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1 Kings Chapter
Seventeen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 17
This
chapter begins with a prophecy of Elijah
that there should be want of rain for
some years to come
and he is directed to go first to the brook Cherith
where
he should be fed by ravens
1 Kings 17:1
and
afterwards he is sent to a widow at Zarephath
where he
she
and her son
were
supported for a considerable time with a handful of meal
and a little oil in a
cruse miraculously increased
1 Kings 17:8
whose
son falling sick and dying
he restored to life
1 Kings 17:17.
1 Kings 17:1 And
Elijah the Tishbite
of the inhabitants of Gilead
said to Ahab
“As the
Lord God of Israel
lives
before whom I stand
there shall not be dew nor rain these years
except
at my word.”
YLT
1And Elijah the Tishbite
of
the inhabitants of Gilead
saith unto Ahab
`Jehovah
God of Israel
liveth
before whom I have stood
there is not these years dew and rain
except
according to my word.'
And Elijah the Tishbite
who was of the inhabitants of
Gilead
.... Which belonged partly to the Reubenites and Gadites
and
partly to the half-tribe of Manasseh on the other side Jordan
where this
prophet dwelt; but why he is called the Tishbite is not easy to say; what Kimchi
observes seems right
that he was at first of a city called Toshab
and
afterward's dwelt at Gilead; which city perhaps is the same with Thisbe
in the
tribe of Naphtali
the native place of Tobit
"Who
in the time of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was led captive out of Thisbe
which is at the right hand of that city
which is called properly Nephthali in
Galilee above Aser.' (Tobit 1:2)
and
if so
is an instance of a prophet
even the prince of prophets
as Abarbinel
calls him
coming out of Galilee
contrary to the suggestions of the Jews
John 7:52. R. Elias
LevitaF12In Tishbi
p. 275. Vid. Shalshalet Hakabala
fol. 11. 1.
& David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 235. 4. observes
that after the affair of
Gibeah an order was given to smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead
Judges 21:8
and
that as it is reasonable to suppose some might escape
he thinks Elijah was one
of them; and that when this began to be inhabited again
they that returned
were called the inhabitants of Gilead
of whom Elijah was
who lived in those
times
being
as the Jews suppose
Phinehas
the son of Eleazar the son of
Aaron
see Judges 20:28
but
that he should be Elijah
and live to the times of Ahab
is beyond belief. By
OrigenF13Comment. in Matth. p. 224. Ed. Huet. he is said to be in
Thesbon of Gilead; and by EpiphaniusF14De Prophet. Vit. c. 6. to be
of Thesbis
of the land of the Arabians
Gilead bordering upon it: the same
said unto Ahab; who perhaps had been with him before
and
reproved him for idolatry
warned him of the evil consequences of it
but to no
purpose
and therefore now threatened in a very solemn manner:
as the Lord God of Israel liveth
before whom I stand; he swears by
the living God
in whose presence he was
and to whom he appeals as the
omniscient God
whose minister and prophet he was
and in whose name he came
and spoke
and to whom he prayed; for standing was a prayer gesture
and
sometimes put for it; see Gill on Matthew 6:5 and it
was at the prayer of Elijah that rain was withheld
as follows
see James 5:17.
there shall not be dew nor rain these years; for some
years to come
even three years and a half:
but according to my word; in prayer
or as he
should predict
in the name of the Lord.
1 Kings 17:2 2 Then the word of the Lord came to him
saying
YLT
2And the word of Jehovah is
unto him
saying
And the word of the Lord came to him
.... The word
of prophecy
as the Targum; this shows that by word
in the former verse
he
means the word of the Lord by him:
saying; as follows.
1 Kings 17:3 3 “Get away from here and
turn eastward
and hide by the Brook Cherith
which flows into the Jordan.
YLT
3`Go from this [place]; and
thou hast turned for thee eastward
and been hidden by the brook Cherith
that
[is] on the front of the Jordan
Get thee hence
and turn thee eastward
.... From the
place where he was
being in danger from Ahab and Jezebel
provoked by his
reproofs
threatenings
and prophecies:
and hide thyself by the brook Cherith
that is before Jordan; in some wood
or cave near it
or among the reeds and rushes that grew on the banks of it;
and BochartF15Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 2. c. 13. col. 216. takes it to
be the same with the river Kanah
on the borders of Ephraim
which has its name
from reeds
Joshua 16:8
and
Cherith by anticipation
from the prophet's being fed there; and AdrichomiusF16Theatrum
Terrae Sanct. p. 26. places this brook in the tribe of Ephraim; though FullerF17Pisgah-Sight
&c. B. 2. c. 3. p. 97. in the half tribe of Manasseh
beyond Jordan; but
Bunting saysF18Travels
&c. p. 205. it runs from Mount Ephraim
between Bethel and Jericho
eight miles from Jerusalem towards the north
and
so
passing along towards the east
falls into Jordan.
1 Kings 17:4 4 And it will be that
you shall drink from the brook
and I have commanded the ravens to feed you
there.”
YLT
4and it hath been
from the
brook thou dost drink
and the ravens I have commanded to sustain thee there.'
And it shall be
that thou shalt drink of the brook
.... The water
of that was to be his drink:
and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there; whereby he
should be provided with food to eat; by whom are meant not angels in the form
of ravens
as some; nor
as others
Arabians
for there were none of that
people near him; nor
as others
merchants
the word being sometimes used of
them
for this was not a likely method for privacy; nor
as others
the
inhabitants of a place called Oreb
or Orbo; so the Arabic version calls them
Orabimi; but we read of no such place near Jordan; the JewsF19Bereshit
Rabba
sect. 33. fol. 29. 1. speak of a city of this name near Bethshean
from
whence these Orebim came; and some of themF20T. Bab. Cholin. fol. 5.
1. Menasseh Ben Israel Conciliat. in Lev. quaest. 3. think they had their name
from Oreb
in Judges 7:25 it
seems better to interpret them of ravens
as we do
these creatures delighting
to be in solitary places
in valleys
and by brooks; nor need it be any
objection that they were unclean creatures by the law
since Elijah did not
feed upon them
but was fed by them; and supposing any uncleanness by touch
the ceremonial law might be dispensed with in an extraordinary case
as it
sometimes was; though it is very remarkable that such creatures should be
employed in this way
which are birds of prey
seize on anything they can
live
on carrion
and neglect their own young
and yet feed a prophet of the Lord;
which shows the power and providence of God in it. Something like this JeromF21In
Vita Paul Erem. fol. 82. C. relates
of a raven bringing a whole loaf of bread
and laying it before the saints
Paulus and Antonius.
1 Kings 17:5 5 So he went and did
according to the word of the Lord
for he went and stayed
by the Brook Cherith
which flows into the Jordan.
YLT
5And he goeth and doth
according to the word of Jehovah
yea
he goeth and dwelleth by the brook
Cherith
that [is] on the front of the Jordan
So he went
and did according to the word of the Lord
.... Took his
journey eastward
and hid himself in the place directed to:
for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith
that is before Jordan; see Gill on 1 Kings 17:3.
1 Kings 17:6 6 The ravens brought him
bread and meat in the morning
and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank
from the brook.
YLT
6and the ravens are bringing
to him bread and flesh in the morning
and bread and flesh in the evening
and
of the brook he drinketh.
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning
and
bread and flesh in the evening
.... For his breakfast and supper
the two
principal meals then in use; and as there were several employed
they could
bring a sufficiency in a short time for each meal; and these provisions were
ready prepared
the bread made and baked
and the flesh boiled
broiled
or
roasted; from whence they had it need not be inquired after; the Jews sayF23T.
Bab. Sanhedrin
fol. 113. 1. Cholin
fol. 5. 1. Tanchuma apud Abarbinel in loc.
they were fetched from Ahab's table
and others from Jehoshaphat's
and others
as probable as any
from the tables of the 7000 who had not bowed the knee to
Baal:
and he drank of the brook; at his meals.
1 Kings 17:7 7 And it happened after a
while that the brook dried up
because there had been no rain in the land.
YLT
7And it cometh to pass
at
the end of days
that the brook drieth up
for there hath been no rain in the
land
And it came to pass after a while
.... Or "at the end
of days"F24מקץ ימים
"in
vel a
fine dierum"
Pagninus
Montanus
&c.
perhaps a
year
which sometimes is the sense of this phrase
see Exodus 13:10
that the brook dried up; through the excessive
heat
and for want of supplies from the springs and fountains with which it was
fed
and for the following reason:
because there had been no rain in the land; from the time
Elijah prayed and prophesied; of this drought mention is made in profane
history: Menander
a Phoenician writer
speaksF25Apud Joseph.
Antiqu. l. 8. c. 13. sect. 2. of a drought in the times of Ithobalus (the same
with Ethbaal the father of Jezebel)
which lasted a whole year
and upon prayer
being made there were thunder
&c.
1 Kings 17:8 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him
saying
YLT
8and the word of Jehovah is
unto him
saying
And the word of the Lord came unto him
.... As
before
after he had been a year at the brook
and that was dried up:
saying; as follows.
1 Kings 17:9 9 “Arise
go to Zarephath
which belongs to Sidon
and dwell there. See
I have commanded a widow
there to provide for you.”
YLT
9`Rise
go to Zarephath
that [is] to Zidon
and thou hast dwelt there; lo
I have commanded there a
widow woman to sustain thee.'
Arise
get thee to Zarephath
which belongeth to Zidon
and dwell
there
.... This might be a trial of the prophet's faith
to be sent to
dwell in a place belonging to the Zidonians
among whom Jezebel had an interest
being the daughter of their king
1 Kings 16:31
the
place is so called
to distinguish it from another Zarephath
Obadiah 1:20
Kimchi interprets it
near to Zidon
yet not as belonging to it
but of the
land of Israel; though it rather seems to be a Gentile city; it is called
in Luke 4:26 Sarepta
of Sidon; and also by PlinyF26Nat. Hist. l. 5. c. 19. ; according to
JosephusF1Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 13. sect. 2.)
it was not far
either from Sidon or Tyre
and lay between them; it was three quarters of a
mile from Sidon; and so Mr. MaundrellF2Journey from Aleppo
&c.
p. 48. speaks of it as in the way from Sidon to Tyre
and which is now called
Sarphan; of which he says
the place shown us for this city consisted only of a
few houses
on the tops of the mountains
within about half a mile from the
sea; but it is more probable the principal part of the city stood below in the
space between the hills and the sea
there being ruins still to be seen in that
place of a considerable extent; and a traveller into those parts many years
before him saysF3Rauwolff's Travels
par. 3. ch. 22. p. 326.
that
he saw nothing of any building on the shore
but some small houses in the place
where formerly the town of Sarepta did stand; and Bunting saysF4Ut
supra. (Travels
&c. p. 205.)
there are at this time but eight houses in
all the town
though by the ruins it seems to have been in times past a very
fair city; and anotherF5Baumgarten. Peregrinatio
l. 3. c. 9. p.
126. observes
that it is about three miles from Berytus:
behold
I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee; not that this
was declared to the woman
or that she had any orders from the Lord to support
him; but that he had determined it in his mind
and would take care in his
providence that he should be supplied by her: this was another trial of the
prophet's faith
that he should be sent to a poor widow woman for his support
and she a Gentile; but he that had been so long fed by ravens
could have no
reason to doubt of his being provided for in this way.
1 Kings 17:10 10 So he arose and went to
Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city
indeed a widow was
there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said
“Please bring me a
little water in a cup
that I may drink.”
YLT
10And he riseth
and goeth to
Zarephath
and cometh in unto the opening of the city
and lo there
a widow
woman gathering sticks
and he calleth unto her
and saith
`Bring
I pray
thee
to me
a little water in a vessel
and I drink.'
So he arose
and went to Zarephath
.... Which
according to
BuntingF6Ut supra
(Travels
&c.) p. 203.
was one hundred
miles from the brook Cherith:
and when he came to the gate of the city
behold
the widow woman
was there gathering sticks: perhaps out of an hedge just without the
city this shows her to be a poor woman
who had no other way of coming at fuel
but this
and no servant to fetch it for her: Bunting tells us
that now before
the gate of the city there is showed a certain chapel
where they say Elias
first spoke with the widow:
and he called to her
and said
fetch me
I pray thee
a little
water in a vessel
that I may drink; being thirsty through
travelling
and supposing this to be the woman he was directed to
made trial
of her this way; some render it
"in this vessel"F7בכלי "in hoc vase"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator.
which he had with him
and made use of at the brook Cherith.
1 Kings 17:11 11 And as she was going to
get it
he called to her and said
“Please bring me a morsel of bread in
your hand.”
YLT
11And she goeth to bring
[it]
and he calleth unto her and saith
`Bring
I pray thee
to me a morsel of
bread in thy hand.'
And as she was going to fetch it
.... For she made no
difficulty of granting his request
but immediately set out to fetch him some
water from the city
or some spring close by
or her own house; being very
ready to do an hospitable act to a stranger
and especially to a good man
and
a prophet
as she might perceive by his habit he was
as it seems by what
follows:
and said
bring me
I pray thee
a morsel of bread in thine hand; to eat before
he drank; this he said still further to try her whether she was the person that
was to sustain him
as well as in order to lead on to more discourse with her.
1 Kings 17:12 12 So she said
“As the Lord your God
lives
I do not have bread
only a handful of flour in a bin
and a little oil
in a jar; and see
I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in
and prepare it for myself and my son
that we may eat it
and die.”
YLT
12And she saith
`Jehovah thy
God liveth
I have not a cake
but the fulness of the hand of meal in a
pitcher
and a little oil in a dish; and lo
I am gathering two sticks
and
have gone in and prepared it for myself
and for my son
and we have eaten it
-- and died.'
And she said
as the Lord thy God liveth
.... Which
shows her to be a good woman
swearing by the living God
and him only
and
that she took Elijah to be a good man
and a prophet of the Lord:
I have not a cake; greater or less
not a morsel of bread in
the house:
but a handful of meal in a barrel
and a little oil in a cruse; these
separate and unmixed
and not made into a cake
and dressed as she intended to
do with them:
and
behold
I am gathering two sticks; or a few
which would be sufficient to bake such a quantity as her meal and oil would
make; she speaks by the figure "meiosis"
which expresses less than
what is meant
as Ben Melech observes:
that I may go in and dress it for me
and my son
that we may eat
it
and die; having nothing more left
and no expectation of any elsewhere
and the famine strong in the land; so that she could look for nothing but death
after this was eaten.
1 Kings 17:13 13 And Elijah said to her
“Do not fear; go and do as you have said
but make me a small cake from it
first
and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself
and your son.
YLT
13And Elijah saith unto her
`Fear not
go
do according to thy word
only make for me thence a little cake
in the first place
and thou hast brought out to me; and for thee and for thy
son make -- last;
And Elijah said unto her
fear not
.... That she and her son
should die
it would not be the case:
go and do as thou hast said: mix her meal and her
oil
and make a cake thereof
and bake it:
but make thereof a little cake first
and bring it unto me
and
after make for thee and for thy son: which was not said from
a selfish spirit of the prophet
but to try the faith of the woman; and
besides
as Abarbinel observes
the prophet was not only hungry and thirsty
through his journey
and so required to be served first
but it was for the
sake of his sustenance
that the Lord would command a blessing on the meal and
oil; wherefore
if she dressed it for herself and her son first
there would
have been none left for the divine blessing to descend upon.
1 Kings 17:14 14 For thus says the Lord God of Israel:
‘The bin of flour shall not be used up
nor shall the jar of oil run dry
until
the day the Lord
sends rain on the earth.’”
YLT
14for thus said Jehovah
God
of Israel
The pitcher of meal is not consumed
and the dish of oil is not
lacking
till the day of Jehovah's giving a shower on the face of the ground.'
For thus saith the Lord God of Israel
.... Whom the
prophet perceived she had knowledge of
and faith in:
the barrel of meal shall not waste
neither shall the cruse of oil
fail; that is
the meal in the barrel
and the oil in the cruse
by an
hypallage
or change of words:
until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth; which was
assuring her the rain would be sent
and that the Lord
who had the sole
command of it
would send it; and that
until that time it should be sent
she
would have no lack of provisions
and therefore need not scruple dressing for
the prophet first.
1 Kings 17:15 15 So she went away and did
according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her household ate for many
days.
YLT
15And she goeth
and doth
according to the word of Elijah
and she eateth
she and he
and her household
-- days;
And she went
and did according to the saying of Elijah
..... Made a
cake for him first
and brought it to him
which showed great faith in the word
of the Lord by him:
and she
and he
and her house
did eat; many days
a
year at least
if not two years
see 1 Kings 17:7 the
widow
the prophet
and her family
lived upon the meal and oil so long; we
read but of one son
but she might have more.
1 Kings 17:16 16 The bin of flour was not
used up
nor did the jar of oil run dry
according to the word of the Lord which He spoke
by Elijah.
YLT
16the pitcher of meal was not
consumed
and the dish of oil did not lack
according to the word of Jehovah
that He spake by the hand of Elijah.
And the barrel of meal wasted not
neither did the cruse of oil
fail
according to the word of the Lord
which he spake by Elijah. There being a
continual increase and supply of both
through the mighty power of God working
a continued miracle; just as the loaves and fishes were increased while the
disciples were eating
Matthew 14:19.
1 Kings 17:17 17 Now it happened after
these things that the son of the woman who owned the house became sick.
And his sickness was so serious that there was no breath left in him.
YLT
17And it cometh to pass
after these things
the son of the woman
mistress of the house
hath been
sick
and his sickness is very severe till that no breath hath been left in
him.
And it came to pass after these things
.... Not only
after the conversation that passed between the prophet
and the widow
but
after they had lived together many days
a year or years
upon the miraculous
provision made for them:
that the son of the woman
the mistress of the house
fell sick; that is
the
son of the widow woman in whose house the prophet dwelt; the Jews sayF8Pirke
Eliezer
c. 33. this woman was the mother of Jonah
and that he was this son of
her's:
and his sickness was so sore that there was no breath left in him: it was a
sickness unto death
it issued in it; for that he was really dead appears from
all that follows.
1 Kings 17:18 18 So she said to Elijah
“What have I to do with you
O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin
to remembrance
and to kill my son?”
YLT
18And she saith unto Elijah
`What -- to me and to thee
O man of God? thou hast come unto me to cause mine
iniquity to be remembered
and to put my son to death!'
And she said unto Elijah
what have I to do with thee
O thou man
of God!.... As if she should say
it would have been well for me if I had
never seen thy face
or had any conversation with thee; this she said rashly
and in her passion and agony
being extremely affected with the death of her
child
which made her forget and overlook all the benefits she had received
through the prophet's being with her:
art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance
and to slay
my son? to punish her for her former sins
she was conscious she had
been guilty of; for she supposed
that as it was by his prayer that the drought
and famine were come upon the land
so it was in the same way that her son's
death came
namely
through the prayer of the prophet.
1 Kings 17:19 19 And he said to her
“Give
me your son.” So he took him out of her arms and carried him to the upper room
where he was staying
and laid him on his own bed.
YLT
19And he saith unto her
`Give to me thy son;' and he taketh him out of her bosom
and taketh him up
unto the upper chamber where he is abiding
and layeth him on his own bed
And he said unto her
give me thy son
and he took him out of her
bosom
.... Where she had laid him
mourning over him; from thence the
prophet took him with her leave:
and carried him up into a loft
where he abode
and laid him upon
his own bed; an upper room
which was his bedchamber; hither he carried him
that he might be alone
and use the greater freedom both in his expressions and
gestures.
1 Kings 17:20 20 Then he cried out to the Lord and said
“O Lord my God
have
You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge
by killing her son?”
YLT
20and crieth unto Jehovah
and saith
`Jehovah my God
also on the widow with whom I am sojourning hast
Thou done evil -- to put her son to death?'
And he cried unto the Lord
.... Or prayed unto him
as the Targum
with great vehemence and importunity:
and said
O Lord
my God
hast thou also brought evil upon the
widow
with whom I sojourn
by slaying her son? he pleads his interest
in the Lord
and makes use of it as an argument with him to hear his prayer; he
observes the character and condition of the woman
a widow
such as the Lord
has a compassionate regard for; and he urges the kindness of her to him
with
whom he had sojourned so long; and seems to represent the case as an additional
evil or affliction to him
as well as to the widow.
1 Kings 17:21 21 And he stretched himself
out on the child three times
and cried out to the Lord and said
“O Lord my God
I pray
let this child’s soul come back to him.”
YLT
21And he stretcheth himself
out on the lad three times
and calleth unto Jehovah
and saith
`O Jehovah my
God
let turn back
I pray Thee
the soul of this lad into his midst;'
And he stretched himself upon the child three times
.... Or
"measured himself"F9ויתמדד
"et mensus est se"
Pagninus
Montanus; "admensus se"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator. on it
or put himself into a posture in some
respects equal to the child; putting his mouth on its mouth
his eyes on its
eyes
his hands on its hands
as Elisha afterwards did in a like case
perhaps
in imitation of him
2 Kings 4:34
thereby showing his great affection to the child
and in order to increase it
the more
and to make him the more fervent and importunate in his prayers for
its life; and hereby signifying also that he would if he could infuse his
breath and life into it
and warm it with his own heat:
and cried unto the Lord
and said
O Lord my God
I pray thee
let
this child's soul come into him again: which shows that the
child was really dead; and a proof this that the soul dies not with the body
but exists in a separate state without it.
1 Kings 17:22 22 Then the Lord heard the
voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him
and he revived.
YLT
22and Jehovah hearkeneth to
the voice of Elijah
and the soul of the lad turneth back into his midst
and
he liveth.
And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah
.... In
prayer
and answered it:
and the soul of the child came into him again
and he revived; this is the
first instance of anyone being raised from the dead; this Satan has imitated;
hence the many fabulous stories with the Heathens of persons being raised to
life after deathF11Vid. Huet. Alnetan. Quaest. l. 2. c. 12. sect.
30. .
1 Kings 17:23 23 And Elijah took the child
and brought him down from the upper room into the house
and gave him to his
mother. And Elijah said
“See
your son lives!”
YLT
23And Elijah taketh the lad
and bringeth him down from the upper chamber of the house
and giveth him to
his mother
and Elijah saith
`See
thy son liveth!'
And Elijah took the child
and brought him down out of the chamber
into the house
.... Being come to life
he took it off of the bed in his
bedchamber
and brought it down to the lower part of the house
where the woman
was:
and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said
see
thy son
liveth; which no doubt was to her great surprise
and was a wonderful
instance of divine power and goodness
and to which the apostle may have
respect
Hebrews 11:35
BuntingF12Travels
&c. p. 205. says
the inhabitants of this
place now take upon them to show the chamber wherein the prophet Elias lived
when he raised the widow's child to life.
1 Kings 17:24 24 Then the woman said to
Elijah
“Now by this I know that you are a man of God
and that
the word of the Lord
in your mouth is the truth.”
YLT
24And the woman saith unto
Elijah
`Now
this I have known
that a man of God thou [art]
and the word of
Jehovah in thy mouth [is] truth.'
And the woman said to Elijah
now by this I know that thou art a
man of God
.... She took him to be one at his first coming to her; she was
in a great measure confirmed in it by the miracle of the barrel of meal and
cruse of oil; but upon the death of her son
which she was ready to impute to
the prophet
she was staggered at it; but now
by his resurrection from the
dead
was fully assured of it:
and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth; she had known
before that what he said concerning the meal and oil not failing was true; but
now she was more and more convinced and assured that the God
whose prophet he
was
was the true God
and that the religion he professed was the true
religion
and he a true prophet
and that all his prophecies would be exactly
fulfilled.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》