1 Kings 19:10 (GNV)

Passage

And he answered, I haue bene very ielous for the Lord God of hostes: for the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenant, broken downe thine altars, and slayne thy Prophets with the sword, and I onely am left, and they seeke my life to take it away.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 19:8 Then he arose, and did eate and drinke, and walked in the strength of that meate fourtie dayes and fourtie nights, vnto Horeb the mount of God.

1 Kings 19:9 And there he entred into a caue, and lodged there: and beholde, the Lord spake to him, and said vnto him, What doest thou here, Eliiah?

1 Kings 19:10 And he answered, I haue bene very ielous for the Lord God of hostes: for the children of Israel haue forsaken thy couenant, broken downe thine altars, and slayne thy Prophets with the sword, and I onely am left, and they seeke my life to take it away.

1 Kings 19:11 And he saide, Come out, and stand vpon the mount before the Lord. And beholde, the Lord went by, and a mightie strong winde rent the mountaines, and brake the rockes before the Lord: but the Lord was not in the winde: and after the wind came an earthquake: but the Lord was not in the earthquake:

1 Kings 19:12 And after the earthquake came fire: but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire came a still and soft voyce.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "answered", "haue", "bene", "very", "ielous", "lord", "hostes", and "children". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "answered" and "haue", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "And there he entred into a caue..." into verse 11's "And he saide Come out and stand...", so "answered" and "haue" 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 "answered" and "haue" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.