a cave (literally the cave): Some suggest Elijah came to the same place where God appeared to Moses (Exodus 33:21–23).
What are you doing here, Elijah?: The Lord's question might mean two things:
Why had Elijah come?
And did he grasp the importance of the place where he stood?
Elijah answered the first part of the question. He had bravely declared he was alone in his commitment to the Lord (1 Kings 18:22). Now, that feeling had turned into self-pity.