1 Kings 19:9 (ASV)

Passage

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:7 And the angel of Jehovah came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for thee.

1 Kings 19:8 And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God.

1 Kings 19:9 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah 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 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 19:11 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:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "thither", "cave", "lodged", "behold", "word", and "jehovah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "thither", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "And he arose and did eat and..." into verse 10's "And he said I have been very...", so "came" and "thither" 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 "came" and "thither" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.