1 Kings 21:27

Contextual Overview

¹⁷Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁷ The word of the LORD came to Eliyah the Tishbi, saying, ¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁷ Then the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁷ At this time the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Elijah the Tishbite. The Lord said, ¹⁷ The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite: ¹⁷Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁷ Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁷ And the word of the Lord came vnto Eliiah the Tishbite, saying, ¹⁷Then the word of Yahweh came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he rent: Genesis 37:34, 2 Kings 6:30, 2 Kings 18:37, Jonah 3:6

lay in sackcloth: 2 Samuel 12:17, Job 16:15, Isaiah 22:12, Isaiah 58:5-8, Joel 1:13

went softly: Isaiah 38:15

Reciprocal: Exodus 33:4 - and no 2 Samuel 21:10 - took sackcloth 1 Kings 20:31 - put sackcloth 1 Kings 22:8 - Let not the 2 Kings 19:1 - covered 1 Chronicles 21:16 - clothed Job 42:6 - repent Psalms 35:13 - humbled Ecclesiastes 3:7 - time to rend Jeremiah 26:3 - that I Jeremiah 34:15 - ye Jeremiah 36:24 - nor rent Jeremiah 48:37 - upon the loins Daniel 6:18 - and passed Joel 2:13 - your garments Jonah 3:10 - God saw Matthew 6:16 - be Matthew 18:30 - but Matthew 27:4 - I have sinned Acts 24:25 - Felix

Cross-References

Genesis 21:22
It happened at that time, that Avimelekh and Pikhol the captain of his host spoke to Avraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do.

Genesis 21:22
And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

Genesis 21:22
And it happened that at that time, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you, in all that you do.

Genesis 21:22
Then Abimelech came with Phicol, the commander of his army, and said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do.

Genesis 21:22
At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in all that you do.

Genesis 21:22
Now at that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do;

Genesis 21:22
Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do;

Genesis 21:22
And at that same time Abimelech and Phichol his chief captaine spake vnto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.

Genesis 21:22
Now it happened at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do;

Genesis 21:22
About this time Abimelech and his army commander Phicol said to Abraham, "God blesses everything you do!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ver. 27 And it came to pass when Ahab heard these words,.... Delivered in 1 Kings 21:21,

that he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon, his flesh, tore off his clothes, and stripped himself of all, even of his very shirt, and put sackcloth on his bare flesh, a coarse cloth made of hair, and such as sacks are made with:

and fasted, how long it is not said:

and lay in sackcloth; in the night on his bed, would have no linen on him day nor night:

and went softly: step by step, as persons mourning, grieving, and pensive, do; the Targum renders it "barefoot", and so Jarchi.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The repentance of Ahab resembles that of the Ninevites Jonah 3:5. It has the same outward signs - fasting and sackcloth - and it has much the same inward character. It springs, not from love, nor from hatred of sin, but from fear of the consequences of sin. It is thus, although sincere and real while it lasts, shallow and exceedingly short-lived. God, however, to mark His readiness to receive the sinner who turns to Him, accepted the imperfect offering (as He likewise accepted the penitence of the Ninevites), and allowed it to delay the execution of the sentence 1 Kings 21:29. So the penitence of the Ninevites put off the fall of Nineveh for a century.

And lay in sackcloth - In this particular he seems to have gone beyond the usual practice. We do not read elsewhere of mourners passing the night in sackcloth.

And went softly - “As if he had no heart to go about any business” (Patrick).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 21:27. He rent his clothes — He was penetrated with sorrow, and that evidently unfeigned.

Put sackcloth upon his flesh — He humbled himself before God and man.

And fasted — He afflicted his body for his soul's benefit.

Lay in sackcloth — Gave the fullest proof that his repentance was real.

And went softly. — Walked barefooted; so the Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The Vulgate has demisso capite, "with his head hanging down." Houbigant translates went groaning. Jarchi says that the word אט at, used here, signifies to be unshod. This is its most likely sense. All these things prove that Ahab's repentance was genuine; and God's approbation of it puts it out of doubt. The slow and measured pace which always accompanies deep and reflective sorrow is also alluded to by AEschylus, where the Chorus are thus shortly addressed on the defeat of Xerxes. - AESCH. Pers. 1073.

Γοασθ ' ἁβροβαται

"With light and noiseless step lament."