1 Kings 17:1

Elijah Announces a Great Drought

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe[a] in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”

1 Kings 17:1 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
English Standard Version (ESV)
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word."
New Living Translation (NLT)
1 Now Elijah, who was from Tishbe in Gilead, told King Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives—the God I serve—there will be no dew or rain during the next few years until I give the word!”
The Message Bible (MSG)
1 And then this happened: Elijah the Tishbite, from among the settlers of Gilead, confronted Ahab: "As surely as God lives, the God of Israel before whom I stand in obedient service, the next years are going to see a total drought - not a drop of dew or rain unless I say otherwise."
American Standard Version (ASV)
1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the sojourners of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As Jehovah, the God of Israel, liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
1 Elijah, who was from Tishbe but had settled in Gilead, said to Ahab, "I solemnly swear, as the LORD God of Israel whom I serve lives, there will be no dew or rain during the next few years unless I say so."
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from the Gilead settlers, said to Ahab, "As the Lord God of Israel lives, I stand before Him, and there will be no dew or rain during these years except by my command!"
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
1 Elijah was from Tishbe in the land of Gilead. He said to Ahab, "I serve the Lord. He is the God of Israel. You can be sure that he lives. And you can be just as sure that there won't be any dew or rain on the whole land. There won't be any during the next few years. It won't come until I say so."

1 Kings 17:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 17:1

And Elijah the Tishbite, [who] was of the inhabitants of
Gilead
Which belonged partly to the Reubenites and Gadites, and partly to the half-tribe of Manasseh on the other side Jordan, where this prophet dwelt; but why he is called the Tishbite is not easy to say; what Kimchi observes seems right, that he was at first of a city called Toshab, and afterward's dwelt at Gilead; which city perhaps is the same with Thisbe, in the tribe of Naphtali, the native place of Tobit,

``Who in the time of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was led captive out of Thisbe, which is at the right hand of that city, which is called properly Nephthali in Galilee above Aser.'' (Tobit 1:2)

and, if so, is an instance of a prophet, even the prince of prophets, as Abarbinel calls him, coming out of Galilee, contrary to the suggestions of the Jews, ( John 7:52 ) . R. Elias Levita F12 observes, that after the affair of Gibeah an order was given to smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead, ( Judges 21:8-15 ) , and that as it is reasonable to suppose some might escape, he thinks Elijah was one of them; and that when this began to be inhabited again, they that returned were called the inhabitants of Gilead, of whom Elijah was, who lived in those times, being, as the Jews suppose, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron, see ( Judges 20:28 ) , but that he should be Elijah, and live to the times of Ahab, is beyond belief. By Origen F13 he is said to be in Thesbon of Gilead; and by Epiphanius
FOOTNOTES:

F14 to be of Thesbis, of the land of the Arabians, Gilead bordering upon it: the same

said unto Ahab;
who perhaps had been with him before, and reproved him for idolatry, warned him of the evil consequences of it, but to no purpose, and therefore now threatened in a very solemn manner:

as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand;
he swears by the living God, in whose presence he was, and to whom he appeals as the omniscient God, whose minister and prophet he was, and in whose name he came and spoke, and to whom he prayed; for standing was a prayer gesture, and sometimes put for it, (See Gill on Matthew 6:5) and it was at the prayer of Elijah that rain was withheld, as follows, see ( James 5:17 )

there shall not be dew nor rain these years;
for some years to come, even three years and a half:

but according to my word;
in prayer, or as he should predict, in the name of the Lord.


F12 In Tishbi, p. 275. Vid. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 1. & David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 235. 4.
F13 Comment. in Matth. p. 224. Ed. Huet.
F14 De Prophet. Vit. c. 6.

1 Kings 17:1 In-Context

1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word.”
2 Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:
3 “Leave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.
4 You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.”
5 So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.

Cross References 3

  • 1. Malachi 4:5; Matthew 11:14; Matthew 17:3; James 5:17
  • 2. Judges 12:4
  • 3. S Deuteronomy 11:17; S Deuteronomy 28:24; S 2 Samuel 1:21; S 1 Kings 8:36; Job 12:15; Deuteronomy 10:8; 1 Kings 18:1; 2 Kings 3:14; S Luke 4:25

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Or "Tishbite, of the settlers"
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