1 Kings 18:43-44

18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” 1  Seven times Elijah sent him to look. 2  18:44 The seventh time the servant 3  said, “Look, a small cloud, the size of the palm of a man’s hand, is rising up from the sea.” Elijah 4  then said, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Hitch up the chariots and go down, so that the rain won’t overtake you.’” 5 

1 sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.

2 tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”

3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the servant) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 tn Heb “so that the rain won’t restrain you.”