Bible Characters · Divided Kingdom
Elijah
The prophet from Tishbe who shut the heavens by his word, faced down the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind.
The facts, as Scripture gives them
- Lived
- Dates not given in Scripture.
- Region
- Tishbe in Gilead; he lived at the brook Cherith, at Zarephath, on Carmel, at Horeb, and crossed the Jordan before his taking up. (1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 17:3-9; 2 Kings 2:6-8)
- Work
- A prophet of the LORD. (1 Kings 17:1)
Key verses
When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”
1 Kings 18:39 (BSB)
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
James 5:17 (BSB)
What they did
- Told Ahab there would be neither dew nor rain except at his word. (1 Kings 17:1)
- Was fed by ravens at Cherith, then by the widow of Zarephath's jar of flour and jug of oil, which did not run out. (1 Kings 17:5-16)
- Prayed over the widow's dead son, and the child came back to life. (1 Kings 17:20-22)
- Challenged the 450 prophets of Baal on Carmel; fire fell, and the people fell on their faces: the LORD, He is God. (1 Kings 18:20-39)
- Ran from Jezebel's threat to Horeb, and heard God not in wind, earthquake or fire, but in a low whisper. (1 Kings 19:1-13)
- Threw his cloak over Elisha at the plough and called him to follow. (1 Kings 19:19-21)
- Denounced Ahab for the murder of Naboth and the theft of his vineyard. (1 Kings 21:17-19)
- Was taken up by a whirlwind, with a chariot of fire and horses of fire, as Elisha watched. (2 Kings 2:11)
- Appeared with Moses, talking with Jesus at the Transfiguration. (Matthew 17:3)
Connected to
- Elisha: His servant and successor, who asked for a double portion of his spirit (2 Kings 2:9)
- Ahab: The king of Israel whom he confronted for years (1 Kings 18:17; 1 Kings 21:17-19)
- Jezebel: Ahab's queen, who swore to kill him (1 Kings 19:1-2)
- The widow of Zarephath: The widow whose flour and oil sustained him, whose son he raised (1 Kings 17:9-22)
- Obadiah: Ahab's steward, who feared the LORD and hid a hundred prophets from Jezebel (1 Kings 18:3-7)
Mentioned in
1 Kings, 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles, Malachi, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Romans, James.
Every reference (92)
1 Kings 17:1 · 1 Kings 17:13 · 1 Kings 17:15 · 1 Kings 17:16 · 1 Kings 17:18 · 1 Kings 17:22 · 1 Kings 17:23 · 1 Kings 17:24 · 1 Kings 18:1 · 1 Kings 18:2 · 1 Kings 18:7 · 1 Kings 18:8 · 1 Kings 18:11 · 1 Kings 18:14 · 1 Kings 18:15 · 1 Kings 18:16 · 1 Kings 18:17 · 1 Kings 18:21 · 1 Kings 18:22 · 1 Kings 18:25 · 1 Kings 18:27 · 1 Kings 18:30 · 1 Kings 18:31 · 1 Kings 18:36 · 1 Kings 18:40 · 1 Kings 18:41 · 1 Kings 18:42 · 1 Kings 18:46 · 1 Kings 19:1 · 1 Kings 19:2 · 1 Kings 19:9 · 1 Kings 19:13 · 1 Kings 19:19 · 1 Kings 19:20 · 1 Kings 19:21 · 1 Kings 21:17 · 1 Kings 21:20 · 1 Kings 21:28 · 2 Kings 1:3 · 2 Kings 1:4 · 2 Kings 1:8 · 2 Kings 1:10 · 2 Kings 1:12 · 2 Kings 1:13 · 2 Kings 1:15 · 2 Kings 1:17 · 2 Kings 2:1 · 2 Kings 2:2 · 2 Kings 2:4 · 2 Kings 2:6 · 2 Kings 2:8 · 2 Kings 2:9 · 2 Kings 2:11 · 2 Kings 2:13 · 2 Kings 2:14 · 2 Kings 2:15 · 2 Kings 3:11 · 2 Kings 9:36 · 2 Kings 10:10 · 2 Kings 10:17 · 2 Chronicles 21:12 · Malachi 4:5 · Matthew 11:14 · Matthew 16:14 · Matthew 17:3 · Matthew 17:4 · Matthew 17:10 · Matthew 17:11 · Matthew 17:12 · Matthew 27:47 · Matthew 27:49 · Mark 6:15 · Mark 8:28 · Mark 9:4 · Mark 9:5 · Mark 9:11 · Mark 9:12 · Mark 9:13 · Mark 15:35 · Mark 15:36 · Luke 1:17 · Luke 4:25 · Luke 4:26 · Luke 9:8 · Luke 9:19 · Luke 9:30 · Luke 9:33 · Luke 9:54 · John 1:21 · John 1:25 · Romans 11:2 · James 5:17
Review status: in-theological-review. Every Contend profile passes a human theological review against the Statement of Faith before it is published as approved teaching. This profile is in that queue. Sources: Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (public domain), verified verse by verse. Name and reference data: STEP Bible (TIPNR), Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0.