1 Kings 18:5
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. 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.
This verse belongs to the three-and-a-half-year famine in Elijah's ministry, and it shows how severe the drought had become just before the rain came. Ahab and Obadiah were then searching for pasture to keep the horses and mules alive.
The prolonged drought and famine had become so severe that the livestock were in danger of starvation and death. The search for water and grass was urgent because the animals were at risk of dying. Even the king's own household suffered, with his royal horses and mules and other livestock at risk.
Ahab sent Obadiah out, and the two men personally searched the land together. They went to all fountains or springs of water and to all brooks or streams, hoping to find water and grass or pasture. Their aim was to save the horses and mules alive, so as not to lose all the beasts.