1 Kings 18 · Verse 44

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. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
1 Kings 18:44, King James Version

1 Kings 18:44 in other translations

BSBOn the seventh time the servant reported, “There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.” And Elijah replied, “Go and tell Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot and go down before the rain stops you.’”
WEBOn the seventh time, he said, “Behold, a small cloud, like a man’s hand, is rising out of the sea.” He said, “Go up, tell Ahab, ‘Get ready and go down, so that the rain doesn’t stop you.’”
ASVAnd it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Make ready thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.
YLTAnd it cometh to pass, at the seventh, that he saith, ‘Lo, a little thickness as the palm of a man is coming up out of the sea.' And he saith, ‘Go up, say unto Ahab, ‘Bind--and go down, and the shower doth not restrain thee.'
DARBYAnd it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, Behold there is a cloud, small as a man's hand, arising out of the sea. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Harness and go down, that the pour of rain stop thee not.
BBEAnd the seventh time he said, I see a cloud coming up out of the sea, as small as a man's hand. Then he said, Go up and say to Ahab, Get your carriage ready and go down or the rain will keep you back.
WebsterAnd 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. And he said, Go up, say to Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and go down, that the rain may not hinder thee.

What does 1 Kings 18:44 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
44. 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.

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

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 44 There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. - ככף איש kechaph ish, like the hollow of a man's hand. In the form of the hand bent, the concave side downmost. I have witnessed a resemblance of this kind at sea previously to a violent storm, a little cloud the size of a man's hand first appearing, and this increasing in size and density every moment, till at last it covered the whole heavens, and then burst forth with incredible fury. Mr. Bruce mentions a similar appearance in Abyssinia: - "Every morning, in Abyssinia, is clear, and the sun shines. About nine a small cloud, not above four hundred 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." - Travels, vol. v., page 336, edit. 1806.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 18:41-46

Israel, being so far reformed as to acknowledge the Lord to be God, and to consent to the execution of Baal's prophets, was so far accepted, that God poured out blessing upon the land. Elijah long continued praying. Though the answer of our fervent and believing supplications does not come quickly, we must continue earnest in prayer, and not faint or give over. A little cloud at length appeared, which soon…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 18:41-46 →

1 Kings 18:44 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.

וַֽיְהִי֙vay.Hiand it wasH1961
בַּשְּׁבִעִ֔יתba.she.vi.'Itat the seventh [time]H7637
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
הִנֵּה\־hi.neh-there!H2009
עָ֛ב'ava cloudH5645
קְטַנָּ֥הke.ta.NahsmallH6996
כְּכַף\־ke.khaf-like [the] hand ofH3709
אִ֖ישׁ'isha personH376
עֹלָ֣ה'o.Lah[is] coming upH5927
מִיָּ֑םmi.Yamfrom [the] seaH3220
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרvai.Yo.merand he saidH559
עֲלֵ֨ה'a.Lehgo upH5927
אֱמֹ֤ר'e.MorsayH559
אֶל\־'el-toH413
אַחְאָב֙'ach.'AvAhabH256
אֱסֹ֣ר'e.SorharnessH631
וָרֵ֔דva.Redand go downH3381
וְלֹ֥אve.Lo'and notH3808
יַעַצָרְכָ֖הya.'a.tza.re.Khahit will hold back youH6113
הַגָּֽשֶׁם\׃ha.Ga.shemthe rainH1653

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

Cross references for 1 Kings 18:44

  • Luke 12:54

    And he said also to the people, When ye see a cloud rise out of the west, straightway ye say, There cometh a shower; and so it is.

  • Job 8:7

    Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

  • Micah 1:13

    O thou inhabitant of Lachish, bind the chariot to the swift beast: she is the beginning of the sin to the daughter of Zion: for the transgressions of Israel were found in thee.

  • Zechariah 4:10

    For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro through the whole earth.

  • 1 Samuel 6:10

    And the men did so; and took two milch kine, and tied them to the cart, and shut up their calves at home:

  • 1 Samuel 6:7

    Now therefore make a new cart, and take two milch kine, on which there hath come no yoke, and tie the kine to the cart, and bring their calves home from them:

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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; Zec 4:10
Prepare. Heb. Tie, or Bind.
1Sa 6:7,10; Mic 1:13

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

Context

  • 1 Kings 18:43

    And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

  • 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. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

  • 1 Kings 18:45

    And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

Read all of 1 Kings 18

1 Kings 18:44 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y á la séptima vez dijo: Yo veo una pequeña nube como la palma de la mano de un hombre, que sube de la mar. Y él dijo: Ve, y di á Achâb: Unce y desciende, porque la lluvia no te ataje.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il arriva qu’à la septième fois, il dit: Voici un petit nuage, comme la main d’un homme, qui s’élève de la mer. Et il dit: Lève-toi, dis à Achab: Attelle, et descends, afin que la pluie ne t’arrête pas.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und es geschah beim siebten Male, da sprach er: Siehe, eine Wolke, klein wie eines Mannes Hand, steigt aus dem Meere herauf. Da sprach er: Gehe hinauf, sprich zu Ahab: Spanne an und fahre hinab, daß der Regen dich nicht aufhalte!
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
In septima autem vice, ecce nubecula parva quasi vestigium hominis ascendebat de mari. Qui ait: Ascende, et dic Achab: Junge currum tuum et descende, ne occupet te pluvia.