וְיַד־יְהוָ֗ה הָֽיְתָה֙ אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖ס מָתְנָ֑יו וַיָּ֙רָץ֙ לִפְנֵ֣י אַחְאָ֔ב עַד־בֹּאֲכָ֖ה יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה׃
Die Kraft des Herrn kam über Elija; er gürtete seine Lenden und lief vor Ahab her bis gen Jsrëel.
Tze'enah Ure'enah
“The hand of the Lord had come upon Elijah, etc.” [18:46]. The prophecy came upon Elijah and he girded his loins and he ran before king Ahab. Though he was an evildoer, he did this out of respect for the kingship. He had once been a king.1Yalkut Shimoni, I Kings, Remez, 217.
Rashi
And the hand [the spirit] of Adonoy. [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “a spirit of strength from before Adonoy,” [i.e.,] he became endowed with strength to run on foot before the chariot, so that Achov would not go alone, for he treated royalty with respect.30See above 13:2 and Rashi and footnote there.
Rashi
And he girded his loins. [וישנס means] the same as ויאזור [=and he girded], but there is no similar word [in Scripture], and it came only to teach [us] an expression of acting quickly, [i.e.,] he was as quick as a mighty man.