1 Kings 18:42

1Ki 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

Ver. 42. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel.] There, as in his ordinary oratory, to pray out the promise of rain, to put it in suit, and this he did lustily, {Jas 5:17} straining, as it were, every vein in his heart: for,

He cast himself down upon the earth,] sc, Upon his knees.

And he put his face between his knees.] To show his great humility and fervency. His knees he bowed to God, his face he bowed down to his knees: by this humble posture both acknowledging his humble respects to that Majesty which he implored; and in addition so hiding his eyes from all distracting objects, that he might the more wholly attend the work which he went about. Some do here observe that the babe in the womb lieth in this sort, with his head between his knees; thereby tacitly setting forth his own misery, and imploring God’s mercy, to bring him into the light. Quo in statu sese composuit ter maximus Elias abiectissimae suae conditionis memor, ut caelum votis ira conceptis aperiret: quae certe conditio in utero mirabili, superbos ab arrogantia revocare deberet, saith Bodine. {a} The great prophet Elias prayed in this posture, as expressing and increasing thereby his devotion. Let proud men remember their mean beginnings, and pull their crests.

{a} Theatr. Naturae p. 428.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 18:42. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel — Where he might pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look toward the sea. He had a large prospect of the sea from hence: the sailors at this day call it Cape Carmel. Between his knees — That is, bowed his head so low, that it touched his knees; thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness, now God had thus honoured him.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

ELIJAH, BY PRAYER, OBTAINS RAIN. (Kg1 18:41-46)

Ahab went up to eat and to drink--Ahab, kept in painful excitement by the agonizing scene, had eaten nothing all the day. He was recommended to refresh himself without a moment's delay; and, while the king was thus occupied, the prophet, far from taking rest, was absorbed in prayer for the fulfilment of the promise (Kg1 18:1).

put his face between his knees--a posture of earnest supplication still used.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 42. Put his face between his knees] He kneeled down, and then bowed his head to the earth, so that, while his face was between his knees, his forehead touched the ground.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(42) Put his face between his knees.—The attitude is, of course, one of prayer, but is a peculiar attitude—distinct from the ordinary postures of standing and kneeling—which has been noted as existing still among the modern dervishes. Possibly it is characteristic of the vehement excitement of the moment, and of the impulsive nature of Elijah.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

42. Elijah went up to the top of Carmel] To a different point from that to which Ahab had gone. This is clear from 1Ki_18:44, where the prophet despatches his servant with a message to the king.

and he cast [R.V. bowed] himself] The prophet’s attitude was that of prayer. Cf. Jas_5:18. The humble position is further indicated by the clause which follows, ‘he put his face between his knees.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand,.... Either about the size or in the form of it; rain water comes out of the sea, and, being strained through the clouds and air, becomes fresh:

and he said, go up: the meaning seems to be, that he should first go down from the mount, and then go up to that part of it where Ahab was:

say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot; bind or fasten the horses to it, as the phrase seems to signify:

and get thee down; from the mountain where he was, to go to Jezreel, which lay low in a valley:

that the rain stop thee not; on the road, that might be made impassable by it, signifying that such abundance should fall as would make it so.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Ahab could feast; Elijah could not, or would not. Ascending Carmel not quite to the highest elevation 1Ki 18:43, but to a point, a little below the highest, from where the sea was not visible, he proceeded to pray earnestly for rain, as he had prayed formerly that it might not rain.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Knees, in fervent and humble prayer. God made his servant wait some time before he granted his request, that he might not give way to vanity. The people were not present, so that there was no danger of their being scandalized. (Menochius)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; where he might secretly and ardently pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look towards the sea, and discern when the rain was coming.

Put his face between his knees; he either sat, or rather kneeled upon his knees, and then cast down his face to the ground between his knees; either in token of profound reverence and humility, or out of fervency of spirit, which oft disposeth men to uncouth gestures, which at other times, or in other men, would be ridiculous; but in them, and in that case, are usual and allowed: or, that turning away his eyes from all outward objects, he might be more intent and earnest upon his work, or pray to God without distraction.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

42. Cast himself down — Elijah’s attitude in prayer has been understood in two ways. Some maintain that he placed himself in a sitting posture, thus bringing his knees near his chin, and making it comparatively easy for him to put his face between his knees. Chardin and Shaw observed certain Orientals in this posture while engaged in devout meditation. This attitude, however, though suitable for meditation, would be less appropriate for prayer. Others therefore think that he first kneeled down, and then bowed his head forward, so that his face would have been brought near to the ground, and may have even touched it. This latter view is favoured by the word יגהר, here rendered cast himself down, which implies prostration, not sitting. The word occurs again only in 2Ki_4:34-35, where it is used of Elisha’s stretching himself upon the dead child of the Shunammite. This prostrate attitude of Elijah’s was in keeping with that earnestness in prayer of which St. James speaks. Jas_5:17. Both king and prophet returned to the top of Carmel, the one to feast, the other to pray. The prophet, “while he was praying, withdrew himself from the very highest point of the summit, leaving Ahab to take his meal at the place where the sacrifice had been consumed. Elijah needed to retire only a short distance to the west, and there, on the slope just below the summit, sequestered by bushes and trees, such as are still to be found there, poured out his petitions for rain.” — Mead.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top Heb. head of Carmel It is clear from Ver. 43 that this was not the actual summit, nor can it have been, as Bahr supposes, the outermost promontory towards the sea, unless he means the foot or slope of that ridge or promontory, for from this varo the sea was not visible. It also appears from the hle of ver. 44 that this point must have been at a lower elevation than the plateau where the altar had stood and where Ahab"s tent was; and he cast himself down upon the earth Same word 2Ki_4:34, 2Ki_4:35, of Elisha"s prostration upon the dead child. But if Elijah "stretched himself full length" upon the earth, as the Easterns constantly do in prayer (see Thomson, 1:26, 27) it was but for a moment, as we presently find him kneeling, and put his face between his knees. "The Oriental attitude of entire abstraction" (Stanley). The posture witnessed to the intensity of his supplication.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The top of Carmel - Where he might pour out his prayers unto God; and whence he might look towards the sea. He had a large prospect of the sea from hence. The sailors at this day call it cape Carmel. Between his knees - That is, bowed his head so low, that it touched his knees; thus abasing himself in the sense of his own meanness, now God had thus honoured him.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He bowed to the ground. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “and he crouched on the ground,” to pray for rain.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.