1 Kings 18:9 (WEB)

Passage

He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:7 As Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him. He recognized him, and fell on his face, and said, “Is it you, my lord Elijah?”

1 Kings 18:8 He answered him, “It is I. Go, tell your lord, ‘Behold, Elijah is here!’”

1 Kings 18:9 He said, “How have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?

1 Kings 18:10 As Yahweh your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my lord has not sent to seek you. When they said, ‘He is not here,’ he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they didn’t find you.

1 Kings 18:11 Now you say, ‘Go, tell your lord, “Behold, Elijah is here.”’

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "sinned", "deliver", "servant", "hand", "ahab", and "kill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "sinned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "He answered him It is I Go..." into verse 10's "As Yahweh your God lives there is...", so "said" and "sinned" 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 "sinned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.