i. Both open with a sharp confrontation between Eliyahu and the royal house. At the beginning of chapter 17, this confrontation occurs as a result of Eliyahu's determined oath, while in the third story, the confrontation results from a vehement oath on the part of Izevel. But the underlying reason common to both clashes is Eliyahu's activity opposing Ba'al worship.

ii. In both stories, the confrontation leads to Eliyahu's flight from habitation; at this point, each story focuses on what happens to Eliyahu during his period of solitude. Chapter 17 describes what happens to him in three distinct sections. The overt theme here is how God cares for him during the drought, such that he finds sustenance in the places where he hides. For this purpose, various miracles are performed in relation to Eliyahu's food. In the story in chapter 19, God once against ensures Eliyahu's sustenance in the wilderness to which he flees: He sends an angel to place before Eliyahu "a cake baked on the coals, and a container of water" (19:6). The appearance of these provisions in the heart of the wilderness is not only a one-time miracle; like the parallel miracles in chapter 17, it allows Eliyahu an extended existence in desert conditions: "He ate and drank, and continued – with the sustenance of that eating – for forty days and forty nights" (19:8).

iii. In both stories, the section focusing on what happens to Eliyahu ends in the same way – God's instruction to His prophet to return to the "battlefield," and to act as a prophet. In the first story we read, "GO, appear before Achav, and I shall give rain upon the face of the earth" (18:1); in the third story, "GO, return on your way… and when you arrive, anoint Hazael… and Yehu… and Elisha" (19:15-16). Indeed, in both cases Eliyahu returns to within the borders of the kingdom of Israel and begins to act as he has been commanded, even though his method of fulfilling God's word raises exegetical questions in both cases.

i. The first story cannot stand independently because its ending is left "open." The purpose for which Eliyahu goes to appear before Achav - "and I shall give rain upon the face of the earth" - has not yet been achieved, nor even begun. Therefore, it is impossible for a reading of this story to end with chapter 18 verse 18; we must continue to the next story to read of the realization of this goal.

ii. The drought is not addressed at the occasion on Mount Carmel, nor is it mentioned explicitly even at the end of that story, when the rainfall is renewed. Nevertheless, it would seem that the second story cannot be read as an independent unit: firstly, the circumstances surrounding the gathering at Carmel, and the demand that Achav bring about this gathering, are not clear to someone who begins reading only from the opening of this narrative. Secondly, the circumstances surrounding the rainfall at the end of the story, and the significance of this event, are likewise concealed from anyone reading this story separately from its preceding narratives. Only as a continuation of the previous story does the rain represent the end of the drought that was described there, and as a fulfillment of God's word to Eliyahu in chapter 18, verse 1. Thirdly, the image of Eliyahu running before Achav at the end of this story assumes its full significance only against the background of the harsh confrontation between them in the previous story.

iii. One could perhaps claim that the end of the second story represents the end of an independent unit (chapters 17-18), with no need to continue further to the third story. But here, too, the end of chapter 18 is left somewhat "open." One of the characteristics of the formal conclusion of a narrative in Tanakh is the "dispersion of the characters": "So-and-so returned to his place, and so-and-so went to his place," or ""all of Israel returned to their tents," etc. Here, the story of the test at Carmel concludes, instead, by bringing together the central characters, Eliyahu and Achav, in verse 46: "He ran before Achav until the entrance to Yizre'el." This unification is surprising and unnatural, even in light of the cooperation that prevailed previously between the king and the prophet. This situation arouses expectations on the part of the reader. Clearly, the story cannot conclude here, because the factors that led to the crisis described in chapters 17-18 - Izevel, the wife of Achav, and the house of Ba'al in Shomron - are still in place. Therefore, Eliyahu's running to Yizre'el, city of Achav, is interpreted not only as showing honor to the king and as a sign of appeasement, but also as a continuation of Eliyahu's prophetic supervision over him and his demand for complete repair and repentance. How, then, does the story end? Here we embark on the third story, which unexpectedly dashes the reader's expectations.

iv. The third story cannot be read in such a way that it can be understood alone, for the reasons already discussed. Eliyahu's flight at the beginning of the story makes sense only against the background of the two previous stories - and particularly in light of the events at Carmel. Eliyahu's despairing response, fleeing to the wilderness of Be'er Sheva and seeking death, can likewise be understood only in light of the preceding narrative.

The conclusion of the third story is also "open," to some extent. It fails to answer many of the reader's questions; several issues treated in the body of the story do not reach closure. But there is no continuation here - neither in the following chapter, nor in any future chapter. Therefore, the conclusion of chapter 19 should be regarded as the conclusion of the collection as a whole.