Elijah Hears the Still Small Voice

Illustration of Elijah Hears the Still Small Voice
Era
Divided Kingdom
Date
c. 860 BC ≈ Approximate
Reference
1 Kings 19:9-18
Worn out and afraid after Mount Carmel, Elijah fled to Horeb, where God came to him not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a still small voice.

Soon after the victory on Mount Carmel, Jezebel vowed to kill Elijah, and the prophet fled for his life to Beersheba and on into the wilderness, where he sat under a juniper tree and asked to die. An angel fed him twice, and in the strength of that meat he went forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God. There the LORD passed by: a great and strong wind rent the mountains, then came an earthquake and a fire, but the LORD was not in any of them. After the fire came 'a still small voice,' and Elijah wrapped his face in his mantle and went out to meet God. The LORD answered Elijah's despair by giving him new work, sending him to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha, and by reminding him he was not alone: seven thousand in Israel had not bowed the knee to Baal.

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Did You Know?

1

Elijah's forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mount of God, echo Moses' forty days on the same mountain.

2

Twice God asked, 'What doest thou here, Elijah?' and twice Elijah gave the same answer.

3

God sent Elijah to anoint Elisha of Abel-meholah, and Elijah found him plowing with twelve yoke of oxen.

Key Passage

Elijah Hears the Still Small Voice

1 Kings 19:9-18

A9nd he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: 12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. 13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entering in of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah? 14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: 16 And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel: and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room. 17 And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. 18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

Read full chapter: 1 Kings 19 →

Meanwhile in the World

Assyria becomes the world's first great empire, conquering from Egypt to Persia. Greece emerges from its Dark Age - the Olympic Games begin (776 BC). Rome is founded (753 BC). Carthage is established. This is the height of Assyrian military power and the rise of Greek city-states.

When: c. 930 - 586 BC

Key Civilizations: Neo-Assyrian Empire, Archaic Greece

Biblical Parallels: 1 Kings 12-22 , 2 Kings 1-25 , Isaiah 1-66

Explore Related

Characters 5

Elijah Elijah was a powerful prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the reign of King Ahab and Queen… Jezebel Jezebel was the daughter of a Phoenician king who married Israel's ruler Ahab and used her royal authority… Elisha Elisha served as a prophet in the northern kingdom of Israel during the ninth century BC, succeeding Elijah… Hazael Hazael was a Damascus court official whom God, at Mount Horeb, told Elijah to anoint as future king of… Jehu (King) Jehu was an army commander anointed king of Israel at God's command by a young prophet, charged with…

Places 4

Mount Sinai Mount Sinai, also known as Horeb in some biblical passages, is the mountain in the Sinai Peninsula where… Beersheba Beersheba served as the traditional southern boundary of ancient Israel, frequently paired with Dan in the… Damascus Damascus is an ancient city mentioned frequently in the Bible as a center of trade and political power in… Abel-meholah Elisha's hometown in the Jordan Valley, where Elijah found him plowing and cast his mantle upon him.