Albert Barnes Commentary 1 Kings 19:4

"But he himself went a day`s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a juniper-tree: and he requested for himself that he might die, and said, It is enough; now, O Jehovah, take away my life; for I am not better than my fathers." — 1 Kings 19:4 (ASV)

Elijah did not feel safe until he was beyond the territory of Judah, for Ahab might demand him from Jehoshaphat (1 Kings 18:10), with whom he had a close alliance (1 Kings 22:4). Therefore, he proceeded southward into the desert simply to be out of his enemies' reach.

A juniper-tree — The tree mentioned here, a species of broom (Genista monosperma) called “rethem” by the Arabs, is not the juniper. It is abundant in the Sinaitic peninsula and grows large enough to provide travelers with shade and protection from both heat and storm.

Requested for himself that he might die — Like Moses and Jonah, the prophet’s depression here reached its lowest point. He was still suffering from the reaction to his overstrained emotions; he was weary from days and nights of travel; he was faint from the sun’s heat; he was exhausted from lack of food; and for the first time, he was alone—alone in the overwhelming solitude and silence of the great white desert.

Such solitude can brace the soul in certain moods, but in others it can utterly overwhelm and crush. Thus, the prophet finally gave way completely, prayed that he might die, and, exhausted, sank to sleep.

I am not better than my fathers — That is, “I am merely a weak man, no better or stronger than those who have gone before me, no more able to revolutionize the world than they were.”