1 Kings 19:12

Bible in Basic English

And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.

Hebrew Names Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

King James Version
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

English Standard Version
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

New Century Version
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle sound.

New English Translation
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

Amplified Bible
After the earthquake, [there was] a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, [there was] the sound of a gentle blowing.

New American Standard Bible
And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the earthquake came fire: but the Lorde was not in the fire: and after the fire came a still and soft voyce.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a thin gentle whisper.

Contemporary English Version
Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze,

Complete Jewish Bible
After the earthquake, fire broke out; but Adonai was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice.

Darby Translation
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice.

Easy-to-Read Version
After the earthquake, there was a fire. But that fire was not the Lord . After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice.

George Lamsa Translation
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Good News Translation
After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.

Lexham English Bible
After the earthquake was a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

Literal Translation
And after the earthquake was a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire; and after the fire came a still, small voice.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And after the earth quake there came a fyre, but the LORDE was not in the fyre. And after the fyre came there a styll softe hyssinge.

American Standard Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And after the earthquake came fire, but the Lorde was not in the fire: And after the fire, came a small still voyce.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

King James Version (1611)
And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire the voice of a gentle breeze.

English Revised Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Berean Standard Bible
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And aftir the stiryng is fier; not in the fier is the Lord. And aftir the fier is the issyng of thinne wynd; there is the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
and after the shaking a fire: -- not in the fire [is] Jehovah; and after the fire a voice still small;

Update Bible Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Webster's Bible Translation
And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

World English Bible
and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

New King James Version
and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

New Living Translation
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

New Life Bible
After the earth shook, a fire came. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a sound of gentle blowing.

New Revised Standard
and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, after the earthquake, a, fire, Not, in the fire, was, Yahweh, - And, after the fire, the voice of a gentle whisper.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after the earthquake, a fire: but the Lord is not in the fire. And after the fire, a whistling of a gentle air.

Revised Standard Version
and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

Contextual Overview

⁹ And there he went into a hole in the rock for the night; then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, What are you doing here, Elijah? ¹⁰ And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have made destruction of your altars, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life. ¹¹ Then he said, Go out and take your place on the mountain before the Lord. Then the Lord went by, and mountains were parted by the force of a great wind, and rocks were broken before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earth-shock, but the Lord was not in the earth-shock. ¹² And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath. ¹³ And Elijah, hearing it, went out, covering his face with his robe, and took his place in the opening of the hole. And there a voice came to him saying, What are you doing here, Elijah? ¹⁴ And he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have had your altars broken down, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life. ¹⁵ And the Lord said to him, Go back on your way through the waste land to Damascus; and when you come there, put the holy oil on Hazael to make him king over Aram; ¹⁶ And on Jehu, son of Nimshi, making him king over Israel; and on Elisha, the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah, to be prophet in your place. ¹⁷ And it will come about that the man who gets away safe from the sword of Hazael, Jehu will put to death; and whoever gets away safe from the sword of Jehu, Elisha will put to death. ¹⁸ But I will keep safe seven thousand in Israel, all those whose knees have not been bent to Baal, and whose mouths have given him no kisses.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a fire: 1 Kings 18:38, Genesis 15:17, Exodus 3:2, Deuteronomy 4:11, Deuteronomy 4:12, Deuteronomy 4:33, 2 Kings 1:10, 2 Kings 2:11, Hebrews 12:29

a still: Exodus 34:6, Job 4:16, Job 33:7, Zechariah 4:6, Acts 2:2, Acts 2:36, Acts 2:37

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:18 - whole Psalms 50:3 - a fire

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
And the Lord said to Noah, Take all your family and go into the ark, for you only in this generation have I seen to be upright.

Genesis 19:14
And Lot went out and said to his sons-in-law, who were married to his daughters, Come, let us go out of this place, for the Lord is about to send destruction on the town. But his sons-in-law did not take him seriously.

Genesis 19:17
And when they had put them out, he said, Go for your life, without looking back or waiting in the lowland; go quickly to the mountain or you will come to destruction.

Genesis 19:22
Go there quickly, for I am not able to do anything till you have come there. For this reason, the town was named Zoar.

Genesis 19:23
The sun was up when Lot came to Zoar.

Numbers 16:26
And he said to the people, Come away now from the tents of these evil men, without touching anything of theirs, or you may be taken in the punishment of their sins.

Jeremiah 32:39
And I will give them one heart and one way, so that they may go on in the worship of me for ever, for their good and the good of their children after them:

2 Peter 2:7
And kept safe Lot, the upright man, who was deeply troubled by the unclean life of the evil-doers

2 Peter 2:9
The Lord is able to keep the upright safe in the time of testing, and to keep evil-doers under punishment till the day of judging;

Revelation 18:4
And another voice from heaven came to my ears, saying, Come out of her, my people, so that you may have no part in her sins and in her punishments.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And after the earthquake a fire, [but] the Lord was not in the fire,.... As he was when he descended on this mount, and spake to Moses, Exodus 19:1, the Targum, and so Jarchi, interpret all these appearances of angels, and not amiss; the wind, of an host of angels of wind; the earthquake, of an host of angels of commotion; the fire, of an host of angels of fire; see Psalms 104:4, these ministers of the Lord went before him, to prepare the way of his glorious Majesty; which emblems may represent the power of God, the terribleness of his majesty, and the fury of his wrath, which he could display, if he would, to the destruction of his enemies; and could as easily destroy the idolatrous kingdom of Israel, which Elijah seems to be solicitous of, as the wind rent the mountains, and broke the rocks, and the earthquake shook the earth, and the fire consumed all in its way; but he chose not to do it now, but to use lenity, and show mercy, signified by the next emblem:

and after the fire a still small voice: not rough, but gentle, more like whispering than roaring; something soft, easy, and musical; the Targum is, the voice of those that praise God in silence; and all this may be considered as showing the difference between the two dispensations of law and Gospel; the law is a voice of terrible words, and was given amidst a tempest of wind, thunder, and lightning, attended with an earthquake, Hebrews 12:18, but the Gospel is a gentle voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; and may also point at the order and manner of the Lord's dealings with the souls of men, who usually by the law breaks the rocky hearts of men in pieces, shakes their consciences, and fills their minds with a sense of fiery wrath and indignation they deserve, and then speaks comfortably to them, speaks peace and pardon through the ministration of the Gospel by his Spirit; blessed are the people that hear this still, small, gentle voice, the joyful sound, Psalms 89:15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A still small voice - literally, “a sound of soft stillness.” The teaching is a condemnation of that “zeal” which Elijah had gloried in, a zeal exhibiting itself in fierce and terrible vengeances, and an exaltation and recommendation of that mild and gentle temper, which “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” But it was so contrary to the whole character of the stern, harsh, unsparing Tishbite, that it could have found no ready entrance into his heart. It may have for a while moderated his excessive zeal, and inclined him to gentler courses; but later in his life the old harshness recurred in a deed in reference to which our Lord himself drew the well-known contrast between the spirits of the two Dispensations Luke 9:51-56.