1 Kings 18:5

5 Ahab ordered Obadiah, "Go through the country; locate every spring and every stream. Let's see if we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules from dying."

1 Kings 18:5 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 18:5

And Ahab said unto Obadiah, go into the land, unto all
fountains of water, and unto all brooks
To observe in what condition they were, and the places adjoining to them, the meadows and valleys: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive;
particularly those which belonged to the king's stables, to find provisions for which it was found difficult: that we lose not all the beasts;
many of them, doubtless, were lost through the drought already, and there was great danger of the rest, and so, in time, of there being none to procreate and preserve their species, and to prevent which Ahab proposed to take this method.

1 Kings 18:5 In-Context

3 Ahab called for Obadiah, who was in charge of the palace. Obadiah feared God - he was very devout.
4 Earlier, when Jezebel had tried to kill off all the prophets of God, Obadiah had hidden away a hundred of them in two caves, fifty in a cave, and then supplied them with food and water.
5 Ahab ordered Obadiah, "Go through the country; locate every spring and every stream. Let's see if we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules from dying."
6 So they divided the country between them for the search - Ahab went one way, Obadiah the other.
7 Obadiah went his way and suddenly there he was - Elijah! Obadiah fell on his knees, bowing in reverence, and exclaimed, "Is it really you - my master Elijah?"
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.