1 Kings 18:44

“And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand, etc.] Either about the size or in the form of it; rain water comes out of the sea, and, being strained through the clouds and air, becomes fresh: and he said, go up: the meaning seems to be, that he should first go down from the mount, and then go up to that part of it where Ahab was: say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot; bind or fasten the horses to it, as the phrase seems to signify: and get thee down; from the mountain where he was, to go to Jezreel, which lay low in a valley: that the rain stop thee not; on the road, that might be made impassable by it, signifying…”

“Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand--The clearness of the sky renders the smallest speck distinctly visible; and this is in Palestine the uniform precursor of rain. It rises higher and higher, and becomes larger and larger with astonishing celerity, till the whole heaven is black, and the cloud bursts in a deluge of rain. Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not--either by the river Kishon being suddenly so swollen as to be impassable, or from the deep layer of dust in the arid plain being turned into thick mud, so as to impede the wheels.”

“A little cloud ... - Sailors know full well that such a cloud on the far horizon is often the forerunner of a violent storm. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Like a man's hand - Great blessings often rise from small beginnings, and showers of plenty from a cloud of a span long. Let us therefore never despise the day of small things, but hope and wait for greater things from it. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 18:46”

“a little cloud: Kekaph ish, "like the hollow of a man's hand;" in the form of a hand bent, the concave side downmost. Mr. Bruce mentions a similar cloud in Abyssinia, as attending the inundation of the Nile. "Every morning, about nine, a small cloud, not above four feet broad, appears in the east, whirling violently round, as if upon an axis; but arrived near the zenith, it first abates its motion, then loses its form, and extends itself greatly, and seems to call up vapours from all opposite quarters. These clouds having attained nearly the same height, rush against each other with great violence, and put me always in mind of Elijah foretelling rain on Mount Carmel." Job 8:7; Zac 4:10…”