1 Kings 17:1-6

The Prophet Elijah Arises

1 Elijah the Tishbite from Tishbe of Gilead said to Ahab, "{As Yahweh lives}, the God of Israel before whom I stand, there shall surely not be dew nor rain these years {except by my command}."

2 Then the word of Yahweh came to him, saying,

3 "Go from this place and turn to the east; you must hide yourself in the Wadi Kerith {which faces the Jordan}.

4 It shall be that you shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the crows to sustain you there."

5 So he went and did according to the word of Yahweh. He went and stayed in the Wadi Kerith {which faces the Jordan}.

6 The crows [were] bringing bread and meat in the morning for him and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the wadi.

1 Kings 17:1-6 Meaning and Commentary

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, 1Ki 17:1-7, 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, 1Ki 17:8-16, whose son falling sick and dying, he restored to life, 1Ki 17:17-24.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "The life of Yahweh"
• [b]. Literally "except at the word of my mouth"
• [c]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
• [d]. Literally "on the face of the Jordan"
• [e]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
• [f]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season
• [g]. Literally "on the face of the Jordan"
• [h]. A valley that is dry most of the year, but contains a stream during the rainy season