1 Kings 19:11

11 Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake;

1 Kings 19:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 19:11

And he said, go forth and stand upon the mount before the
Lord
Who would appear there as he had to Moses formerly, though not in the same manner:

and, behold, the Lord passed by;
or was about to pass, for as yet he had not; his messengers first went before him:

and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the
rocks before the Lord;
strong enough to do all this, and so it might:

but the Lord was not in the wind;
as he sometimes is, ( Nahum 1:3 ) , he spake to Job out of a whirlwind, ( Job 38:1 ) ,

and after the wind an earthquake;
that shook the earth all around, and the mountain also, as it did when the law was given on it, ( Psalms 68:8 )

but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
as he was when it trembled in the times of Moses, ( Exodus 19:18 ) .

1 Kings 19:11 In-Context

9 When he got there, he crawled into a cave and went to sleep. Then the word of God came to him: "So Elijah, what are you doing here?"
10 "I've been working my heart out for the God-of-the-Angel-Armies," said Elijah. "The people of Israel have abandoned your covenant, destroyed the places of worship, and murdered your prophets. I'm the only one left, and now they're trying to kill me."
11 Then he was told, "Go, stand on the mountain at attention before God. God will pass by." A hurricane wind ripped through the mountains and shattered the rocks before God, but God wasn't to be found in the wind; after the wind an earthquake, but God wasn't in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.
13 When Elijah heard the quiet voice, he muffled his face with his great cloak, went to the mouth of the cave, and stood there. A quiet voice asked, "So Elijah, now tell me, what are you doing here?"
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.