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Elijah

Both TestamentsDivided MonarchyMaleProphet

Elijah was a prominent prophet in Israel during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah, known for his miracles and confrontations with the prophets of Baal (1Ki.17-2Ki.2).

Elijah illustration
Elijah

Biography

Elijah the Tishbite was one of Israel's most dramatic and powerful prophets, active during the reigns of Ahab and Ahaziah in the northern kingdom (1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2). He burst onto the biblical scene by declaring a drought upon Israel as divine judgment for Ahab's Baal worship (1 Kings 17:1), then was miraculously sustained by ravens at the brook Cherith and by a Phoenician widow at Zarephath, where he also raised her son from the dead. His defining moment came on Mount Carmel, where he called down fire from heaven to defeat the 450 prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18). After a period of despair and divine renewal at Horeb, Elijah anointed Elisha as his successor and was taken up to heaven in a whirlwind, never experiencing physical death (2 Kings 2:11).

Significance

Elijah stands as one of the towering figures of Old Testament prophecy, embodying the call to uncompromising covenant faithfulness in the face of state-sponsored idolatry. His ministry inaugurated a new era of prophetic confrontation with royal power. The New Testament presents Elijah as a type of John the Baptist (Matthew 11:14; Luke 1:17) and connects him to Christ's transfiguration (Matthew 17:3). Malachi's prophecy of a returning Elijah (Malachi 4:5-6) links him to eschatological hope. His example teaches that God sustains and restores His servants through seasons of both triumph and despair, and that no earthly power can extinguish the word of the living God.

Authority Records

Verse Appearances (92)

References

  1. Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
  2. Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
  3. Wikidata contributors (n.d.) Wikidata. Available at: https://www.wikidata.org. [CC0]
  4. Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]
  5. Marsha C. White (1997) The Elijah Legends and Jehu's Coup. doi:10.2307/1454681.Tradition-historical study tracing how the Elijah cycle was shaped to legitimate the Jehu revolution.
  6. Frank Moore Cross (1973) Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel. doi:10.2307/1869580.Foundational study of the Elijah-Baal contest in the context of Canaanite religion and the Deuteronomistic History.
  7. Gwilym H. Jones (1984) 1 and 2 Kings. New Century Bible Commentary.Critical commentary covering the Elijah and Elisha cycles with attention to redactional history.
  8. Walter Brueggemann (2000) 1 & 2 Kings. Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary.Theologically engaged commentary treating Elijah as a paradigm of prophetic confrontation with royal power.

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