Kings I 17:1

1 And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen.

Kings I 17:1 Meaning and 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 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 Levita ^F12 observes, that after the affair of Gibeah an order was given to smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead, ( Judges 21:8-15 ) , 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 Origen ^F13 he is said to be in Thesbon of Gilead; and by Epiphanius

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FOOTNOTES:

F14 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.

F12 In Tishbi, p. 275. Vid. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 1. & David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 235. 4.
F13 Comment. in Matth. p. 224. Ed. Huet.
F14 De Prophet. Vit. c. 6.

Kings I 17:1 In-Context

1 And the Philistines gather their armies to battle, and gather themselves to Socchoth of Judaea, and encamp between Socchoth and Azeca Ephermen.

2 And Saul and the men of Israel gather together, and they encamp in the valley, and set the battle in array against the Philistines.

3 And the Philistines stand on the mountain on one side, and Israel stands on the mountain on the other side, and the valley was between them.

4 And there went forth a mighty man out of the army of the Philistines, Goliath, by name, out of Geth, his height four cubits and a span.

5 And a helmet upon his head, and he wore a breastplate of chain armour; and the weight of his breastplate five thousand shekels of brass and iron.

Footnotes

• [a]. Aphesdommin.