1 Kings 19:9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9-18

Here is, I. Elijah housed in a cave at Mount Horeb, which is called the mount of God, because on it God had formerly manifested his glory. And perhaps this was the same cave, or cleft of a rock, in which Moses was hidden when the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed his name, Exod. 33:22. What Elijah proposed to himself in coming to lodge here, I cannot conceive, unless it was to indulge his melancholy, or to satisfy his curiosity and assist his faith and devotion with the sight of that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9

And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there ,.... This cave, some travellers say F21 Egmont and Heyman's Travels, vol. 2. p. 166. , is to be seen at this day, not far from a church dedicated to the prophet Elijah, and that the cave itself has the appearance of a chapel; but a more particular account of it is given in a journal F23 Journal from Cairo to Mount Sinai in 1722, p. 26. Ed. 2. lately published, which says, this cave exists to this very day, and is situated at the... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 19:9

He came thither unto a cave - Conjectured by some to be the same cave in which God put Moses that he might give him a glimpse of his glory. See Exodus 33:22 . What doest thou here , Elijah ? - Is this a reproach for having fled from the face of Jezebel, through what some call unbelieving fears, that God would abandon him to her rage? read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:1-18

The Desponding Prophet. A marvellous change has come over Elijah. It is difficult to imagine a more complete contrast than is presented by his moral attitude in this and the previous chapters. He who just before has so boldly confronted the proud king, and defied the priests of Baal, standing without fear before his flaming altar, and sternly carrying out the judgment of God on the corrupters of His people, is now filled with dismay, and flies from the post of duty and of danger. So... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:1-18

The Desponding Prophet. A marvellous change has come over Elijah. It is difficult to imagine a more complete contrast than is presented by his moral attitude in this and the previous chapters. He who just before has so boldly confronted the proud king, and defied the priests of Baal, standing without fear before his flaming altar, and sternly carrying out the judgment of God on the corrupters of His people, is now filled with dismay, and flies from the post of duty and of danger. So... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9

And he came thither unto a cave [Heb. the cave. LXX . τὸ σπήλαιον . Many commentators identify this with "the cliff of the rock" where Moses was concealed while the Lord "passed by" ( Exodus 33:22 ), and the use of the same word, עבֵר in verse 11 certainly favours this view. But is it clear that the clift ( נִקְרָה fissure ) was a cave? Ewald understands "the cave in which at that time travellers to Sinai commonly rested." It is perhaps worth remembering that a part of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9

" The word of the Lord came to him ." Though he had not merited such a favour, for he had acted without that word when he fled. True, he fled to the desert, so far as we can see, that he might hear what God would say concerning him, but he had no right to presume that He who had not spoken at Jezreel would speak at Sinai. But God never deals with us as we deserve, or as we deal with one another. "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" ( Psalms 130:8 .) "If... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9-18

Elijah at Horeb. Elijah went in the strength of the refreshment he had received from the Angel-Jehovah a forty days' journey to Horeb. He was now on holy ground. It was the "mount of God" on which Moses had seen the Angel-Jehovah in the bush, and was within sight of Sinai, memorable for the giving of the law. On Horeb he lodges in a cave, perhaps the very recess from which Moses witnessed the Shechinah (see Exodus 32:22 ), and here becomes the subject of Divine communications and... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 19:9-18

Elijah at Horeb. I. How GOD DEALS WITH THE DESPAIRING . 1 . Elijah ' s mistake . Because Jezebel's enmity remained unsubdued the straggle was at once given over as hopeless; "and he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there." The same mistake is made by those who labour on with unexpectant toil, whose wrestling with God is given up, whose feeble thought and listless tones proclaim their hopelessness: by those who have laid down the work to which God called... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 19:9

A cave - Rather, “the cave.” Some well-known cave must be intended - perhaps the “cliff of the rock” Exodus 33:22. The traditional “cave of Elijah” which is shown in the secluded plain immediately below the highest summit of the Jebel Mousa, cannot, from its small size, be the real cavern. read more

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