1 Kings 18:44 (GNV)

Passage

And at the seuenth time he sayd, Behold, there ariseth a litle cloude out of the sea like a mans hand. Then he sayd, Vp, and say vnto Ahab, Make readie thy charet, and get thee downe, that the raine stay thee not.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:42 So Ahab went vp to eate and to drinke, and Eliiah went vp to the top of Carmel: and he crouched vnto the earth, and put his face betweene his knees,

1 Kings 18:43 And sayde to his seruant, Goe vp now and looke towarde the way of the Sea. And he went vp, and looked, and sayde, There is nothing. Againe he sayd, Goe againe seuen times.

1 Kings 18:44 And at the seuenth time he sayd, Behold, there ariseth a litle cloude out of the sea like a mans hand. Then he sayd, Vp, and say vnto Ahab, Make readie thy charet, and get thee downe, that the raine stay thee not.

1 Kings 18:45 And in the meane while the heauen was blacke with cloudes and winde, and there was a great rayne. Then Ahab went vp and came to Izreel.

1 Kings 18:46 And the hand of the Lord was on Eliiah, and he girded vp his Ioynes, and ran before Ahab till he came to Izreel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "seuenth", "time", "sayd", "behold", "ariseth", "litle", "cloude", and "like". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "seuenth" and "time", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 43's "And sayde to his seruant Goe vp..." into verse 45's "And in the meane while the heauen...", so "seuenth" and "time" 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 "seuenth" and "time" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.