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1 Kings 18:2

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 18:2 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
1 Kings 18:2 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 18

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
1And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Jehovah came to Elijah, in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.
2And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
3And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared Jehovah greatly:
4for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
5And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab, etc.] Which showed his cheerful and ready obedience to the will of God, and his great courage and magnanimity, to face a king enraged against him, and that sought his life: and there was a sore famine in Samaria; the metropolis of the kingdom, where Ahab kept his court, and therefore must be sensible of it, and bore the greater indignation against the prophet who had foretold it.”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Elijah went--a marvellous proof of the natural intrepidity of this prophet, of his moral courage, and his unfaltering confidence in the protecting care of God, that he ventured to approach the presence of the raging lion. there was a sore famine in Samaria--Elijah found that the famine was pressing with intense severity in the capital. Corn must have been obtained for the people from Egypt or the adjoining countries, else life could not have been sustained for three years; but Ahab, with the chamberlain of his royal household, is represented as giving a personal search for pasture to his cattle. On the banks of the rivulets, grass, tender shoots of grass, might naturally be expected; but the…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Elijah went - Wherein he shews a strong faith, and resolute obedience, and invincible courage, that he durst at God's command run into the mouth of this raging lion. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 18:3”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“18:2 Elijah continued to obey the Lord’s commands (see 17:5, 10), despite the personal danger of appearing before Ahab.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“went to show: Psa 27:1, Psa 51:4; Pro 28:1; Isa 51:12; Heb 13:5, Heb 13:6 a sore: Lev 26:26; Deu 28:23, Deu 28:24; Kg2 6:25; Jer 14:2-6, Jer 14:18; Joe 1:15-20 3 Kings (1 Kings) 18:3”
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Related study paths

Read 1 Kings 18 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification