vessels empty. They are disappointed and confounded, and cover their heads.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 18:6YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 18:6 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.