1 Kings 18:8 (YLT)

Passage

And he saith to him, `I <FI>am<Fi> ; go, say to thy lord, Lo, Elijah.'

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:6 And they apportion to themselves the land, to pass over into it; Ahab hath gone in one way by himself, and Obadiah hath gone in another way by himself;

1 Kings 18:7 and Obadiah <FI>is<Fi> in the way, and lo, Elijah--to meet him; and he discerneth him, and falleth on his face, and saith, `Art thou he--my lord Elijah?'

1 Kings 18:8 And he saith to him, `I <FI>am<Fi> ; go, say to thy lord, Lo, Elijah.'

1 Kings 18:9 And he saith, `What have I sinned, that thou art giving thy servant into the hand of Ahab--to put me to death?

1 Kings 18:10 Jehovah thy God liveth, if there is a nation and kingdom whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee; and they said, He is not, then he caused the kingdom and the nation to swear, that it doth not find thee;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "lord", and "elijah". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "and Obadiah FI is Fi in the..." into verse 9's "And he saith What have I sinned...", so "saith" and "lord" 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 "saith" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.