1 Kings 18:43 (DRB)

Passage

And he said to his servant: Go up, and look towards the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said: There is nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:41 And Elias said to Achab: Go up, eat and drink: for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

1 Kings 18:42 Achab went up to eat and drink: and Elias went up to the top of Carmel, and casting himself down upon the earth, put his face between his knees,

1 Kings 18:43 And he said to his servant: Go up, and look towards the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said: There is nothing. And again he said to him: Return seven times.

1 Kings 18:44 And at the seventh time: Behold a little cloud arose out of the sea like a man's foot. And he said: Go up, and say to Achab: Prepare thy chariot, and go down, lest the rain prevent thee.

1 Kings 18:45 And while he turned himself this way and that way, behold the heavens grew dark, with clouds and wind, and there fell a great rain. And Achab getting up, went away to Jezrahel:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "servant", "look", "towards", "went", "looked", and "nothing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "servant", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 42's "Achab went up to eat and drink..." into verse 44's "And at the seventh time Behold a...", so "said" and "servant" 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 "said" and "servant" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.