1 Kings 17:1-7. Elijah the Tishbite. His prophecy of a drought and its fulfilment (Not in Chronicles) 1. _And Elijah the Tishbite_ Elijah comes suddenly upon the scene and throughout the history his appearances are rare, sudden and brief. His history is most probably drawn from some independent narr... [ Continue Reading ]
_came unto him_ The LXX. explains that it was -unto Elijah," which could hardly be doubted from what follows.... [ Continue Reading ]
_and hide thyself_ The prophet's life would be in danger from the anger of the king and Jezebel, who would consider Elijah not merely the announcer but the cause of the drought. _by the brook Cherith, that_is _before Jordan_ The rendering gives a fair representation of what was commanded, but the wo... [ Continue Reading ]
_thou shalt drink of the brook_ The drought had not yet dried it up, but soon it would do so. _I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there_ Just as in 1 Kings 13:28 the appetite of the lion which had slain the false prophet was supernaturally checked, so that he tare neither the corpse nor the as... [ Continue Reading ]
_he went and dwelt_ The first of these verbs, and, of course, the conjunction, is omitted by the LXX.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the ravens brought_, &c. According to the LXX., the ravens brought him -bread in the morning, and flesh in the evening." Jerome in his life of Paul the hermit (§ 10) relates that a raven thus supplied the hermit's wants, "suspiciunt alitem corvum in ramo arboris consedisse, qui inde leniter sub... [ Continue Reading ]
_because there had been_[R.V. WAS] _no rain_ Not only had there been none, but the drought was continuing.... [ Continue Reading ]
Elijah sent to Zarephath and sustained by a widow woman (Not in Chronicles) 9. _get thee to Zarephath_ This was the city which was known in later times (Luke 4:26) as _Sarepta_. Josephus says it lay between Sidon and Tyre. There the enemy of Baal-worship would hardly be expected to have sought refu... [ Continue Reading ]
_gathering of sticks_ R.V. modernizes the language by omitting the preposition. The abject poverty of the widow is seen from her coming forth to pick up any chance bits of wood which might have fallen from the trees outside the city walls.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And as she was going to fetch_it] She is prepared to obey the request of the stranger. By her language in the next verse -As the Lord thy God liveth" she accepts Elijah as a worshipper of Jehovah. The near neighbourhood of Phœnicia makes it easy to understand that the worship of Jehovah would be kn... [ Continue Reading ]
_meal in a_[R.V. THE] _barrel … oil in a_[R.V. THE] _cruse_ The definite article is expressed in the original, and represented by the LXX. The barrel and the cruse were the special domestic articles in every house, and would be spoken of definitely. _two sticks_ i.e. some small quantity. Thus we of... [ Continue Reading ]
_do as thou hast said_ i.e. Set about preparing bread from the meal which remains, but instead of taking first for yourselves, bring what is first ready to me. _and bring_it [R.V. adds FORTH] _unto me_ It appears from what follows that Elijah dwelt afterwards in the house of the widow, but at first... [ Continue Reading ]
_God of Israel_ Omitted by the LXX., as are also, in the next verse, the words -according to the saying of Elijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_her house_ She had enough for all their own needs and something over, which she could give to poorer relations. The whole history of the woman shews that she knew much of the religion of the God of Israel, though we are not told how she had been brought to the knowledge. many _days_ There is no wo... [ Continue Reading ]
Death and restoration of the widow's son (Not in Chronicles) 17. _his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him_ Josephus interprets this expression as if the youth were only seemingly dead; τὴν ψυχὴν ἀφεῖναι καὶ δόξαι νεκρόν. Yet both the mother and the prophet speak in the narrat... [ Continue Reading ]
_What have I to do with thee?_ Used by persons who wish him whom they address to depart from them. (Cf. 2 Samuel 16:10; Luke 5:8). _O thou man of God?_ She recognizes the sacred character of Elijah, and feels that she is in presence of one who has closer communion with the Divine power than she. -M... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he took him out of her bosom_ Her arms were clasped about the dead boy. We need not understand the expression as of a child who was still young enough to be carried in the arms, though the prophet was able to carry him into his own chamber. _into a loft_ R.V. THE CHAMBER. The word is so render... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow_ The LXX. omits -my God." In -also" the prophet refers to the other evil which was brought on Israel and Phœnicia too by the drought. The widow had shewn such faith and obedience that we may regard the prophet's question as of the nature of... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he stretched himself_ As though he would give of his own vitality to restore the life of the boy. The LXX. reads ἐνεφύσησε τῷ παιδαρίῳ = -he breathed upon the child." This is an exposition of the later words which speak of the child's soul returning to him.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the Lord heard_[R.V. HEARKENED UNTO] _the voice of Elijah_ This is the more usual rendering of the verb followed by a preposition as here. Instead of this verse the LXX. (_Vat_.) has -and it was so, and the child cried out." The following words also, in 1 Kings 17:23 -and Elijah took the child,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Now_by _this_ R.V. omits the last two words. The italics of A.V. shew that there is nothing in the Hebrew for -by," and the word rendered -this" is only a particle to strengthen the adverb -now." The same two words are rendered in A.V. by -now" simply in Ruth 2:7 and should be so translated here. I... [ Continue Reading ]