The Meaning of 1 Kings 19:9 Explained

1 Kings 19:9

KJV: And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of the LORD came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

YLT: And he cometh in there, unto the cave, and lodgeth there, and lo, the word of Jehovah is unto him, and saith to him, 'What -- to thee, here, Elijah?'

Darby: And there he went into a cave, and lodged there. And behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said to him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

ASV: And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and, behold, the word of Jehovah came to him, and he said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he came  thither unto a cave,  and lodged  there; and, behold, the word  of the LORD  [came] to him, and he said  unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah? 

What does 1 Kings 19:9 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 19:9-14 - Learning How God Works
God knew how to treat His servant, resting beneath the juniper tree. He steeped his nature in refreshing sleep, fed his exhausted energies, caused angel-hands to minister to him, and finally conducted him across the desert to that sacred mountain where Moses in the old time had stood in the divine audience-chamber. There the forces of nature spoke to Elijah's varying moods. In the fire, the earthquake, and the tempest, he heard the voices of his own soul. They expressed what he would say, and relieved him in the expression. Then the accents of the "still small voice" fell upon his ear, calming, quieting, soothing. Best of all, the voice of God commissioned him once more with the words, "Go, return." The vacated post was open still; the crown of the life-work could be worthily placed; the gate was open through which he might serve the land he loved.
Often we lie down on the desert-sands, and think that death is near. But it is not so. God does not judge us by our moods. He knows the faithful heart that is true to Him, and he wants to bestow the crown of life. Not the winding-sheet of the desert-sands, but the chariot of fire to the Home-Land was to be the portion of God's faithful prophet. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 19

1  Elijah, threatened by Jezebel, flees to Beersheba
4  In the desert, being weary of his life, he is comforted by an angel
9  At Horeb God appears unto him, sending him to anoint Hazael, Jehu, and Elisha
19  Elisha, taking leave of his friends, follows Elijah

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 19:9 mean?

And he went there into a cave and spent the night in that place and behold the word of Yahweh [came] to him and He said to him what are you doing here Elijah
וַיָּבֹא־ שָׁ֥ם אֶל־ הַמְּעָרָ֖ה וַיָּ֣לֶן שָׁ֑ם וְהִנֵּ֤ה דְבַר־ יְהוָה֙ אֵלָ֔יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר ל֔וֹ מַה־ לְּךָ֥ פֹ֖ה ؟ אֵלִיָּֽהוּ

וַיָּבֹא־  And  he  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
אֶל־  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
הַמְּעָרָ֖ה  a  cave 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְעָרָה  
Sense: cave, den, hole.
וַיָּ֣לֶן  and  spent  the  night 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לוּן 
Sense: to lodge, stop over, pass the night, abide.
שָׁ֑ם  in  that  place 
Parse: Adverb
Root: שָׁם  
Sense: there, thither.
וְהִנֵּ֤ה  and  behold 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Interjection
Root: הִנֵּה  
Sense: behold, lo, see, if.
דְבַר־  the  word 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
יְהוָה֙  of  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֵלָ֔יו  [came]  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר  and  He  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
ל֔וֹ  to  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
לְּךָ֥  are  you  doing 
Parse: Preposition, second person masculine singular
פֹ֖ה  here 
Parse: Adverb
Root: פֹּה  
Sense: here, from here, hither.
؟ אֵלִיָּֽהוּ  Elijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵלִיָּה 
Sense: the great prophet of the reign of Ahab.