A possible chiastic ouline for the stories of Elijah:
A. Elijah appears suddenly, and leaves the land, 1 Kings 17
B. Fire from heaven in a contest of gods, 1 Kings 18
C. Elijah complains to Yahweh on Horeb, and is assured that Ahab’s house will perish, 1 Kings 19
D. Ahab spares the Gentile king Ben-Hadad, 1 Kings 20
D’. Ahab kills the faithful Israelite, Naboth, 1 Kings 21
C’. Ahab killed after being warned by a lone prophet, 1 Kings 22
B’. Fire from heaven in a contest of gods, 2 Kings 1
A’. Elijah suddenly departs on the east side of the Jordan, 2 Kings 2
A few comments on the central sections: First, they are structurally similar; both tell stories that resolve neatly, only to be extended by the appearance of a prophet. Second, Ahab’s actions in the two places summarizes his apostasy: He loves Gentiles while hating faithful Israelites. He fails to carry out holy war against Ben Hadad, but prosecutes it instead against Naboth and his house. The centrality of this section is made more emphatic by the pun on the name “Naboth,” which is very similar to the Hebrew word for prophet. The central concern in Ahab’s reign and in Elijah’s ministry is the king’s response to the prophet. Elijah’s work is ultimately all about avenging the blood of the prophets (cf. 1 Kings 19, and the work of Jehu).
Dear Reader,
Can I be direct with you?
War abroad. Socialists on the rise. AI upending human life. Endless uproar online. The modern attention economy doesn’t want readers — it wants users enslaved to the tyranny of the present.
First Things is the antidote: literary excellence, timeless truths, and a fixed point of reference in a culture that has lost its bearings.
But we can’t do it without readers like you.
Our goal: Raise $150,000 by November 1 to sustain First Things in the year ahead.
Your gift anchors readers in the permanent things.
Make your Fall Campaign gift now using the button below.
If you have any questions or would like more information, please contact Giovanni Del Piero, Director of the Editor’s Circle, at gdelpiero@firstthings.com or 212-627-1985.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
The Church in the Age of Therapy
In 1966, Philip Rieff wrote in The Triumph of the Therapeutic that “Religious man was born to…
Canada’s Deadliest Blind Spot
On September 20, the Daily Mail ran a story with the provocative headline, “Our 83-year-old Christian grandmother…
The Faithful Joy of Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen
Dolly Parton and Fulton Sheen seem to have had little in common. She favored rhinestones; he wore…
