1 Kings 19:11

11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;

1 Kings 19:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 19:11

And he said, go forth and stand upon the mount before the
Lord
Who would appear there as he had to Moses formerly, though not in the same manner:

and, behold, the Lord passed by;
or was about to pass, for as yet he had not; his messengers first went before him:

and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the
rocks before the Lord;
strong enough to do all this, and so it might:

but the Lord was not in the wind;
as he sometimes is, ( Nahum 1:3 ) , he spake to Job out of a whirlwind, ( Job 38:1 ) ,

and after the wind an earthquake;
that shook the earth all around, and the mountain also, as it did when the law was given on it, ( Psalms 68:8 )

but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
as he was when it trembled in the times of Moses, ( Exodus 19:18 ) .

1 Kings 19:11 In-Context

9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
10 He answered, "I have been very zealous for the Lord, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away."
11 He said, "Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake;
12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.