And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
Parallel translations
- WEB When he saw that, he arose, and ran for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
- KJV And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
- NKJV And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
- NASB And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there.
- NLT Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
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
Frightened, Elijah flees for his life southward to Beersheba and leaves his servant there. The bold prophet is suddenly overwhelmed by fear.
Overview
The dramatic shift from Carmel's victor to a fleeing fugitive shows how vulnerable even great servants of God are to fear and discouragement. Elijah runs to the far south of Judah, beyond Jezebel's reach. His weakness reminds us that the prophets were ordinary people who depended wholly on God's sustaining grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Gen 21:31So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath.
- Matt 26:70–74But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
- Matt 26:56But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
- 2 Cor 12:7or because of these surpassingly great revelations. So to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.
- 1 Sam 27:1David, however, said to himself, “One of these days now I will be swept away by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will stop searching for me all over Israel, and I will slip out of his hand.”
- Amos 7:12–13And Amaziah said to Amos, “Go away, you seer! Flee to the land of Judah; earn your bread there and do your prophesying there.
- Isa 51:12–13“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?
- 1 Kgs 4:25Throughout the days of Solomon, Judah and Israel dwelt securely from Dan to Beersheba, each man under his own vine and his own fig tree.
- Gen 12:12–13and when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live.
- Exod 2:15When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, where he sat down beside a well.
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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 19:3 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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