New English Translation
1 Kings 18:3
3So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord.
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
1Some time later, in the third year of the famine, the Lord told Elijah, “Go, make an appearance before Ahab, so I may send rain on the surface of the ground.” 2So Elijah went to make an appearance before Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. So Ahab summoned Obadiah, who supervised the palace. (Now Obadiah was a very loyal follower of the Lord. 4When Jezebel was killing the Lord’s prophets, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them in two caves in two groups of fifty. He also brought them food and water.) 5Ahab told Obadiah, “Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the animals.”
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, the senior one in his household who was in charge of everything he had, “Put your hand under my thigh
- Genesis 39:4So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal attendant. Potiphar appointed Joseph overseer of his household and put him in charge of everything he owned.
- Genesis 41:40You will oversee my household, and all my people will submit to your commands. Only I, the king, will be greater than you.
- 1 Kings 18:12But when I leave you, the Lord’s spirit will carry you away so I can’t find you. If I go tell Ahab I’ve seen you, he won’t be able to find you and he will kill me. That would not be fair, because your servant has been a loyal follower of the Lord from my youth.
- Genesis 22:12“Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.”
- Genesis 42:18On the third day Joseph said to them, “Do as I say and you will live, for I fear God.
- 2 Kings 4:1Now a wife of one of the prophets appealed to Elisha for help, saying, “Your servant, my husband is dead. You know that your servant was a loyal follower of the Lord. Now the creditor is coming to take away my two boys to be his servants.”
- Nehemiah 5:15But the former governors who preceded me had burdened the people and had taken food and wine from them, in addition to forty shekels of silver. Their associates were also domineering over the people. But I did not behave in this way, due to my fear of God.
- Nehemiah 7:2I then put in charge over Jerusalem my brother Hanani and Hananiah the chief of the citadel, for he was a faithful man and feared God more than many do.
- Proverbs 14:26In the fear of the Lord one has strong confidence, and it will be a refuge for his children.
- Malachi 3:16Then those who respected the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord took notice. A scroll was prepared before him in which were recorded the names of those who respected the Lord and honored his name.
- Matthew 10:28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
- Acts 10:2He was a devout, God-fearing man, as was all his household; he did many acts of charity for the people and prayed to God regularly.
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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