1 Kings 19:13 (ASV)

Passage

And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:11 And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before Jehovah. And, behold, Jehovah passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before Jehovah; but Jehovah was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but Jehovah was not in the earthquake:

1 Kings 19:12 and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

1 Kings 19:13 And it was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. And, behold, there came a voice unto him, and said, What doest thou here, Elijah?

1 Kings 19:14 And 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.

1 Kings 19:15 And Jehovah said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, thou shalt anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "heard", "wrapped", "face", "mantle", "went", "stood", and "entrance". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "heard", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "and after the earthquake a fire but..." into verse 14's "And he said I have been very...", so "elijah" and "heard" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "elijah" and "heard" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.