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the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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New American Standard Bible

1 Kings 18:5

Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Elijah;   Israel;   Obadiah;   Thompson Chain Reference - Ahab;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Brooks;   Famine;   Fountains and Springs;   Grass;   Horse, the;   Mule, the;   Water;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Mule;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Animals;   Obadiah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Gods and Goddesses, Pagan;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Grass;   Mowing;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Mule;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Grass;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Obadiah;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Carmel;   Famine;   Haggai;   Mule;   Obadiah;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Obadiah ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount carmel;   Obadiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Jezebel;   Leek;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Obadi'ah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Leek;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   Grass;   Mule;   Obadiah;   Rain;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Ahab said to Obadiah, “Go throughout the land to every spring and to every wadi. Perhaps we’ll find grass so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to destroy any cattle.”
Hebrew Names Version
Ach'av said to `Ovadyah, Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.
King James Version
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
English Standard Version
And Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys. Perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals."
New Century Version
Ahab said to Obadiah, "Let's check every spring and valley in the land. Maybe we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules alive and not have to kill our animals."
New English Translation
Ahab told Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs and valleys. Maybe we can find some grazing areas so we can keep the horses and mules alive and not have to kill some of the animals."
Amplified Bible
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the sources of water and to all the streams; perhaps we may find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Ahab saide vnto Obadiah, Goe into the land, vnto all the fountaines of water, and vnto all the riuers, if so be that we may finde grasse to saue the horses and the mules aliue, lest we depriue the lande of the beastes.
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to cut down some of the cattle."
Contemporary English Version
and said, "We have to find something for our horses and mules to eat. If we don't, we will have to kill them. Let's look around every creek and spring in the country for some grass.
Complete Jewish Bible
Ach'av said to ‘Ovadyah, "Go throughout the land, and check all the springs and vadis; maybe we can find grass somewhere, so that we can keep the horses and mules alive and not lose all the animals."
Darby Translation
and Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the fountains of water and to all the torrents, perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and the mules alive, so that we may not have to destroy some of [our] beasts.
Easy-to-Read Version
King Ahab said to Obadiah, "Come with me. We will look at every spring and every stream in the land. We will see if we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules alive. Then we will not have to kill our animals."
George Lamsa Translation
And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all fountains of water and to all brooks; perhaps we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we may not lose all the beasts.
Good News Translation
Ahab said to Obadiah, "Let us go and look at every spring and every stream bed in the land to see if we can find enough grass to keep the horses and mules alive. Maybe we won't have to kill any of our animals."
Lexham English Bible
Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis. Perhaps we may find green grass that we may keep horses and mules alive and that we might not lose any of the animals."
Literal Translation
and Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land to all the fountains of water, and to all the torrents; perhaps we may find grass and keep alive horse and mule, and will not cut off any of the livestock.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Achab now sayde vnto Abdia: Go thorow the londe vnto all the welles of water & ryuers, yf happlye we maye finde hay, & to saue ye horses & mules, yt all the catell perishe not.
American Standard Version
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
Bible in Basic English
And Ahab said to Obadiah, Come, let us go through all the country, to all the fountains of water and all the rivers, and see if there is any grass to be had for the horses and the transport beasts, so that we may be able to keep some of the beasts from destruction.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Ahab saide vnto Obadia: Go into the lande, vnto all fountaines of water, and vnto all brookes, if happyly we may finde grasse to saue the horses and mules aliue, and that we destroy not [some of] the beastes.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Ahab said unto Obadiah: 'Go through the land, unto all the springs of water, and unto all the brooks; peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.'
King James Version (1611)
And Ahab said vnto Obadiah, Goe into the land, vnto all fountaines of water, and vnto all brookes: peraduenture we may finde grasse to saue the horses and mules aliue, that we leese not all the beasts.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And Achaab said to Abdiu, Come, and let us go through the land, and to the fountains of water, and to the brooks, if by any means we may find grass, and may save the horses and mules, and so they will not perish from the tents.
English Revised Version
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go through the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go throughout the land to every spring and every valley. Perhaps we will find grass to keep the horses and mules alive so that we will not have to destroy any livestock."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Achab seide to Abdie, Go thou in to the lond, to alle wellis of watris, and in to alle valeis, if in hap we moun fynde gras, and saue horsis and mulis; and werk beestis perische not outirli.
Young's Literal Translation
and Ahab saith unto Obadiah, `Go through the land, unto all fountains of waters, and unto all the brooks, if so be we find hay, and keep alive horse and mule, and do not cut off any of the cattle.'
Update Bible Version
And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the fountains of water, and to all the brooks: perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we do not lose all the beasts.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Ahab said to Obadiah, Go into the land, to all fountains of water, and to all brooks: it may be we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.
World English Bible
Ahab said to Obadiah, Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks: peradventure we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we not lose all the animals.
New King James Version
And Ahab had said to Obadiah, "Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will not have to kill any livestock."
New Living Translation
Ahab said to Obadiah, "We must check every spring and valley in the land to see if we can find enough grass to save at least some of my horses and mules."
New Life Bible
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the wells of water and to all the valleys. It may be that we will find grass and keep the horses and donkeys alive, and not lose some of the animals.
New Revised Standard
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the wadis; perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
So then Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go, and let us pass throughout the land, unto all the fountains of water, and unto all the ravines, peradventure we may find grass, and save alive horse and mule, and not have more of the beasts cut off.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Achab said to Abdias: Go into the land unto all fountains of waters, and into all valleys, to see if we can find grass, and save the horses and mules, that the beasts may not utterly perish.
Revised Standard Version
And Ahab said to Obadi'ah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, and not lose some of the animals."
THE MESSAGE
Ahab ordered Obadiah, "Go through the country; locate every spring and every stream. Let's see if we can find enough grass to keep our horses and mules from dying." So they divided the country between them for the search—Ahab went one way, Obadiah the other.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle."

Contextual Overview

1 Now it happened after many days that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, "Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will provide rain on the face of the earth." 2 So Elijah went to present himself to Ahab. Now the famine was severe in Samaria. 3 Ahab summoned Obadiah, who was in charge of the household. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly; 4 for when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them by fifties in a cave, and provided them with bread and water.) 5 Then Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go through the land to all the springs of water and to all the river valleys; perhaps we will find grass and keep the horses and mules alive, and not have to kill some of the cattle."6 So they divided the land between them to survey it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 Now as Obadiah was on the way, behold, Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face and said, "Is it you, Elijah my master?" 8 And he said to him, "It is I. Go, say to your master, 'Behold, Elijah is here.'" 9 But he said, "What sin have I committed, that you are handing your servant over to Ahab, to put me to death? 10 "As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom to which my master has not sent word to search for you; and whenever they say, 'He is not here,' he makes the kingdom or nation swear that they could not find you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

grass: Psalms 104:14, Jeremiah 14:5, Jeremiah 14:6, Joel 1:18, Joel 2:22, Habakkuk 3:17, Romans 8:20-22

we lose not all the beasts: Heb. we cut not off ourselves from the beasts

Reciprocal: Genesis 46:32 - their trade hath been to feed cattle Genesis 47:13 - so that Deuteronomy 11:15 - And I will 1 Kings 10:25 - and mules Psalms 107:33 - watersprings Jeremiah 14:3 - their nobles Joel 1:20 - the rivers Amos 4:8 - two

Cross-References

Genesis 19:8
"Now look, I have two daughters who have not had relations with any man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do not do anything to these men, because they have come under the shelter of my roof."
Genesis 33:10
Jacob said, "No, please, if now I have found favor in your sight, then accept my gift from my hand, for I see your face as one sees the face of God, and you have received me favorably.
Judges 6:18
"Please do not depart from here until I come back to You, and bring out my offering and lay it before You." And He said, "I will remain until you return."
Judges 13:15
Then Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "Please let us detain you so that we may prepare a young goat for you."
Judges 19:5
Now on the fourth day they got up early in the morning, and he prepared to go; but the girl's father said to his son-in-law, "Strengthen yourself with a piece of bread, and afterward you may go."
Psalms 104:15
And wine, which makes a human heart cheerful, So that he makes his face gleam with oil, And food, which sustains a human heart.
Isaiah 3:1
For behold, the Lord GOD of armies is going to remove from Jerusalem and Judah Both supply and support, the entire supply of bread And the entire supply of water;
Matthew 6:11
-'Give us this day our daily bread.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Ahab said unto Obadiah, go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks,.... To observe in what condition they were, and the places adjoining to them, the meadows and valleys:

peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive; particularly those which belonged to the king's stables, to find provisions for which it was found difficult:

that we lose not all the beasts; many of them, doubtless, were lost through the drought already, and there was great danger of the rest, and so, in time, of there being none to procreate and preserve their species, and to prevent which Ahab proposed to take this method.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Unto all fountains of water and unto all brooks - Rather, “to all springs of water and to all torrent-courses.” The former are the perennial streams; the latter are the torrent-courses which become dry in an ordinary summer.

All the beasts - Rather, some, or, “a portion of our beasts.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 18:5. Unto all fountains of water — All marshy or well-watered districts, where grass was most likely to be preserved.


 
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