1 Kings 19 · Verse 10

1 Kings 19:10

And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
1 Kings 19:10, King James Version

1 Kings 19:10 in other translations

BSB“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
WEBHe said, “I have been very jealous for the LORD, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
ASVAnd he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah, the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
YLTAnd he saith, ‘I have been very zealous for Jehovah, God of Hosts, for the sons of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant--Thine altars they have thrown down, and Thy prophets they have slain by the sword, and I am left, I, by myself, and they seek my life--to take it.'
DARBYAnd he said, I have been very jealous for Jehovah the God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I am left, I alone, and they seek my life, to take it away.
BBEAnd he said, I have been burning for the honour of the Lord, the God of armies; for the children of Israel have not kept your agreement; they have made destruction of your altars, and have put your prophets to death with the sword: till I, even I, am the only one living; and now they are attempting to take away my life.
WebsterAnd he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thy altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, I only, am left; and they seek my life to take it away.

What does 1 Kings 19:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 19:4-18

4-18. went a day's journey into the wilderness--on the way from Beer-sheba to Horeb--a wide expanse of sand hills, covered with the retem (not juniper, but broom shrubs), whose tall and spreading branches, with their white leaves, afford a very cheering and refreshing shade. His gracious God did not lose sight of His fugitive servant, but watched over him, and, miraculously ministering to his wants, enabled him, in…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 19:4-18 →

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 I have been very jealous for the Lord - The picture which he draws here of apostate Israel is very affecting: - 1. They have forsaken thy covenant - They have now cleaved to and worshipped other gods. 2. Thrown down thine altars - Endeavoured, as much as they possibly could, to abolish thy worship, and destroy its remembrance from the land. 3. And slain thy prophets - That there might be none to reprove their iniquity, or teach the truth; so that the restoration of the true worship might be impossible. 4. I only, am left - They have succeeded in destroying all the rest of the prophets, and they are determined not to rest till they slay me.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on 1 Kings 19:9-13

The question God put, What doest thou here, Elijah? is a reproof. It concerns us often to ask whether we are in our place, and in the way of our duty. Am I where I should be? whither God calls me, where my business lies, and where I may be useful? He complained of the people, and their obstinacy in sin; I only am left. Despair of success hinders many a good enterprise. Did Elijah come hither to meet with God? he…

Read the full comment on 1 Kings 19:9-13 →

1 Kings 19:10 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.

וַיֹּאמֶר֩vai.yo.Merand he saidH559
קַנֹּ֨אka.No'certainly <to be zealous>H7065
קִנֵּ֜אתִיki.Ne.tiI have been zealousH7065
לַיהוָ֣ה\׀la.Yah.wehfor YahwehH3068
אֱלֹהֵ֣י'e.lo.Hei[the] God ofH430
צְבָא֗וֹתtze.va.'othostsH6635
כִּֽי\־ki-forH3588
עָזְב֤וּ'a.ze.Vuthey have forsakenH5800
בְרִֽיתְךָ֙ve.ri.te.Khacovenant yourH1285
בְּנֵ֣יbe.Nei[the] people ofH1121
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לYis.ra.'ElIsraelH3478
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
מִזְבְּחֹתֶ֣יךָmiz.be.cho.Tei.khaaltars yourH4196
הָרָ֔סוּha.Ra.suthey have torn downH2040
וְאֶת\־ve.'Etand <obj.>H853
נְבִיאֶ֖יךָne.vi.'Ei.khaprophets yourH5030
הָרְג֣וּha.re.Guthey have killedH2026
בֶחָ֑רֶבve.Cha.revwith the swordH2719
וָֽאִוָּתֵ֤רva.'i.va.Terand I am leftH3498
אֲנִי֙'a.NiIH589
לְבַדִּ֔יle.va.Dito alone meH905
וַיְבַקְשׁ֥וּvay.vak.Shuand they have soughtH1245
אֶת\־'et-<obj.>H853
נַפְשִׁ֖יnaf.Shilife myH5315
לְקַחְתָּֽהּ\׃le.kach.Tahto take away itH3947

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

Cross references for 1 Kings 19:10

  • 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.)

  • Exodus 34:14

    For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

  • 1 Kings 18:22

    Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

  • Romans 11:2-4

    God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.

  • 1 Kings 18:30

    And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

  • Exodus 20:5

    Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

  • Numbers 25:11

    Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, hath turned my wrath away from the children of Israel, while he was zealous for my sake among them, that I consumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy.

  • Numbers 25:13

    And he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the covenant of an everlasting priesthood; because he was zealous for his God, and made an atonement for the children of Israel.

  • Jeremiah 2:30

    In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.

  • 1 Kings 19:14

    And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

  • 1 Kings 18:17

    And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

  • 1 Kings 20:41-42

    And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets. And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
very jealous.
Ex 20:5; 34:14; Nu 25:11,13; Ps 69:9; 119:139; Joh 2:17
thrown down.
14; 18:4,30; Jer 2:30; Ho 5:11; Mic 6:16; 7:2
I only.
18:4,20,22; 20:13,22,35,41,42; 22:8; Ro 11:2-4
they seek my life.
2; 18:10,17

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

Context

  • 1 Kings 19:9

    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?

  • 1 Kings 19:10

    And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.

  • 1 Kings 19:11

    And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

Read all of 1 Kings 19

1 Kings 19:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y él respondió: Sentido he un vivo celo por Jehová Dios de los ejércitos; porque los hijos de Israel han dejado tu alianza, han derribado tus altares, y han muerto á cuchillo tus profetas: y yo solo he quedado, y me buscan para quitarme la vida.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Et il dit: J’ai été très jaloux pour l’ Éternel, le Dieu des armées; car les fils d’Israël ont abandonné ton alliance, ils ont renversé tes autels et ils ont tué tes prophètes par l’épée, et je suis resté, moi seul, et ils cherchent ma vie pour me l’ôter.
German
Elberfelder 1871
Und er sprach: Ich habe sehr geeifert für Jehova, den Gott der Heerscharen; denn die Kinder Israel haben deinen Bund verlassen, deine Altäre niedergerissen und deine Propheten mit dem Schwerte getötet; und ich allein bin übriggeblieben, und sie trachten danach, mir das Leben zu nehmen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
At ille respondit: Zelo zelatus sum pro Domino Deo exercituum, quia dereliquerunt pactum tuum filii Israël: altaria tua destruxerunt, prophetas tuos occiderunt gladio, derelictus sum ego solus, et quærunt animam meam ut auferant eam.