1 Kings 18 · Verse 4

1 Kings 18:4

For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
1 Kings 18:4, King James Version

1 Kings 18:4 in other translations

BSBfor when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
WEBfor when Jezebel cut off the LORD’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)
ASVfor 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.)
YLTand it cometh to pass, in Jezebel's cutting off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah taketh a hundred prophets, and hideth them, fifty men in a cave, and hath sustained them with bread and water--
DARBYand 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 maintained them with bread and water);
BBEFor when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred of them, and kept them secretly in a hole in the rock, fifty at a time, and gave them bread and water.)
WebsterFor it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

What does 1 Kings 18:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
4. an hundred prophets--not men endowed with the extraordinary gifts of the prophetic office, but who were devoted to the service of God, preaching, praying, praising, &c. (1Sa 10:10-12). fed them with bread and water--These articles are often used to include sustenance of any kind. As this succor must have been given them at the hazard, not only of his place, but his life, it was a strong proof of his attachment to the true religion.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 4 Fed them with bread and water - By these are signified the necessaries of life, of whatsoever kind.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 18:1-16

The severest judgments, of themselves, will not humble or change the hearts of sinners; nothing, except the blood of Jesus Christ, can atone for the guilt of sin; nothing, except the sanctifying Spirit of God, can purge away its pollution. The priests and the Levites were gone to Judah and Jerusalem, 2Ch 11:13, 14, but instead of them God raised up prophets, who read and expounded the word. They probably were from…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 18:1-16 →

1 Kings 18:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וַיְהִי֙vay.Hiand it wasH1961
בְּהַכְרִ֣יתbe.hakh.Ritwhen cut offH3772
אִיזֶ֔בֶל'i.Ze.velJezebelH348
אֵ֖ת'et<obj.>H853
נְבִיאֵ֣יne.vi.'Ei[the] prophets ofH5030
יְהוָ֑הYah.wehYahwehH3068
וַיִּקַּ֨חvai.yi.Kachand he tookH3947
עֹבַדְיָ֜הוּ'oad.Ya.huObadiahH5662
מֵאָ֣הme.'Ahone hundredH3967
נְבִאִ֗יםne.vi.'ImprophetsH5030
וַֽיַּחְבִּיאֵ֞םvai.yach.bi.'Emand he hid themH2244
חֲמִשִּׁ֥יםcha.mi.ShimfiftyH2572
אִישׁ֙'ishmanH376
בַּמְּעָרָ֔הba.me.'a.Rahin the caveH4631
וְכִלְכְּלָ֖םve.khil.ke.Lamand he supplied themH3557
לֶ֥חֶםLe.chemfoodH3899
וָמָֽיִם\׃va.Ma.yimand waterH4325

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for 1 Kings 18:4

  • 1 Kings 18:13

    Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the Lord, how I hid an hundred men of the Lord’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

  • Matthew 10:40-42

    He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

  • Matthew 25:35

    For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

  • Revelation 17:4-6

    And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration.

  • Matthew 21:35

    And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

  • Hebrews 11:38

    (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

  • Matthew 25:40

    And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

  • Nehemiah 9:26

    Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against them to turn them to thee, and they wrought great provocations.

  • 1 Kings 13:16

    And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

  • 2 Kings 6:22-23

    And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.

  • 1 Kings 13:8-9

    And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: For so was it charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jezebel. Heb. Izabel. cut off the prophets.
Ne 9:26; Mt 21:35; Re 17:4-6
in a cave.
Heb 11:38
fed them.
13; 2Ki 6:22,23; Mt 10:40-42; 25:35,40
bread and water.
13:8,9,16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • 1 Kings 18:3

    And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:

  • 1 Kings 18:4

    For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

  • 1 Kings 18:5

    And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

Read all of 1 Kings 18

1 Kings 18:4 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Porque cuando Jezabel destruía á los profetas de Jehová, Abdías tomó cien profetas, los cuales escondió de cincuenta en cincuenta por cuevas, y sustentólos á pan y agua.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il était arrivé, quand Jézabel exterminait les prophètes de l’ Éternel, qu’Abdias avait pris 100 prophètes et les avait cachés par 50 hommes dans une caverne, et les avait nourris de pain et d’eau.)
German
Elberfelder 1871
und es geschah, als Isebel die Propheten Jehovas ausrottete, da nahm Obadja hundert Propheten und versteckte sie, je fünfzig Mann in eine Höhle, und versorgte sie mit Brot und Wasser.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Nam cum interficeret Jezabel prophetas Domini, tulit ille centum prophetas, et abscondit eos quinquagenos et quinquagenos in speluncis, et pavit eos pane et aqua.