· Translation: KJV

1 Kings 19:13It was so, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle, and went out, and stood in the entrance of the cave. Behold, a voice came to him, and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

The setting

Mount Horeb, Israel, ~870 BC. Elijah covers his face with his prophet's cloak and steps toward the cave entrance...

The emotion here: capturing a moment of divine encounter with trembling hands

The original word

adderet (אַדֶּרֶת) — a hairy mantle, the distinctive garment of a prophet

Why it matters

Covering the face was required protocol when meeting royalty in ancient Near Eastern cultures

Read with care

What most readers miss in 1 Kings 19:13

God asks the SAME question He asked in verse 9 — this repetition means something

Common misconceptionPeople think covering your face shows shame, but in ancient times it showed proper reverence — Elijah wasn't hiding, he was honoring God's holiness.

Bible Genome reading

1 Kings 19:13 — Bible Genome reading

SpeakerNarrator
EraDivided Kingdom
Primary emotionworship
Literary typenarrative

Emotional genome

Comfort power60%
Quotability60%
Memorability70%
Crisis relevance60%
Standalone30%
Themes:reverencedivine encounter

In context

No verse stands alone.

Read the conversation around it.

Open 1 Kings 19

1 Kings 19:13 comes from the book of 1 Kings, written during the Divided Kingdom period. These words are attributed to Narrator. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include reverence, divine encounter. Notable phrases: wrapped his face in his mantle; a voice came.

Your reflection

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