Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD'S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

1 KINGS 18:13KJV
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1 Kings 18:13 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 18:13 mean?

1 Kings 18:13 records Obadiah reminding Elijah that he had risked his life to protect one hundred prophets of the LORD by hiding them in caves and secretly providing them with food and water when Jezebel was killing the LORD’s prophets. Obadiah is explaining his loyalty and courage, hoping Elijah will understand his situation and not put him in further danger.

Obadiah, a servant in King Ahab’s court, is speaking to Elijah during a time when Queen Jezebel was violently persecuting the prophets of the LORD. Obadiah had secretly saved a hundred prophets, hiding them in two groups of fifty in caves and sustaining them with bread and water. This verse highlights the danger Obadiah faced and his faithfulness, as he tries to assure Elijah that he is not an enemy but a fellow servant of God.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 18:13

  • "hid" (הִסְתַּרְתִּי, histarti): This word means to conceal or keep something secret. Obadiah’s action was not just hiding but carefully protecting the prophets from discovery, showing intentional and ongoing risk.
  • "fed" (כִּלְכַּלְתִּים, kilkaltim): This word means to provide for or sustain. Obadiah didn’t just hide the prophets; he made sure they had enough bread (לֶחֶם, lechem) and water (מַיִם, mayim) to survive, which would have been logistically difficult and dangerous.
  • "Jezebel" (אִיזֶבֶל, Izevel): Naming Jezebel specifically emphasizes the threat, as she was known for her hostility toward the prophets of the LORD (יְהוָה, YHWH).

Why 1 Kings 18:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that not everyone in Ahab’s administration was hostile to the LORD; Obadiah was secretly faithful even while serving in a corrupt government.
  • The details about hiding and feeding the prophets show the real cost and danger of faithfulness during a time of persecution.
  • Obadiah’s words help explain his fear in the wider story—he is not a coward, but someone who has already risked much for God’s people, making his plea to Elijah more understandable.

Where else these words appear

“Jezebel” Hebrew H348 · used in 19 verses

  • 1 Kings 16:31 And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he took to wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Zidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him.
  • 1 Kings 21:7 And Jezebel his wife said unto him, Dost thou now govern the kingdom of Israel? arise, and eat bread, and let thine heart be merry: I will give thee the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
  • 2 Kings 9:7 And thou shalt smite the house of Ahab thy master, that I may avenge the blood of my servants the prophets, and the blood of all the servants of the LORD, at the hand of Jezebel.

“hid” Hebrew H2244 · used in 33 verses

  • Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
  • 1 Samuel 13:6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait,(for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:9 And he sought Ahaziah: and they caught him,(for he was hid in Samaria,) and brought him to Jehu: and when they had slain him, they buried him: Because, said they, he is the son of Jehoshaphat, who sought the LORD with all his heart. So the house of Ahaziah had no power to keep still the kingdom.

“cave” Hebrew H4631 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 19:30 And Lot went up out of Zoar, and dwelt in the mountain, and his two daughters with him; for he feared to dwell in Zoar: and he dwelt in a cave, he and his two daughters.
  • Joshua 10:16 But these five kings fled, and hid themselves in a cave at Makkedah.
  • 1 Samuel 24:10 Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD had delivered thee to day into mine hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the LORD'S anointed.

“fed” Hebrew H3557 · used in 36 verses

  • Genesis 45:11 And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty.
  • 1 Kings 8:27 But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?
  • Psalms 112:5 A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.