1 Kings 19:12

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.

Parallel Translations

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

World English Bible
and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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;

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

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
Then the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before Me in this generation.

Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were going to marry his daughters. "Get up," he said. "Get out of this place, for the Lord is about to destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was joking.

Genesis 19:17
As soon as the angels got them outside, one of them said, "Run for your lives! Don't look back and don't stop anywhere on the plain! Run to the mountains, or you will be swept away!"

Genesis 19:22
Hurry up! Run there, for I cannot do anything until you get there." Therefore the name of the city is Zoar.

Genesis 19:23
The sun had risen over the land when Lot reached Zoar.

Numbers 16:26
He warned the community, "Get away now from the tents of these wicked men. Don't touch anything that belongs to them, or you will be swept away because of all their sins."

Jeremiah 32:39
I will give them one heart and one way so that for their good and for the good of their descendants after them, they will fear Me always.

2 Peter 2:7
and if He rescued righteous Lot, distressed by the unrestrained behavior of the immoral

2 Peter 2:9
then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,

Revelation 18:4
Then I heard another voice from heaven: Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins or receive any of her plagues.

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.