Amplified Bible
1 Kings 18:3
3Ahab called Obadiah who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly;
1 Kings 18:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:
- New International Version (NIV)and Ahab had summoned Obadiah, his palace administrator. (Obadiah was a devout believer in the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Ahab had called Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.
Context of 1 Kings 18:3
1Now it happened after many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth.” 2So Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. Ahab called Obadiah who was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly; 4for when Jezebel destroyed the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) 5Then Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the sources of water and to all the streams; perhaps we may find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle.”
Read all of 1 Kings 181 Kings 18:3 word by word
וַיִּקְרָ֣א אַחְאָ֔ב אֶל־עֹבַדְיָ֖הוּ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עַל־הַבָּ֑יִת וְעֹבַדְיָ֗הוּ הָיָ֥ה יָרֵ֛א אֶת־יְהוָ֖ה מְאֹֽד׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:3
- Genesis 24:2Abraham said to his servant [Eliezer of Damascus], the oldest of his household, who had charge over all that Abraham owned, “Please, put your hand under my thigh [as is customary for affirming a solemn oath],
- Genesis 39:4So Joseph pleased Potiphar and found favor in his sight and he served him as his personal servant. He made Joseph overseer over his house, and he put all that he owned in Joseph’s charge.
- Genesis 41:40You shall have charge over my house, and all my people shall be governed according to your word and pay respect [to you with reverence, submission, and obedience]; only in [matters of] the throne will I be greater than you [in Egypt].”
- 1 Kings 18:12And as soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place I do not know; so when I come to tell Ahab and he does not find you, he will kill me. Yet your servant has [reverently] feared the Lord from my youth.
- Genesis 22:12The Lord said, “Do not reach out [with the knife in] your hand against the boy, and do nothing to [harm] him; for now I know that you fear God [with reverence and profound respect], since you have not withheld from Me your son, your only son [of promise].”
- Genesis 42:18Now Joseph said to them on the third day, “Do this and [you may] live, for I fear God:
- 2 Kings 4:1Now one of the wives of a man of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha [for help], saying “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant [reverently] feared the Lord; but the creditor is coming to take my two sons to be his slaves [in payment for a loan].”
- Nehemiah 5:15But the former governors who were [in office] before me put heavy burdens on the people and took food and wine from them in addition to forty shekels of silver [as an excessive monthly salary]; even their servants assumed authority over the people. But I did not do so because of the [reverent] fear of God.
- Nehemiah 7:2I put my brother Hanani, with Hananiah the commander of the fortress, in charge of Jerusalem, for Hananiah was a more faithful and God-fearing man than many [of the others].
- Proverbs 14:26In the [reverent] fear of the Lord there is strong confidence, And His children will [always] have a place of refuge.
- Malachi 3:16Then those who feared the Lord [with awe-filled reverence] spoke to one another; and the Lord paid attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him of those who fear the Lord [with an attitude of reverence and respect] and who esteem His name.
- Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; but rather be afraid of Him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Acts 10:2a devout man and one who, along with all his household, feared God. He made many charitable donations to the Jewish people, and prayed to God always.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3Obadiah feared the Lord greatly - He was a sincere and zealous worshipper of the true God, and his conduct towards the persecuted prophets was the full proof both of his piety and humanity.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Obadiah‘s name, “servant of Yahweh,” indicates his religious character. It corresponds to the modern Arabic name Abdallah. Ahab could scarcely have been ignorant of Obadiah‘s faithfulness to Yahweh; and it tells in favor of the monarch‘s tolerance that he should have maintained an adherent of the old religion in so important an office. There seems to be no doubt that the worst deeds of Ahab‘s reign sprang less from his own free will and natural…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-6Because of the severe drought, Ahab and Obadiah, his chief officer (see 1 Kings 4:6; 16:9), went to find enough water and grass for the king’s horses. These supplies were essential for military readiness. Assyrian King Shalmaneser III wrote that Ahab used about 2,000 horse-drawn chariots in the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC. Solomon also had many horses and chariots (1 Kings 10:26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. Obadiah feared the Lord greatly--Although he did not follow the course taken by the Levites and the majority of pious Israelites at that time of emigration into Judah (2Ch 11:13-16), he was a secret and sincere worshipper. He probably considered the violent character of the government, and his power of doing some good to the persecuted people of God as a sufficient excuse for his not going to worship in Jerusalem.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 18:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Kings 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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