1 Kings 19:11

Christian Standard Bible ®

Then He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord 's presence." At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Parallel Translations

Legacy Standard Bible
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before Yahweh." And behold, Yahweh was passing by! And a great and strong wind was tearing up the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he sayd: Come out and stand vpon ye mount before the Lorde. And behold, the Lorde went by, & a mightie strong winde that rent the mountaynes and brake the rockes before the Lorde, but the Lord was not in the winde: And after the winde, came an earthquake, but the Lorde was not in the earthquake:

New King James Version
Then He said, "Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

Literal Translation
And he said, Go out and stand on the mountain before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind tearing the mountains and breaking the rocks in bits before Jehovah! Jehovah wind was an earthquake, but Jehovah was not in the earthquake.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then the Lord said to Elijah, "Go, stand in front of me on the mountain. I, the Lord , will pass by you." Then a very strong wind blew. The wind caused the mountains to break apart. It broke large rocks in front of the Lord . But that wind was not the Lord . After that wind, there was an earthquake. But that earthquake was not the Lord .

Revised Standard Version
And he said, "Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD." And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

World English Bible
He said, Go forth, and stand on the mountain before Yahweh. Behold, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake:

King James Version (1611)
And he sayd, Goe forth, and stand vpon the mount before the Lord. And beholde, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong winde rent the mountaines, and brake in pieces the rockes, before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the winde: and after the winde an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

King James Version
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord . And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord ; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: Go forth, and stonde vpon the mount before the LORDE. And beholde, the LORDE wete ouer: and a greate mightie wynde, which roue the mountaynes, and brake the harde stones, came before the LORDE, but the LORDE was not in the wynde. After the wynde came there an earthquake, but the LORDE was not in the earthquake.

THE MESSAGE
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; and after the earthquake fire, but God wasn't in the fire; and after the fire a gentle and quiet whisper.

American Standard Version
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake:

Bible in Basic English
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.

Update Bible Version
And he said, Go forth, and stand on the mount before Yahweh. And, look, Yahweh passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake:

Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; [but] the LORD [was] not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; [but] the LORD [was] not in the earthquake:

New English Translation
The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord . Look, the Lord is ready to pass by." A very powerful wind went before the Lord , digging into the mountain and causing landslides, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the windstorm there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Contemporary English Version
"Go out and stand on the mountain," the Lord replied. "I want you to see me when I pass by." All at once, a strong wind shook the mountain and shattered the rocks. But the Lord was not in the wind. Next, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Complete Jewish Bible
He said, "Go outside, and stand on the mountain before Adonai "; and right then and there, Adonai went past. A mighty blast of wind tore the mountains apart and broke the rocks in pieces before Adonai , but Adonai was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake, but Adonai was not in the earthquake.

Darby Translation
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before Jehovah: Jehovah was not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: Jehovah was not in the earthquake.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And he saide, Come out, and stand vpon the mount before the Lorde. And beholde, the Lorde went by, and a mightie strong winde rent the mountaines, and brake the rockes before the Lord: but the Lord was not in the winde: and after the wind came an earthquake: but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

George Lamsa Translation
And he said, Go forth and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

Amplified Bible
So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

Hebrew Names Version
He said, Go forth, and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And He said: 'Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD.' And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake;

New Living Translation
"Go out and stand before me on the mountain," the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

New Life Bible
So the angel said, "Go and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And the Lord passed by. A strong wind tore through the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind the earth shook. But the Lord was not in the shaking of the earth.

New Revised Standard
He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord , for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, Thou shalt go forth to-morrow, and shalt stand before the Lord in the mount; behold, the Lord will pass by. And, behold, a great and strong wind rending the mountains, and crushing the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

English Revised Version
And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake:

Berean Standard Bible
Then the LORD said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD. Behold, the LORD is about to pass by." And a great and mighty wind tore into the mountains and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - Go forth to-morrow, and stand in the mountain, before Yahweh. And lo! Yahweh, passing by, and a great and strong wind - rending the mountains, and breaking in pieces the crags, before Yahweh, Not, in the wind, was, Yahweh, - And, after the wind, an, earthquake, Not, in the earthquake, was, Yahweh;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he said to him: Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord: and behold the Lord passeth, and a great and strong wind before the Lord, overthrowing the mountains, and breaking the rocks in pieces: but the Lord is not in the wind. And after the wind, an earthquake: but the Lord is not in the earthquake.

Lexham English Bible
He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before Yahweh." Suddenly Yahweh was passing by, with a great and strong wind ripping the mountains and crushing rocks before Yahweh; but Yahweh was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake; but Yahweh was not in the earthquake.

English Standard Version
And he said, "Go out and stand on the mount before the Lord ." And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

New American Standard Bible
So He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD." And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake.

New Century Version
The Lord said to Elijah, "Go, stand in front of me on the mountain, and I will pass by you." Then a very strong wind blew until it caused the mountains to fall apart and large rocks to break in front of the Lord . But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind, there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Good News Translation
"Go out and stand before me on top of the mountain," the Lord said to him. Then the Lord passed by and sent a furious wind that split the hills and shattered the rocks—but the Lord was not in the wind. The wind stopped blowing, and then there was an earthquake—but the Lord was not in the earthquake.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to Elie, Go thou out, and stonde in the hil, bifor the Lord. And lo! the Lord passith, and a greet wynde, and strong, turnynge vpsodoun hillis, and al to brekinge stonys bifor the Lord; not in the wynde ys the Lord. And aftir the wynd is a stirynge; not in the stiryng is the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
And He saith, `Go out, and thou hast stood in the mount before Jehovah.' And lo, Jehovah is passing by, and a wind -- great and strong -- is rending mountains, and shivering rocks before Jehovah: -- not in the wind [is] Jehovah; and after the wind a shaking: -- not in the shaking [is] Jehovah;

Contextual Overview

⁹ He entered a cave there and spent the night. Then the word of the Lord came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁰ He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts, but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are looking for me to take my life." ¹¹ Then He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the Lord 's presence." At that moment, the Lord passed by. A great and mighty wind was tearing at the mountains and was shattering cliffs before the Lord , but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. ¹² 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. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Suddenly, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁴ "I have been very zealous for the Lord God of Hosts," he replied, "but the Israelites have abandoned Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they're looking for me to take my life." ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, "Go and return by the way you came to the Wilderness of Damascus. When you arrive, you are to anoint Hazael as king over Aram. ¹⁶ You are to anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel and Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel-meholah as prophet in your place. ¹⁷ Then Jehu will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death whoever escapes the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ But I will leave 7,000 in Israel—every knee that has not bowed to Baal and every mouth that has not kissed him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

stand upon the mount: Exodus 19:20, Exodus 24:12, Exodus 24:18, Exodus 34:2, Matthew 17:1-3, 2 Peter 1:17, 2 Peter 1:18

the Lord passed: Exodus 33:21-23, Exodus 34:6, Habakkuk 3:3-5

and a great: Exodus 19:16, Exodus 20:18, Job 38:1, Psalms 50:3, Isaiah 30:30, Ezekiel 1:4, Ezekiel 37:7, Nahum 1:3, Nahum 1:6, Hebrews 12:18-21, Revelation 20:11

but the Lord was not in the wind: Zechariah 4:6

an earthquake: 1 Samuel 14:15, Psalms 68:8, Nahum 1:5, Zechariah 14:5, Matthew 24:7, Matthew 27:51-54, Matthew 28:2, Hebrews 12:26, Revelation 11:19, Revelation 16:18

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:18 - whole 2 Kings 2:1 - by a whirlwind Job 8:2 - the words Psalms 46:3 - mountains Jeremiah 4:24 - mountains Zechariah 6:5 - spirits Acts 2:2 - as Revelation 6:12 - there Revelation 8:5 - an

Cross-References

Genesis 19:28
He looked down toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of the plain, and he saw that smoke was going up from the land like the smoke of a furnace.

Genesis 19:29
So it was, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, He remembered Abraham and brought Lot out of the middle of the upheaval when He demolished the cities where Lot had lived.

2 Kings 6:18
When the Arameans came against him, Elisha prayed to the Lord , "Please strike this nation with blindness." So He struck them with blindness, according to Elisha's word.

Ecclesiastes 10:15
The struggles of fools weary them, for they don't know how to go to the city.

Isaiah 57:10
You became weary on your many journeys, but you did not say, "I give up!" You found a renewal of your strength; therefore you did not grow weak.

Jeremiah 2:36
How unstable you are, constantly changing your ways! You will be put to shame by Egypt just as you were put to shame by Assyria.

Acts 13:11
Now, look! The Lord's hand is against you. You are going to be blind, and will not see the sun for a time." Suddenly a mist and darkness fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And behold, the Lord passed by - The remainder of this verse and the whole of the next are placed by the Septuagint, and by the Arabic translator, in the mouth of the Angel. But it seems best to regard the vision as ending with the words “before the Lord” - and the writer as then assuming that this was done, and proceeding to describe what followed.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:11. Stand upon the mount before the Lord. — God was now treating Elijah nearly in the same way that he treated Moses; and it is not unlikely that Elijah was now standing on the same place where Moses stood, when God revealed himself to him in the giving of the law. See Exodus 19:9; Exodus 19:16.

The Lord passed by — It appears that the passing by of the Lord occasioned the strong wind, the earthquake, and the fire; but in none of these was God to make a discovery of himself unto the prophet; yet these, in some sort, prepared his way, and prepared Elijah to hear the still small voice. The apparatus, indicating the presence of the Divine Majesty, is nearly the same as that employed to minister the law to Moses; and many have supposed that God intended these things to be understood thus: that God intended to display himself to mankind not in judgment, but in mercy; and that as the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, were only the forerunners of the still small voice, which proclaimed the benignity of the Father of spirits; so the law, and all its terrors, were only intended to introduce that mild spirit of the Gospel of Jesus, proclaiming glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and good will unto men. Others think that all this was merely natural; and that a real earthquake, and its accompaniments, are described.

1. Previously to earthquakes the atmosphere becomes greatly disturbed, mighty winds and tempests taking place.

2. This is followed by the actual agitation of the earth.

3. In this agitation fire frequently escapes, or a burning lava is poured out, often accompanied with thunder and lightning.

4. After these the air becomes serene, the thunder ceases to roll, the forked lightnings no longer play, and nothing remains but a gentle breeze.

However correct all this may be, it seems most probably evident that what took place at this time was out of the ordinary course of nature; and although the things, as mentioned here, may often be the accompaniments of an earthquake that has nothing supernatural in it; yet here, though every thing is produced in its natural order, yet the exciting cause of the whole is supernatural. Thus the Chaldee understands the whole passage: "And behold the Lord was revealed; and before him was a host of the angels of the wind, tearing the mountains, and breaking the rocks before the Lord, but the Majesty (Shechinah) of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of the wind. And after the host of the angels of the wind, there was a host of the angels of commotion; but the Majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of commotion. And after the host of the angels of commotion, a fire; but the Majesty of the Lord was not in the host of the angels of fire. And after the host of the angels of fire, a voice singing in silence," c. that is, a sound with which no other sound was mingled. Perhaps the whole of this is intended to give an emblematical representation of the various displays of Divine providence and grace.