1 Kings 18:1-6. Ahab and Obadiah search the land for grass. Elijah goes to meet Ahab (Not in Chronicles) 1. _in the third year_ According to the tradition preserved in the New Testament (Luke 4:25; James 5:17) these three years cannot be reckoned from the beginning of the drought: for that is said... [ Continue Reading ]
_And_there was _a sore famine_ R.V. with more strict adherence to the original, AND THE FAMINE WAS SORE.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Obadiah_ The Hebrew word _Obadjahu_, signifies -servant of Jehovah," and is a frequent name in the Old Testament, the most conspicuous person so called being the prophet who was contemporary with Jeremiah. See Obadiah 1:1. _which was the governor of his house_ R.V. more literally, WHICH WAS OVER T... [ Continue Reading ]
_Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord_ Not content with having Baal-worship established and fostered by her husband, the queen determined to destroy all the worshippers of Jehovah, and probably she included in her extermination the priests who ministered at Dan and Bethel, for they did not disow... [ Continue Reading ]
_Go into_[R.V. THROUGH] _the land_ The change gives a clearer idea of what is meant, and the preposition is the same which in 1 Kings 18:6 is rendered -throughout." In the next clause, as both nouns are definite in the original, the R.V. has - THE fountains" and - THE brooks." In their neighbourhood... [ Continue Reading ]
_Ahab went one way by himself_ We can see the grievous necessity the land was in when the king himself goes forth on such a quest. No one save the two chief persons in the realm could be trusted to make this all-important search. The LXX. does not specify that Ahab went alone, but makes further ment... [ Continue Reading ]
Meeting of Obadiah and Elijah (Not in Chronicles) 7. _and he knew him_ The prophet's garb would probably make him easy to be recognized, and he must have been seen more than once in Samaria, and by Ahab's household. The LXX. renders καὶ ἔσπευσε = and he hastened. _fell on his face_ For to Obadiah... [ Continue Reading ]
_I_am] R.V. IT IS I. To correspond with the change in the preceding verse. _tell thy lord_ It would be news of great interest to the king of Israel, as is clearly shewn by the efforts which he had already made to find Elijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
_What_[R.V. WHEREIN] _have I sinned_ Obadiah's fear is very natural. He is asked to carry a message to Ahab, which another disappearance of Elijah may make to seem untrue. He thinks in his alarm that the prophet does not know how great a friend he has been to the cause of Jehovah's servants, and so... [ Continue Reading ]
_there is no nation or kingdom_ Of course Obadiah's words only apply to those countries immediately around Israel and into which Elijah could be supposed to have fled for refuge. But he employs the language of Oriental hyperbole, so frequently found in the Old Testament Cf. Genesis 7:19; Deuteronomy... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it shall come to pass_ Clearly Obadiah regards Elijah's concealment as only possible, amid such a thorough inquiry, by reason of divine aid. This may be exercised again, and he be taken away and concealed, before Ahab can be brought to him. _the spirit of the Lord shall carry thee_ So Acts 8:3... [ Continue Reading ]
_Was it not told my lord_ Obadiah's thought seems to be that Elijah could believe nothing but evil of one who was in the household of Ahab. So by a question he tries to place himself in his true light, and to excuse himself at the same time, from being sent on so perilous an errand. The conduct of O... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will surely shew myself unto him to day_ With this assurance Obadiah is satisfied, and goes to find Ahab.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Ahab went_ The LXX. has -And Ahab _ran forth_and went to meet Elijah.... [ Continue Reading ]
Meeting of Ahab and Elijah. Baal proved to be no god. Slaughter of Baal's prophets (Not in Chronicles) 17. Art _thou he that troubleth Israel?_ R.V. IS IT THOU, THOU TROUBLER OF ISRAEL? For Ahab would ascribe the drought and consequent famine directly to Elijah, after the language of 1 Kings 17:1.... [ Continue Reading ]
_ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord_ This was done before the Baal-worship was introduced, by Jeroboam and by each king after him, and Omri, Ahab's father, was no better than the rest. The LXX. omits -the commandments of." _and thou hast followed Baalim_ R.V. THE Baalim. This was Ahab's... [ Continue Reading ]
_all Israel_ i.e. A representative body of the whole people. _unto mount Carmel_ There seems to have been in Elisha's time a residence on Mt. Carmel, where he dwelt. For the Shunammite goes thither to find him. Perhaps Elijah chose the place because there was an altar there, which had been used for... [ Continue Reading ]
_And Elijah came_ R.V. adds NEAR. The word is the same which is twice so rendered in 1 Kings 18:30. It indicates an approach for the purpose of conference and support. _How long halt ye between two opinions_ The verb is an expressive word, and is used below for the irregular, stumbling sort of dance... [ Continue Reading ]
_I, even I only, remain_ R.V. AM LEFT. As in 1 Kings 19:10 for the same word. Elijah means that he is the only one who now stands forward in Jehovah's name. No doubt there were others of those saved by Obadiah and in other ways, but in such dangerous days they kept out of sight. The scene on Carmel... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let them therefore give us_ i.e. Let there be given unto us. Let there be provided, for the trial which I am about to propose. _and let them choose one_ Elijah yields place to them because of their greater number. So 1 Kings 18:25 -for ye are many." _cut it in pieces_ This was a part of the duty... [ Continue Reading ]
_call ye on the name of your gods_ R.V. GOD. And so in 1 Kings 18:25. Baal was meant, and though the plural -Elohim" came to be specially used of Jehovah, as embracing all that other nations conceived as attributes of all their gods, yet the plural is also applied to single heathen divinities. Thus... [ Continue Reading ]
_the prophets of Baal_ Here, as above in 1 Kings 18:19, the LXX., instead of -Baal" has τῆς αἰσχύνης. See note there. The pomp and splendour of the priests of Baal glittering no doubt with gorgeous vestments (cf. 2 Kings 10:22) would shew the more because of the rough shaggy garb of the Tishbite, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_which was given them_ These words are omitted in the LXX., which represents -hear us" in the latter part of the verse twice over. _and they leaped upon_[R.V. ABOUT] _the altar_ One part of the heathen worship consisted in a dance around the altar, during which the devotees wrought themselves up to... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elijah mocked them_ i.e. To make their folly more apparent to the people, he urged them on to greater exertions. _for he_is _a god_ As you deem him. Elijah attributed no power to Baal. He merely addresses the priests from their own level, and to make the object of their worship more contemptible a... [ Continue Reading ]
_And they cried aloud_ Not recognizing the mockery of Elijah, but admitting that Baal might be overtaken by the necessities or occupations implied in the prophet's words. _after their manner_ For devotees to wound and mutilate themselves in the worship of their divinities was common in other cults... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass_[R.V. IT WAS SO], _when midday was past, and_[R.V. THAT] _they prophesied_ The word used for the wild raving of these heathen priests is the same which is employed for the most solemn utterances of the prophets of Jehovah (cf. Ezekiel 37:10). The thought which connects the two u... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down_ On the top of Carmel had been one of the high places where worship was paid to Jehovah, after the manner of the worship in the wilderness, till the place which God had chosen became known and the Temple built there. The custom of worship a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elijah took twelve stones_ On a similar preparation for an altar, compare the command of Joshua (Joshua 4:5) where the stones are also taken -according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel." In this way the unity of worship of the same one God was signified. Elijah's prayer also re... [ Continue Reading ]
_a trench_ The LXX. has θάλασσαν = _a sea_, which is interesting in connexion with the name given to the great cistern which Solomon caused to be made for the temple-services. Cf. 1 Kings 7:23 above. _as great as would contain two measures of seed_ The LXX. omits these words, which are not quite ea... [ Continue Reading ]
_and laid_him [R.V. IT] _on the wood, and_[R.V. AND HE] _said_ The former of these changes is in accordance with modern usage. _on the burnt sacrifice_ R.V. BURNT-OFFERING. Which latter is the constant rendering of the Hebrew word. At the close of the verse the LXX. adds -And they did so.... [ Continue Reading ]
_he filled the trench also_ The twelve barrels had not filled the trench, and so more water was added to make it quite full.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And it came to pass_… evening _sacrifice_ R.V. OBLATION. This change follows on what was done in 1 Kings 18:29. The LXX. omits this clause entirely. Elijah waited till the usual hour for the evening offering, that in this way his action might be in more accord with the order of worship which had be... [ Continue Reading ]
_that thou_art _the Lord God_ R.V. THAT THOU LORD ART GOD. This is what Elijah desired, that it should be shewn that to apply the name -Elohim" to Baal, and idols like him, was a folly and a delusion. The heathen, and those who went after them, used this name for the objects of their worship, and El... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then the fire of the Lord fell_ In the LXX. we have -and there fell fire from the Lord out of heaven." _burnt sacrifice_ R.V. BURNT-OFFERING as in 1 Kings 18:33. To mark the might of Him who sent the fire, it not only consumes the victims and licks up the water, but devoured wood, stones and dust... [ Continue Reading ]
_And when all the people saw_it, _they fell_ The LXX. simply says -And all the people fell." Josephus describes the reaction thus, -They fell upon the ground and worshipped the one God, calling Him most mighty and true, while the others were but names devised by wrong and senseless opinion.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take the prophets of Baal_ Elijah avails himself of the newlykindled enthusiasm to put an end, as far as he may, to the false worship. Josephus explains -they seized and slew the prophets, Elijah exhorting them so to do." Although the text may be taken to signify that Elijah put the priests to deat... [ Continue Reading ]
The prophecy of rain. Elijah awaits its approach on Mount Carmel and then goes to Jezreel (Not in Chronicles) 41. _Elijah said unto Ahab_ The king had been present through all the events of the day, but had been powerless to stay the slaughter of the false prophets. Ahab was overpowered by what he... [ Continue Reading ]
_Elijah went up to the top of Carmel_ To a different point from that to which Ahab had gone. This is clear from 1 Kings 18:44, where the prophet despatches his servant with a message to the king. _and he cast_[R.V. BOWED] _himself_ The prophet's attitude was that of prayer. Cf. James 5:18. The humb... [ Continue Reading ]
_look toward the sea_ Because from that quarter would come the indication of the approaching storm. The LXX. omits -he went up" in the next clause, and adds at the close of the verse -and the servant went again seven times." _seven times_ Meaning an indefinite number. -Seven" is thus used Psalms 12... [ Continue Reading ]
_there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand_ R.V. A CLOUD OUT OF THE SEA AS SMALL AS A MAN'S HAND. This is more in accordance with the Hebrew construction. The statement was not meant to describe the shape of the cloud, but the size of it. The servant returns as soon as there app... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the mean while_ [R.V. IN A LITTLE WHILE] The literal sense is -until so and until so." The expression is probably borrowed from a waving of the hand backward and forward, and means -before you could do that." Hence -in a little while" seems to be the better rendering. _And Ahab rode_ The LXX. s... [ Continue Reading ]
_the hand of the Lord was on Elijah_ A divine impulse which directed and supported him in what he was to do. If there was still hope of a change in Ahab, neither God nor His prophet would be wanting to help him in the struggle after better courses. The running was a sign of Bedouin endurance, the ha... [ Continue Reading ]