1 Kings 18:44

44 The seventh time, the servant said, "I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea." Elijah told the servant, "Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him."

1 Kings 18:44 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 18:44

And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold
there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand
Either about the size or in the form of it; rain water comes out of the sea, and, being strained through the clouds and air, becomes fresh:

and he said, go up:
the meaning seems to be, that he should first go down from the mount, and then go up to that part of it where Ahab was:

say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot;
bind or fasten the horses to it, as the phrase seems to signify:

and get thee down;
from the mountain where he was, to go to Jezreel, which lay low in a valley:

that the rain stop thee not;
on the road, that might be made impassable by it, signifying that such abundance should fall as would make it so.

1 Kings 18:44 In-Context

42 So King Ahab went to eat and drink. At the same time Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, where he bent down to the ground with his head between his knees.
43 Then Elijah said to his servant, "Go and look toward the sea." The servant went and looked. "I see nothing," he said. Elijah told him to go and look again. This happened seven times.
44 The seventh time, the servant said, "I see a small cloud, the size of a human fist, coming from the sea." Elijah told the servant, "Go to Ahab and tell him to get his chariot ready and go home now. Otherwise, the rain will stop him."
45 After a short time the sky was covered with dark clouds. The wind began to blow, and soon a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and started back to Jezreel.
46 The Lord gave his power to Elijah, who tightened his clothes around him and ran ahead of King Ahab all the way to Jezreel.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.