1 Kings 18:2

Verse

Berean Standard Bible

So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria,

American Standard Version (1901)

And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.

Bible in Basic English

So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. Now there was no food to be had in Samaria.

Free Bible Version

So Elijah went to appear before Ahab. In the meantime the famine had become severe in Samaria.

Geneva Bible 1599

And Eliiah went to shew himselfe vnto Ahab, and there was a great famine in Samaria.

King James (Authorized) Version

And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

Translation for Translators

So Elijah went to talk to Ahab. In Samaria there was almost no food for anyone to eat.

Unlocked Literal Bible

Elijah went to show himself to Ahab; now the famine was severe in Samaria.

Noah Webster Bible

And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And there was a grievous famine in Samaria.

World English Bible

Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria.

Young's Literal Translation

and Elijah goeth to appear unto Ahab. And the famine is severe in Samaria,

Context

Elijah’s Message to Ahab

¹After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”²So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. The famine was severe in Samaria, ³and Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. (Now Obadiah greatly feared the LORD,

Summary

In 1 Kings 18:2, the prophet Elijah receives a message from the Lord to go and present himself to King Ahab after a long period of drought in the land. This encounter sets the stage for the famous showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. The verse showcases Elijah's obedience to God's instructions and his boldness in confronting the wickedness of King Ahab and the idolatry in Israel. It also highlights God's sovereignty in orchestrating events to display His power and bring about repentance among His people.

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
John Gill
Tyndale

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

Elijah went--a marvellous proof of the natural intrepidity of this prophet, of his moral courage, and his unfaltering confidence in the protecting care of God, that he ventured to approach the presence of the raging lion. there was a sore famine in Samaria--Elijah found that the famine was pressing with intense severity in the capital. Corn must have been obtained for the people from Egypt or the adjoining countries, else life could not have been sustained for three years; but Ahab, with the chamberlain of his royal household, is represented as giving a personal search for pasture to his cattle. On the banks of the rivulets, grass, tender shoots of grass, might naturally be expected; but the water being dried up, the verdure would disappear. In the pastoral districts of the East it would be reckoned a most suitable occupation still for a king or chief to go at the head of such an expedition. Ranging over a large tract of country, Ahab had gone through one district, Obadiah through another.