1 Kings 19:15

Contextual Overview

⁹He entered a cave there and spent the night. ⁹ He came there to a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said to him, What are you doing here, Eliyah? ⁹ And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? ⁹ There he came to a cave and lodged in it. And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and he said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ⁹ There Elijah went into a cave and stayed all night. Then the Lord spoke his word to him: "Elijah! Why are you here?" ⁹ He went into a cave there and spent the night. All of a sudden the Lord spoke to him, "Why are you here, Elijah?" ⁹There he came to a cave and spent the night in it; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ⁹ Then he came there to a cave and spent the night there; and behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ⁹ And there he entred into a caue, & lodged there: and beholde, the Lorde spake to him, and said vnto him, What doest thou here, Eliiah? ⁹Then he came there to a cave and lodged there; and behold, the word of Yahweh came to him, and He said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wilderness of Damascus: The wilderness of Damascus seems to have been that part of Arabia Deserta which lay on the south-east of that city, and east of the Trachonites, or the Djebel Haouran and El Ledja; at which the prophet could arrive without meeting Jezebel or any of his enemies. Genesis 14:15, 2 Kings 8:7, Acts 9:2, Acts 9:3

anoint: Isaiah 45:1, Jeremiah 1:10, Jeremiah 27:2-22

Hazael: 2 Kings 8:8-15, 2 Kings 8:28, 2 Kings 9:14, Amos 1:4

Reciprocal: Judges 9:9 - wherewith 1 Samuel 9:16 - thou shalt 1 Kings 11:24 - to Damascus 2 Kings 8:9 - Hazael 2 Kings 8:13 - The Lord 2 Kings 8:15 - Hazael

Cross-References

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sedom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter.

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay down, the men of the city, even the men of Sodom, compassed the house round, both old and young, all the people from every quarter:

Genesis 19:4
Before they laid down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, all the people to the last man, surrounded the house.

Genesis 19:4
Before bedtime, men both young and old and from every part of Sodom surrounded Lot's house.

Genesis 19:4
Before they could lie down to sleep, all the men—both young and old, from every part of the city of Sodom—surrounded the house.

Genesis 19:4
But before they lay down [to sleep], the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both young and old, surrounded the house, all the men from every quarter;

Genesis 19:4
Before they lay down, the men of the city—the men of Sodom—surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter;

Genesis 19:4
But before they went to bed, the men of the citie, euen the men of Sodom compassed the house rounde about from the yong euen to the olde, all the people from all quarters.

Genesis 19:4
Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, from young to old, all the people from every quarter;

Genesis 19:4
Before Lot and his guests could go to bed, every man in Sodom, young and old, came and stood outside his house

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the Lord said unto him, go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus,.... He is bid to go back the way he came, through the wilderness of Arabia, which was part of his way to Damascus, near to which was another wilderness, which took its name from thence; though Fortunatus Schacchus x thinks no other is meant by this phrase than returning to his former course and custom of preach the law of God, and reclaiming men from the error of their ways:

and when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria; it is nowhere related that Elijah did go to Damascus, and anoint Hazael, though it may be he did; however he acquainted Elisha with it, and he declared it to Hazael, that he should be king of Syria, and which perhaps is all that is meant by anointing; that is, that he should be made king, and which was declared by both these prophets, see 2 Kings 8:13.

x Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 1. c. 39. col. 198.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The answer is not a justification of the ways of God, nor a direct reproof of the prophet’s weakness and despondency, nor an explanation or application of what Elijah had seen. For the present, he is simply directed back into the path of practical duty. His mission is not yet over, there is still work for him to do. He receives special injunctions with respect to Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha; and he is comforted with a revelation well adapted to rouse him from his despondency: there are seven thousand who will sympathize with him in his trials, and who need his care and attention.

The wilderness of Damascus - Probably the district north of the prophet’s own country, between Bashan and Damascus itself, and which was known in later times as Iturea and Gaulanitis. Here the prophet might be secure from Jezebel, while he could readily communicate with both Israel and Damascus, and execute the commissions with which he was entrusted.

When thou comest, anoint - Rather, “and thou shalt go and anoint,” Elijah performed one only of the three commissions given to him. He appears to have been left free to choose the time for executing his commissions, and it would seem that he thought the proper occasion had not arisen either for the first or the second before his own translation. But he took care to communicate the divine commands to his successor, who performed them at the fitting moment (marginal references).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 19:15. To the wilderness of Damascus — He does not desire him to take a road by which he might be likely to meet Jezebel, or any other of his enemies.

Anoint Hazael — For what reason the Lord was about to make all these revolutions, we are told in 1 Kings 19:17. God was about to bring his judgments upon the land, and especially on the house of Ahab. This he exterminated by means of Jehu; and Jehu himself was a scourge of the Lord to the people. Hazael also grievously afflicted Israel; see the accomplishment of these purposes, 2 Kings 8:0, and 2 Kings 9:0.