1 Kings 19:12

New Life Version

After the earth shook, a fire came. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a sound of gentle blowing.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was a voice, a soft whisper.

Hebrew Names Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

King James Version
And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

English Standard Version
And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

New Century Version
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle sound.

New English Translation
After the earthquake, there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. After the fire, there was a soft whisper.

Amplified Bible
After the earthquake, [there was] a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, [there was] the sound of a gentle blowing.

New American Standard Bible
And after the earthquake, a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire, a sound of a gentle blowing.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the earthquake came fire: but the Lorde was not in the fire: and after the fire came a still and soft voyce.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then after the earthquake a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a thin gentle whisper.

Contemporary English Version
Then there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Finally, there was a gentle breeze,

Complete Jewish Bible
After the earthquake, fire broke out; but Adonai was not in the fire. And after the fire came a quiet, subdued voice.

Darby Translation
And after the earthquake, a fire: Jehovah was not in the fire. And after the fire, a soft gentle voice.

Easy-to-Read Version
After the earthquake, there was a fire. But that fire was not the Lord . After the fire, there was a quiet, gentle voice.

George Lamsa Translation
And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

Good News Translation
After the earthquake there was a fire—but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the soft whisper of a voice.

Lexham English Bible
After the earthquake was a fire, but Yahweh was not in the fire. After the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

Literal Translation
And after the earthquake was a fire, but Jehovah was not in the fire; and after the fire came a still, small voice.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And after the earth quake there came a fyre, but the LORDE was not in the fyre. And after the fyre came there a styll softe hyssinge.

American Standard Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but Jehovah was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Bible in Basic English
And after the earth-shock a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire, the sound of a soft breath.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And after the earthquake came fire, but the Lorde was not in the fire: And after the fire, came a small still voyce.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

King James Version (1611)
And after the earthquake, a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire, a still small voice.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
and after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire the voice of a gentle breeze.

English Revised Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Berean Standard Bible
After the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a still, small voice.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And aftir the stiryng is fier; not in the fier is the Lord. And aftir the fier is the issyng of thinne wynd; there is the Lord.

Young's Literal Translation
and after the shaking a fire: -- not in the fire [is] Jehovah; and after the fire a voice still small;

Update Bible Version
and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

Webster's Bible Translation
And after the earthquake a fire; [but] the LORD [was] not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

World English Bible
and after the earthquake a fire; but Yahweh was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.

New King James Version
and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

New Living Translation
And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper.

New Revised Standard
and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, after the earthquake, a, fire, Not, in the fire, was, Yahweh, - And, after the fire, the voice of a gentle whisper.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after the earthquake, a fire: but the Lord is not in the fire. And after the fire, a whistling of a gentle air.

Revised Standard Version
and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing.

Contextual Overview

⁹ He came to a cave, and stayed there. The word of the Lord came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁰ Elijah said, "I have been very careful to serve the Lord, the God of All. For the people of Israel have turned away from Your agreement. They have torn down Your altars and have killed with the sword the men who speak for You. Only I am left, and they want to kill me." ¹¹ So the angel said, "Go and stand on the mountain before the Lord." And the Lord passed by. A strong wind tore through the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind the earth shook. But the Lord was not in the shaking of the earth. ¹² After the earth shook, a fire came. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a sound of gentle blowing. ¹³ When Elijah heard it, he put his coat over his face, and went out and stood at the opening of the hole. Then a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" ¹⁴ He said, "I have been very careful to serve the Lord, the God of All. For the people of Israel have turned away from Your agreement. They have torn down Your altars. And they have killed with the sword the men who speak for You. Only I am left, and they want to kill me." ¹⁵ The Lord said to him, "Go, return on your way to the desert of Damascus. When you get there, set apart Hazael to be the king of Syria. ¹⁶ Set apart Nimshi's son Jehu to be the king of Israel. And set apart Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah to speak for God in your place. ¹⁷ Jehu will kill the one who gets away from the sword of Hazael. Elisha will kill the one who gets away from the sword of Jehu. ¹⁸ But I will leave 7,000 in Israel whose knees have not bowed down in front of Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a fire: 1 Kings 18:38, Genesis 15:17, Exodus 3:2, Deuteronomy 4:11, Deuteronomy 4:12, Deuteronomy 4:33, 2 Kings 1:10, 2 Kings 2:11, Hebrews 12:29

a still: Exodus 34:6, Job 4:16, Job 33:7, Zechariah 4:6, Acts 2:2, Acts 2:36, Acts 2:37

Reciprocal: Exodus 19:18 - whole Psalms 50:3 - a fire

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Then the Lord said to Noah, "Go into the boat, you and all your family. For I have seen that you only are right and good at this time.

Genesis 19:14
So Lot went out to speak to his sons-in-law who were to marry his daughters. He said, "Get up! Get out of this place! For the Lord will destroy the city!" But his sons-in-law thought he was only joking.

Genesis 19:17
When they had brought them out of the city, one of them said, "Run for your life! Do not look behind you. Do not stop until you are out of the valley. Run to the mountains or else you will be destroyed."

Genesis 19:22
Hurry and run there. For I cannot do anything until you get there." So the name given to the town was Zoar.

Genesis 19:23
The sun had moved over the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

Numbers 16:26
And he said to the people, "Go away now from the tents of these sinful men. Touch nothing that belongs to them, or you will be destroyed because of all their sin."

Jeremiah 32:39
I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear Me always, for their own good and for the good of their children after them.

2 Peter 2:7
Lot was taken away from Sodom because he was right with God. He had been troubled by the sins that bad men did in wild living.

2 Peter 2:9
But the Lord knows how to help men who are right with God when they are tempted. He also knows how to keep the sinners suffering for their wrong-doing until the day they stand before God Who will judge them.

Revelation 18:4
I heard another voice from heaven saying, "Come out from her, my people. Do not be a part of her sins so you will not share her troubles.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And after the earthquake a fire, [but] the Lord was not in the fire,.... As he was when he descended on this mount, and spake to Moses, Exodus 19:1, the Targum, and so Jarchi, interpret all these appearances of angels, and not amiss; the wind, of an host of angels of wind; the earthquake, of an host of angels of commotion; the fire, of an host of angels of fire; see Psalms 104:4, these ministers of the Lord went before him, to prepare the way of his glorious Majesty; which emblems may represent the power of God, the terribleness of his majesty, and the fury of his wrath, which he could display, if he would, to the destruction of his enemies; and could as easily destroy the idolatrous kingdom of Israel, which Elijah seems to be solicitous of, as the wind rent the mountains, and broke the rocks, and the earthquake shook the earth, and the fire consumed all in its way; but he chose not to do it now, but to use lenity, and show mercy, signified by the next emblem:

and after the fire a still small voice: not rough, but gentle, more like whispering than roaring; something soft, easy, and musical; the Targum is, the voice of those that praise God in silence; and all this may be considered as showing the difference between the two dispensations of law and Gospel; the law is a voice of terrible words, and was given amidst a tempest of wind, thunder, and lightning, attended with an earthquake, Hebrews 12:18, but the Gospel is a gentle voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; and may also point at the order and manner of the Lord's dealings with the souls of men, who usually by the law breaks the rocky hearts of men in pieces, shakes their consciences, and fills their minds with a sense of fiery wrath and indignation they deserve, and then speaks comfortably to them, speaks peace and pardon through the ministration of the Gospel by his Spirit; blessed are the people that hear this still, small, gentle voice, the joyful sound, Psalms 89:15.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A still small voice - literally, “a sound of soft stillness.” The teaching is a condemnation of that “zeal” which Elijah had gloried in, a zeal exhibiting itself in fierce and terrible vengeances, and an exaltation and recommendation of that mild and gentle temper, which “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” But it was so contrary to the whole character of the stern, harsh, unsparing Tishbite, that it could have found no ready entrance into his heart. It may have for a while moderated his excessive zeal, and inclined him to gentler courses; but later in his life the old harshness recurred in a deed in reference to which our Lord himself drew the well-known contrast between the spirits of the two Dispensations Luke 9:51-56.