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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 17:1-7

The history of Elijah begins somewhat abruptly. Usually, when a prophet enters, we have some account of his parentage, are told whose son he was and of what tribe; but Elijah drops (so to speak) out of the clouds, as if, like Melchisedek, he were without father, without mother, and without descent, which made some of the Jews fancy that he was an angel sent from heaven; but the apostle has assured us that he was a man subject to like passions as we are (Jas. 5:17), which perhaps intimates, not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:1

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... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:2

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. read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:3

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 Bochart F15 Hierozoic. 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, ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:4

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... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 17:1

Elijah the Tishbite - The history of this great man is introduced very abruptly; his origin is enveloped in perfect obscurity. He is here said to be a Tishbite. Tishbeh, says Calmet, is a city beyond Jordan, in the tribe of Gad, and in the land of Gilead. Who was his father, or from what tribe he sprang, is not intimated; he seems to have been the prophet of Israel peculiarly, as we never find him prophesying in Judah. A number of apocryphal writers have trifled at large about his... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 17:3

Hide thyself by the brook Cherith - This brook, and the valley through which it ran, are supposed to have been on the western side of Jordan, and not far from Samaria. Others suppose it to have been on the eastern side, because the prophet is commanded to go eastward, 1 Kings 17:3 . It was necessary, after such a declaration to this wicked and idolatrous king, that he should immediately hide himself; as, on the first drought, Ahab would undoubtedly seek his life. But what a proof... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 17:4

I have commanded the ravens to feed thee - Thou shalt not lack the necessaries of life; thou shalt be supplied by an especial providence. See more on this subject at the end of the chapter, 1 Kings 17:24 ; (note). read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:1

EXPOSITION ELIJAH AND THE GREAT DROUGHT .—The picture which the historian has just drawn of the shameless idolatry and the gross degeneracy of the earlier part of Ahab's reign forms a fit prelude to an account of the ministry of the great prophet Elijah, which occupies this and several succeeding chapters; for the two stand together in the closest connexion. It was only the unprecedented corruption of that age which necessitated such a mission, and a mission armed with such... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:1

The Mission and Ministry of Elijah. The appearance on the arena of Israel's history of such a champion as Elijah, armed with such high credentials, wielding such supernatural powers, marks a crisis in the history of God's ancient Church. We have but to see him, to hear him for one moment, to know that a great struggle is impending. God, like Nature, which is but a name for God, "does nothing in vain." Such high powers as his foreshadow great issues. Four points consequently may well engage... read more

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