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The NET Bible®

1 Kings 19:3

Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Jezebel;   King;   Life;   Minister, Christian;   Miracles;   Prudence;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elijah;   God's;   Silence-Speech;   Voice;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Deserts;   Prophets;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Beer-Sheba;   Jezebel;   Sinai;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Jezebel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Persecution;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Beersheba;   Jezebel;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Angel;   Beer-Sheba;   Elijah;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Beersheba;   Elijah;   Jezebel;   Simeon;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Judah, Kingdom of;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Beer-sheba;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Beer-Sheba;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for July 25;   Every Day Light - Devotion for January 28;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Elijah became afraid and immediately ran for his life. When he came to Beer-sheba that belonged to Judah, he left his servant there,
Hebrew Names Version
When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Be'er-Sheva, which belongs to Yehudah, and left his servant there.
King James Version
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
English Standard Version
Then he was afraid, and he arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
New Century Version
When Elijah heard this, he was afraid and ran for his life, taking his servant with him. When they came to Beersheba in Judah, Elijah left his servant there.
Amplified Bible
And Elijah was afraid and arose and ran for his life, and he came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there.
New American Standard Bible
And he was afraid, and got up and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah; and he left his servant there.
Geneva Bible (1587)
When he sawe that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which is in Iudah, and left his seruant there.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his young man there.
Contemporary English Version
Elijah was afraid when he got her message, and he ran to the town of Beersheba in Judah. He left his servant there,
Complete Jewish Bible
On seeing that, he got up and fled for his life. When he arrived in Be'er-Sheva, in Y'hudah, he left his servant there;
Darby Translation
And when he saw [that], he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
Easy-to-Read Version
When Elijah heard this, he was afraid. So he ran away to save his life. He took his servant with him, and they went to Beersheba in Judah. Then Elijah left his servant in Beersheba
George Lamsa Translation
And Elijah was afraid, and he arose and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his disciple there.
Good News Translation
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life; he took his servant and went to Beersheba in Judah. Leaving the servant there,
Lexham English Bible
Then he became afraid, got up, and fled for his life. He came to Beersheba which belongs to Judah, and he left his servant there.
Literal Translation
And he saw, and rose up and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba of Judah, and left his young man there;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then was he afrayed, & gat him vp, & wente where he wolde, & came vnto Berseba in Iuda, and lefte his lad there.
American Standard Version
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
Bible in Basic English
And he got up, fearing for his life, and went in flight, and came to Beer-sheba in Judah, parting there from his servant;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
When he sawe that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beerseba in Iuda, and left his seruaunt there.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
King James Version (1611)
And when he saw that, hee arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Iudah, and left his seruant there.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Eliu feared, and rose, and departed for his life: and he comes to Bersabee to the land of Juda, and he left his servant there.
English Revised Version
And when he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer–sheba, which belongeth to Judah, and left his servant there.
Berean Standard Bible
And Elijah was afraid and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba in Judah, he left his servant there,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Elie dredde, and roos, and yede whidur euer wille bar hym; and he cam in to Bersabe of Juda, and he lefte there his child;
Young's Literal Translation
And he feareth, and riseth, and goeth for his life, and cometh in to Beer-Sheba, that [is] Judah's, and leaveth his young man there,
Update Bible Version
And he was afraid, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his attendant there.
Webster's Bible Translation
And when he saw [that], he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which [belongeth] to Judah, and left his servant there.
World English Bible
When he saw that, he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
New King James Version
And when he saw that, he arose and ran for his life, and went to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
New Living Translation
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there.
New Life Bible
Elijah was afraid. He got up and ran for his life. When he came to Beersheba of Judah, he left his servant there.
New Revised Standard
Then he was afraid; he got up and fled for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah; he left his servant there.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when he saw that , he arose, and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongeth to Judah, - and left his servant there.
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Elias was afraid, and rising up, he went whithersoever he had a mind: and he came to Bersabee of Juda, and left his servant there,
Revised Standard Version
Then he was afraid, and he arose and went for his life, and came to Beer-sheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.
THE MESSAGE
When Elijah saw how things were, he ran for dear life to Beersheba, far in the south of Judah. He left his young servant there and then went on into the desert another day's journey. He came to a lone broom bush and collapsed in its shade, wanting in the worst way to be done with it all—to just die: "Enough of this, God ! Take my life—I'm ready to join my ancestors in the grave!" Exhausted, he fell asleep under the lone broom bush. Suddenly an angel shook him awake and said, "Get up and eat!"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And he was afraid and arose and ran for his life and came to Beersheba, which belongs to Judah, and left his servant there.

Contextual Overview

1 Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, including a detailed account of how he killed all the prophets with the sword. 2 Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, "May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!" 3 Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life to Beer Sheba in Judah. He left his servant there, 4 while he went a day's journey into the desert. He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the Lord to take his life: "I've had enough! Now, O Lord , take my life. After all, I'm no better than my ancestors." 5 He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat." 6 He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more. 7 The Lord 's angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, "Get up and eat, for otherwise you won't be able to make the journey." 8 So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he arose: Genesis 12:12, Genesis 12:13, Exodus 2:15, 1 Samuel 27:1, Isaiah 51:12, Isaiah 51:13, Matthew 26:56, Matthew 26:70-74, 2 Corinthians 12:7

Beersheba: 1 Kings 4:25, Genesis 21:31, Amos 7:12, Amos 7:13

Reciprocal: Genesis 19:17 - Escape Genesis 21:14 - Beersheba Genesis 42:1 - saw 1 Samuel 21:10 - fled 1 Kings 19:4 - he requested 2 Kings 4:12 - servant 2 Kings 23:8 - Beersheba Proverbs 28:12 - but Proverbs 29:25 - fear Jeremiah 20:9 - I will Jeremiah 37:12 - went Jonah 1:3 - to flee Acts 13:5 - their Hebrews 11:34 - escaped

Cross-References

Genesis 19:6
Lot went outside to them, shutting the door behind him.
Genesis 19:8
Look, I have two daughters who have never had sexual relations with a man. Let me bring them out to you, and you can do to them whatever you please. Only don't do anything to these men, for they have come under the protection of my roof."
Genesis 19:28
He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.
Genesis 19:29
So when God destroyed the cities of the region, God honored Abraham's request. He removed Lot from the midst of the destruction when he destroyed the cities Lot had lived in.
Genesis 21:8
The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.
Exodus 12:15
For seven days you must eat bread made without yeast. Surely on the first day you must put away yeast from your houses because anyone who eats bread made with yeast from the first day to the seventh day will be cut off from Israel.
Exodus 12:39
They baked cakes of bread without yeast using the dough they had brought from Egypt, for it was made without yeast—because they were thrust out of Egypt and were not able to delay, they could not prepare food for themselves either.
Judges 6:19
Gideon went and prepared a young goat, along with unleavened bread made from an ephah of flour. He put the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot. He brought the food to him under the oak tree and presented it to him.
1 Samuel 28:24
Now the woman had a well-fed calf at her home that she quickly slaughtered. Taking some flour, she kneaded bread and baked it without leaven.
2 Kings 4:8
One day Elisha traveled to Shunem, where a prominent woman lived. She insisted that he stop for a meal. So whenever he was passing through, he would stop in there for a meal.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when he saw that,.... That her design and resolution were to take away his life; the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Syriac versions read, "and he was afraid"; or frightened; he that had such courage as not to be afraid to meet Ahab, and contend with four hundred and fifty priests of Baal, and in the face of all Israel, who at first were not inclined to take his part, is now terrified at the threats of a single woman; which shows that the spirit and courage he had before were of the Lord, and not of himself; and that those who have the greatest zeal and courage for religion, for God, and his worship, his truths and ordinances, if left to themselves, become weak and timorous; and whether this is the true reading, or not, it was certainly his case by what follows:

he arose and went for his life; fled to save his life, at a time when he was much wanted to encourage and increase the reformation from idolatry, and to preserve the people from relapsing who were converted; and through the miracles that had been wrought by him, and for him, he had great reason to trust in the Lord: or "he went unto", or "according to his own soul" m; according to his own mind and will, not taking counsel of God, or any direction from him; and so Abarbinel interprets it:

and came to Beersheba, which belongeth to Judah; to the tribe of Judah; for though it was in the inheritance of Simeon, yet that was within the tribe of Judah, Joshua 19:1, or to the kingdom of Judah, over which Jehoshaphat reigned, and so might think himself safe, being out of the dominions of Ahab, and reach of Jezebel; but yet he did not think so, his fears ran so high that he imagined she would send some after him to search for him, and slay him privately, or make interest with Jehoshaphat to deliver him up, there being friendship between him and Ahab; for though this place was eighty four miles from Jezreel, as Bunting n computes it, he left it:

and left his servant there; he took him not with him, either lest he should betray him, or rather out of compassion to him, that he might not share in the miseries of life that were like to come upon him.

m אל נפשו κατα την ψυχην αυτου, Sept. "secundum animam suam", Vatablus, Pagninus. n Travels, ut supra. (p. 204.)

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The rapid movement of the original is very striking. “And he saw (or, “feared,” as some read), and he rose, and he went, etc.” The fear and flight of Elijah are very remarkable. Jezebel’s threat alone, had not, in all probability, produced the extraordinary change but, partly, physical reaction from the over-excitement of the preceding day; and, partly, internal disquietude and doubt as to the wisdom of the course which he had adopted.

Beer-sheba is about 95 miles from Jezreel, on the very borders of the desert et-Tih. Elijah cannot possibly have reached it until the close of the second day. It seems implied that he traveled both night and day, and did not rest until he arrived thus far on his way. It was one of the towns assigned to the tribe of Simeon Joshua 19:2. The Simeonites were, however, by this time absorbed into Judah.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:3. He arose, and went for his life — He saw it was best to give place to this storm, and go to a place of safety. He probably thought that the miracle at Carmel would have been the means of effecting the conversion of the whole court and of the country, but, finding himself mistaken, he is greatly discouraged.

To Beer-sheba — This being at the most southern extremity of the promised land, and under the jurisdiction of the king of Judah, he might suppose himself in a place of safety.

Left his servant there. — Being alone, he would be the more unlikely to be discovered; besides, he did not wish to risk the life of his servant.


 
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