And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

1 KINGS 18:5KJV
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1 Kings 18:5 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 18:5 mean?

1 Kings 18:5 describes King Ahab instructing Obadiah to search throughout the land for any remaining sources of water, hoping to find grass to keep their horses and mules alive during a severe drought. Ahab’s concern is to prevent the total loss of their animals, which were essential for transportation and work.

In this verse, Ahab is speaking directly to Obadiah, his palace administrator, as they face a crisis caused by a long drought in Israel. The king’s focus on saving the animals highlights the seriousness of the famine and the desperate measures being taken. This moment sets the stage for the larger conflict in the chapter, where the drought is a direct result of Israel’s spiritual situation.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 18:5

  • "Fountains" (מַעְיָן, ma‘yan) refers to natural springs or sources of fresh water, which were rare and precious in ancient Israel, especially during drought.
  • "Brooks" (נַחַל, nachal) means seasonal streams or ravines that might still hold some water; Ahab’s mention of these shows just how thorough and desperate the search needed to be.
  • "Grass" (חָצִיר, chatsir) points to any green vegetation that could be used as animal feed, not just cultivated crops; this word underlines how even wild plants were now valuable.
  • "Lose" (כָּרַת, karath) often means to cut off or destroy; here, it stresses the risk of complete loss of their livestock, not just a reduction.

Why 1 Kings 18:5 matters

  • This verse shows the practical consequences of the drought on daily life, not just its spiritual or prophetic significance.
  • The focus on animals reveals the economic and military vulnerability of Israel at this time, since horses and mules were vital for both.
  • The verse sets up the tension and desperation that leads to Elijah’s confrontation with Ahab and the prophets of Baal later in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“peradventure” Hebrew H194 · used in 11 verses

  • Genesis 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
  • Joshua 9:7 And the men of Israel said unto the Hivites, Peradventure ye dwell among us; and how shall we make a league with you?
  • 2 Kings 19:4 It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.

“mules” Hebrew H6505 · used in 13 verses

  • 2 Samuel 13:29 And the servants of Absalom did unto Amnon as Absalom had commanded. Then all the king's sons arose, and every man gat him up upon his mule, and fled.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:40 Moreover they that were nigh them, even unto Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and meat, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.
  • Psalms 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.

“Obadiah” Hebrew H5662 · used in 19 verses

  • 1 Kings 18:3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house.(Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:
  • 1 Chronicles 7:3 And the sons of Uzzi; Izrahiah: and the sons of Izrahiah; Michael, and Obadiah, and Joel, Ishiah, five: all of them chief men.
  • 2 Chronicles 17:7 Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, even to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

“grass” Hebrew H2682 · used in 20 verses

  • Numbers 11:5 We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick:
  • Psalms 103:15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
  • Isaiah 35:7 And the parched ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation of dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with reeds and rushes.