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.
Parallel Translations
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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.
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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,
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So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to 1 Kings 18:42 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Luke 6:12 In these days, he went out to the mountain to pray, and he continued all night in prayer to God.
- Genesis 24:52 When Abraham’s servant heard their words, he bowed himself down to the earth to Yahweh.
- Joshua 7:6 Joshua tore his clothes, and fell to the earth on his face before Yahweh’s ark until the evening, he and the elders of Israel; and they put dust on their heads.
- 2 Samuel 12:16 David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the ground.
- 1 Kings 18:19-20 Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to Mount Carmel, and four hundred fifty of the prophets of Baal, and four hundred of the prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.
- 1 Kings 19:13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle, went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
- Ezra 9:6 and I said, “My God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to you, my God; for our iniquities have increased over our head, and our guiltiness has grown up to the heavens.
- Psalms 89:7 a very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, to be feared above all those who are around him?
- Isaiah 38:2 Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to Yahweh,
- Daniel 9:3 I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
- Daniel 9:7 “Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near, and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
- Matthew 14:23 After he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into the mountain by himself to pray. When evening had come, he was there alone.
- Mark 14:35 He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him.
- Acts 10:9 Now on the next day as they were on their journey, and got close to the city, Peter went up on the housetop to pray at about noon.
- Isaiah 6:2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew.
- James 5:16-18 Confess your offenses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it didn’t rain on the earth for three years and six months. He prayed again, and the sky gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 1Ki 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and…
1Ki 18:42 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,
Ver. 42. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel.] There, as in his ordinary oratory, to pray out the promise of rain, to put it in suit, and this he did lustily, {Jas 5:17} straining, as it were, every vein in his heart: for,
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He cast himself down upon the earth,] sc, Upon his knees.
And he put his face between his knees.] To show his great humility and fervency. His knees he bowed to God, his face he bowed down to his knees: by this humble posture both acknowledging his humble respects to that Majesty which he implored; and in addition so hiding his eyes from all distracting objects, that he might the more wholly attend the work which he went about. Some do here observe that the babe in the womb lieth in this sort, with his head between his knees; thereby tacitly setting forth his own misery, and imploring God’s mercy, to bring him into the light. Quo in statu sese composuit ter maximus Elias abiectissimae suae conditionis memor, ut caelum votis ira conceptis aperiret: quae certe conditio in utero mirabili, superbos ab arrogantia revocare deberet, saith Bodine. {a} The great prophet Elias prayed in this posture, as expressing and increasing thereby his devotion. Let proud men remember their mean beginnings, and pull their crests.
{a} Theatr. Naturae p. 428.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; where…
Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; where he might secretly and ardently pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look towards the sea, and discern when the rain was coming.
Put his face between his knees; he either sat, or rather kneeled upon his knees, and then cast down his face to the ground between his knees; either in token of profound reverence and humility, or out of fervency of spirit, which oft disposeth men to uncouth gestures, which at other times, or in other men, would be ridiculous; but in them, and in that case, are usual and allowed: or, that turning away his eyes from all outward objects, he might be more intent and earnest upon his work, or pray to God without distraction.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And it came to pass at the seventh time…
And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand,.... Either about the size or in the form of it; rain water comes out of the sea, and, being strained through the clouds and air, becomes fresh:
and he said, go up: the meaning seems to be, that he should first go down from the mount, and then go up to that part of it where Ahab was:
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say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot; bind or fasten the horses to it, as the phrase seems to signify:
and get thee down; from the mountain where he was, to go to Jezreel, which lay low in a valley:
that the rain stop thee not; on the road, that might be made impassable by it, signifying that such abundance should fall as would make it so.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain The top of Carmel - Where he might pour…
The top of Carmel - Where he might pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look towards the sea. He had a large prospect of the sea from hence. The sailors at this day call it cape Carmel. Between his knees - That is, bowed his head so low, that it touched his knees; thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness, now God had thus honoured him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 42. Put his face between his knees] He…
Verse 42. Put his face between his knees] He kneeled down, and then bowed his head to the earth, so that, while his face was between his knees, his forehead touched the ground.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain 1Ki 18:42. Elijah went up to the top of…
1Ki 18:42. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel — Where he might pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look toward the sea. He had a large prospect of the sea from hence: the sailors at this day call it Cape Carmel. Between his knees — That is, bowed his head so low, that it touched his knees; thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness, now God had thus honoured him.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Ahab could feast; Elijah could not, or would not.…
Ahab could feast; Elijah could not, or would not. Ascending Carmel not quite to the highest elevation 1Ki 18:43, but to a point, a little below the highest, from where the sea was not visible, he proceeded to pray earnestly for rain, as he had prayed formerly that it might not rain.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Knees, in fervent and humble prayer. God made his…
Knees, in fervent and humble prayer. God made his servant wait some time before he granted his request, that he might not give way to vanity. The people were not present, so that there was no danger of their being scandalized. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain ELIJAH, BY PRAYER, OBTAINS RAIN. (Kg1 18:41-46)
ELIJAH, BY PRAYER, OBTAINS RAIN. (Kg1 18:41-46)
Ahab went up to eat and to drink--Ahab, kept in painful excitement by the agonizing scene, had eaten nothing all the day. He was recommended to refresh himself without a moment's delay; and, while the king was thus occupied, the prophet, far from taking rest, was absorbed in prayer for the fulfilment of the promise (Kg1 18:1).
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put his face between his knees--a posture of earnest supplication still used.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 42. Cast himself down — Elijah’s attitude in prayer…
42. Cast himself down — Elijah’s attitude in prayer has been understood in two ways. Some maintain that he placed himself in a sitting posture, thus bringing his knees near his chin, and making it comparatively easy for him to put his face between his knees. Chardin and Shaw observed certain Orientals in this posture while engaged in devout meditation. This attitude, however, though suitable for meditation, would be less appropriate for prayer. Others therefore think that he first kneeled down, and then bowed his head forward, so that his face would have been brought near to the ground, and may have even touched it. This latter view is favoured by the word יגהר, here rendered cast himself down, which implies prostration, not sitting. The word occurs again only in 2Ki_4:34-35, where it is used of Elisha’s stretching himself upon the dead child of the Shunammite. This prostrate attitude of Elijah’s was in keeping with that earnestness in prayer of which St. James speaks. Jas_5:17. Both king and prophet returned to the top of Carmel, the one to feast, the other to pray. The prophet, “while he was praying, withdrew himself from the very highest point of the summit, leaving Ahab to take his meal at the place where the sacrifice had been consumed. Elijah needed to retire only a short distance to the west, and there, on the slope just below the summit, sequestered by bushes and trees, such as are still to be found there, poured out his petitions for rain.” — Mead.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 42. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel]…
42. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel] To a different point from that to which Ahab had gone. This is clear from 1Ki_18:44, where the prophet despatches his servant with a message to the king.
and he cast [R.V. bowed] himself] The prophet’s attitude was that of prayer. Cf. Jas_5:18. The humble position is further indicated by the clause which follows, ‘he put his face between his knees.’
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (42) Put his face between his knees.—The attitude is,…
(42) Put his face between his knees.—The attitude is, of course, one of prayer, but is a peculiar attitude—distinct from the ordinary postures of standing and kneeling—which has been noted as existing still among the modern dervishes. Possibly it is characteristic of the vehement excitement of the moment, and of the impulsive nature of Elijah.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain So Ahab went up to eat and to drink.…
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top Heb. head of Carmel It is clear from Ver. 43 that this was not the actual summit, nor can it have been, as Bahr supposes, the outermost promontory towards the sea, unless he means the foot or slope of that ridge or promontory, for from this varo the sea was not visible. It also appears from the hle of ver. 44 that this point must have been at a lower elevation than the plateau where the altar had stood and where Ahab"s tent was; and he cast himself down upon the earth Same word 2Ki_4:34, 2Ki_4:35, of Elisha"s prostration upon the dead child. But if Elijah "stretched himself full length" upon the earth, as the Easterns constantly do in prayer (see Thomson, 1:26, 27) it was but for a moment, as we presently find him kneeling, and put his face between his knees. "The Oriental attitude of entire abstraction" (Stanley). The posture witnessed to the intensity of his supplication.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.