Elijah Flees to Horeb and Is Renewed
1 Kings 19:1-9
1 K.19.1 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויגד: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אחאב: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- לאיזבל: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- עשה: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- אליהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- ואת: CONJ
- כל: DET
- אשר: PRON,rel
- הרג: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- כל: DET
- הנביאים: NOUN,m,pl,def
- בחרב: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 18:40 (verbal): Direct report of the same event: Elijah orders the seizure of the prophets of Baal and they are slain by the brook Kishon—this is the immediate narrative background to 1 Kgs 19:1.
- 1 Kings 19:2 (structural): Immediate continuation: Jezebel’s threatened retaliation against Elijah after hearing of the slaughter reported in 1 Kgs 19:1; shows cause-and-effect within the narrative.
- Exodus 2:11-15 (thematic): Moses flees Pharaoh after killing an Egyptian—parallel theme of a man of God who kills an opponent and then must flee for his life.
- Mark 6:14-29 (thematic): Account of John the Baptist’s execution prompted by Herodias/Herod’s court—parallels the motif of a prophet threatened or put to death as a consequence of conflict with royal authority or a royal household.
- 2 Kings 9:30-37 (thematic): The violent death of Jezebel under Jehu’s purge—connects to Jezebel’s earlier hostility toward prophets (as reported in 1 Kgs 19:1) and the theme of prophetic retribution against royal persecutors.
Alternative generated candidates
- Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and how he had put to death all the prophets with the sword.
- Ahab reported to Jezebel all that Elijah had done and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
1 K.19.2 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ותשלח: VERB,qal,perf,3,f,sg
- איזבל: NOUN,prop,f,sg
- מלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אל: NEG
- אליהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- לאמר: INF,qal,infc
- כה: ADV
- יעשון: VERB,qal,impf,3,pl
- אלהים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וכה: CONJ+ADV
- יוספון: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,pl
- כי: CONJ
- כעת: ADV
- מחר: ADV
- אשים: VERB,qal,impf,1,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נפשך: NOUN,f,sg,abs,2,m
- כנפש: PREP+NOUN,f,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- מהם: PREP+PRON,3,m,pl
Parallels
- 1Kgs.19.3 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — Elijah reacts to Jezebel’s death-threat by fleeing for his life, showing the threat’s effect on the prophet.
- 1Sam.19.11-12 (thematic): Saul sends men to seize/kill David and Michal helps him escape — parallels a royal effort to eliminate a perceived enemy and the use of agents/messengers to carry out the threat.
- 2Kgs.9.30-37 (thematic): The account of Jezebel’s violent downfall — thematically linked to her earlier threats and prophetic conflict, providing a later narrative consequence for her hostility.
- Acts.12.1-4 (thematic): Herod’s arrest and execution of church leaders (James) and intent to seize Peter — parallels state-sponsored persecution and leaders’ attempts to eliminate religious opponents.
- Exod.1.22 (thematic): Pharaoh’s decree to cast Hebrew male infants into the Nile — another instance of a ruler issuing orders that threaten the lives of particular persons/groups.
Alternative generated candidates
- Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “So may the gods do to me and more also, if by tomorrow at this time I do not make your life like the life of one of them.”
- Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, 'Let the gods do so to me—and more besides—if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them.'
1 K.19.3 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וירא: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- אל: NEG
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- באר: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- שבע: NUM,card
- אשר: PRON,rel
- ליהודה: PREP+PN,masc,sg
- וינח: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נערו: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- שם: ADV
Parallels
- Exodus 2:15 (thematic): Moses flees to Midian after Pharaoh seeks his life—parallel motif of a divinely used leader fleeing royal/official threat and seeking refuge in a distant region.
- Jonah 1:3 (verbal): Jonah 'arose to flee to Tarshish'—shares the same verbal pattern of 'arise and go' to escape a situation (here a prophetic commission), highlighting flight as a prophetic response.
- 1 Samuel 19:10–12 (thematic): David evades Saul's murderous intent and flees with the help of companions—another example of a threatened leader leaving courtly safety and escaping for his life, echoing Elijah's flight to Beersheba and beyond.
- Genesis 26:23–25 (structural): Isaac goes to Beersheba where God meets him and he finds rest—connects the place Beersheba as a locus of refuge/renewal, echoing Elijah's arrival there before withdrawing into the wilderness.
Alternative generated candidates
- When he saw this, he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah; he left his young man there.
- When he saw this, he arose and fled for his life and went to Beersheba of Judah; he left his servant there.
1 K.19.4 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- והוא: CONJ+PRON,3,m,sg
- הלך: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- במדבר: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- דרך: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- רתם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- וישאל: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- את: PRT,acc
- נפשו: NOUN,f,sg,abs+PRON,3,m,sg
- למות: VERB,qal,inf
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- עתה: ADV
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- קח: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- נפשי: NOUN,f,sg,abs+1cs
- כי: CONJ
- לא: PART_NEG
- טוב: ADJ,m,pl,abs
- אנכי: PRON,1,sg
- מאבתי: PREP+NOUN,m,pl,abs+PRON,1,sg
Parallels
- Jonah 4:3 (verbal): Jonah explicitly asks God to take his life, saying it would be better to die than to live—very close in wording and sentiment to Elijah’s plea to the LORD to take his life.
- Numbers 11:15 (verbal): Moses, overwhelmed by the people’s burdens, tells God to kill him if he has found favor—an expression of being unable to continue that parallels Elijah’s despair and request for death.
- Job 6:8–9 (thematic): Job longs for death and asks that his life be ended; thematically parallels Elijah’s deep suffering and desire to die amid overwhelming distress.
- Psalm 42:11 (or 42:5) (thematic): The psalmist’s anguished, downcast cry (“Why are you cast down, O my soul?”) reflects the same inner despondency and spiritual struggle evident in Elijah’s sit‑down under the broom tree.
Alternative generated candidates
- And he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom-tree and prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
- He went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat down under a broom tree and asked that he might die. He said, 'It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers.'
1 K.19.5 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישכב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- ויישן: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- תחת: PREP
- רתם: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- אחד: NUM,card,m,sg
- והנה: ADV
- זה: PRON,dem,m,sg
- מלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- נגע: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אכול: NOUN,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- 1 Kings 19:7 (structural): Immediate continuation: a second angel touches Elijah and provides bread and water to restore him for the journey—same motif of angelic touch and sustenance.
- Matthew 4:11 (thematic): After Jesus' ordeal in the wilderness angels minister to him; parallels divine/angelic provision to a physically exhausted prophet.
- Daniel 10:10 (verbal): An angelic touch awakens and affects the prophet (Daniel), initiating a revelation—similar motif of an angel touching a prophet to rouse and deliver a message.
- Psalm 34:7 (thematic): ‘The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him’—general motif of angelic intervention and deliverance that frames the angel’s aid to Elijah.
- Genesis 28:11-15 (thematic): Jacob sleeps and experiences a divine/visionary encounter while resting; parallels the theme of a sleeping person awakened by divine/angelic contact.
Alternative generated candidates
- He lay down and slept under the broom-tree. But behold, an angel touched him and said to him, “Arise, eat.”
- He lay down and slept under the broom tree. Behold, an angel touched him and said to him, 'Get up, eat.'
1 K.19.6 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבט: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- והנה: ADV
- מראשתיו: NOUN,m,pl,abs,poss:3,m,sg
- עגת: NOUN,f,sg,abs
- רצפים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- וצפחת: NOUN,f,sg,def
- מים: NOUN,m,pl,abs
- ויאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישת: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- וישכב: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
Parallels
- 1 Kings 19:7 (structural): Immediate narrative continuation — the angel again tells Elijah to ‘arise and eat,’ linking the meal in v.6 directly to divine commissioning and strength for the journey.
- 1 Kings 17:6 (thematic): Earlier provision for Elijah during the drought: ravens brought him bread and meat, another instance of God sustaining Elijah miraculously in the wilderness.
- Exodus 16:4-5 (thematic): God provides supernatural food for his people in the wilderness (manna), a recurring theme of divine sustenance during journeying and trial.
- Mark 1:13 (allusion): After Jesus’ forty days of fasting, angels minister to him — a New Testament parallel of angelic care and sustenance for a divinely chosen prophet/servant following ordeal.
- Judges 6:19-21 (thematic): The angel of the Lord prepares and consumes a meal with Gideon (fire consuming the offering), another episode where an angelic figure provides/participates in a meal as a sign of divine commissioning.
Alternative generated candidates
- He looked, and behold, at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
- He looked, and behold, at his head was a cake baked on hot coals and a jar of water. He ate and drank and lay down again.
1 K.19.7 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- וישב: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- מלאך: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- שנית: ADV
- ויגע: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- בו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- קום: VERB,qal,impv,2,m,sg
- אכל: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- כי: CONJ
- רב: ADJ,m,sg
- ממך: PREP+PRON,2,m,sg
- הדרך: NOUN,f,sg,def
Parallels
- Daniel 10:10-11 (verbal): An angelic being touches the prophet to strengthen and encourage him ("a hand touched me"), similar to the angel touching Elijah and commanding him to arise and eat.
- Luke 22:43 (thematic): An angel appears to strengthen Jesus in a moment of extreme weakness and distress, paralleling the role of the angel who ministers to and restores Elijah.
- Matthew 4:11 (thematic): After Jesus’ ordeal in the wilderness, angels came and ministered to him—paralleling the motif of angelic provision and care for a weakened servant of God.
- Acts 12:7 (thematic): An angel physically awakens and delivers Peter (striking/waking him and leading him out), echoing the angelic intervention that rouses and aids Elijah on his journey.
- Psalm 91:11 (thematic): Speaks of God assigning angels to care for and protect his people, providing the broader theological background for episodes of angelic provision like the one in 1 Kings 19:7.
Alternative generated candidates
- The angel of the LORD came a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, for the journey is too great for you.”
- The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, 'Get up, eat; for the journey is too great for you.'
1 K.19.8 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויקם: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- ויאכל: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- וישתה: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- וילך: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- בכח: PREP+NOUN,m,sg,abs
- האכילה: NOUN,m,sg,def
- ההיא: DEM,f,sg
- ארבעים: NUM,m,pl
- יום: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- וארבעים: CONJ+NUM,card,m,pl
- לילה: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- עד: PREP
- הר: NOUN,m,sg,cons
- האלהים: NOUN,m,sg,def
- חרב: NOUN,f,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 34:28 (verbal): Moses remained on the mountain 'forty days and forty nights' in direct verbal parallel; both texts link a forty-day divine encounter with a mountain of God (Sinai/Horeb).
- Deuteronomy 9:9 (verbal): Moses again described as staying 'forty days and forty nights' on the mountain; reinforces the motif of a forty-day period of fasting/communion with God on a holy mountain.
- Matthew 4:2 (thematic): Jesus fasts 'forty days and forty nights' in the wilderness; echoes the OT pattern of forty-day periods as testing/preparation and links wilderness experience to spiritual formation.
- Numbers 14:33-34 (thematic): The generation's forty years in the wilderness establishes 'forty' as a canonical period of testing and completion, thematically related to Elijah's forty-day journey as a time of preparation and transition.
- Exodus 16:4 (thematic): God's provision of manna to sustain Israel in the wilderness parallels the angelic-provided food that strengthens Elijah for his forty-day journey, linking divine sustenance with vocation and pilgrimage.
Alternative generated candidates
- He rose, ate and drank. Strengthened by that food he walked forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
- He rose, ate and drank; strengthened by that food he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
1 K.19.9 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ויבא: VERB,qal,wayyiqtol,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- אל: NEG
- המערה: NOUN,f,sg,def
- וילן: VERB,qal,impf,3,m,sg
- שם: ADV
- והנה: ADV
- דבר: NOUN,m,sg,abs
- יהוה: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
- אליו: PREP+PRON,3,m,sg
- ויאמר: VERB,qal,perf,3,m,sg
- לו: PRON,3,m,sg
- מה: PRON,int
- לך: PRON,2,m,sg
- פה: ADV
- אליהו: NOUN,prop,m,sg,abs
Parallels
- Exodus 3:1-6 (thematic): A solitary encounter with God at Horeb—God initiates the meeting with a question/call to the human figure (theophany in an isolated place).
- 1 Samuel 3:1-10 (verbal): Same formula 'the word of the LORD came to him' describing divine speech to a young/secluded servant; God calls and the human must respond.
- Genesis 3:9 (verbal): Divine interrogative: God asks a pointed question about the person's location/presence ('Where are you?'), paralleling God's question to Elijah ('What are you doing here?').
- Jeremiah 1:4-6 (structural): A prophetic call scene introduced by 'the word of the LORD came to me' followed by God addressing and commissioning the prophet—similar pattern of divine address in solitude.
- Isaiah 6:8 (thematic): A call-and-response theophany: God speaks and questions/solicits a response from the prophet ('Whom shall I send?'), echoing the motif of divine address and prophetic commission.
Alternative generated candidates
- There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
- There he came to a cave and spent the night. The word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, 'What are you doing here, Elijah?'
Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done, and how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, "Let the gods do so to me and more besides—if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the life of one of them."
When he saw this, he arose and went for his life and came to Beersheba of Judah; he left his servant there.
He himself went a day's journey into the wilderness and came and sat under a broom tree; he asked that his life might die and said, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
He lay down and slept under the broom tree. Behold, an angel touched him and said to him, "Arise, eat."
He looked, and behold, at his head was a cake baked on hot stones and a jar of water. He ate and drank, and lay down again.
The angel of the LORD returned a second time, touched him, and said, "Arise, eat, for the journey is too great for you."
He rose, ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God.
There he came to a cave and spent the night. The word of the LORD came to him and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"