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1 Kings Chapter
Eighteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 18
In
this chapter Elijah has an order from the Lord to show himself to Ahab, who,
going first, and meeting with a servant of his, Obadiah, charges him to tell
his master where he was, that he might meet him, 1 Kings 18:1, and,
upon meeting him, desires that all Israel, and the prophets of Baal, might be
convened, which was accordingly done, 1 Kings 18:17, when
he expostulated with the people of Israel for their idolatry, mocked and
confounded the prophets of Baal, and gave the strongest proofs, to the conviction
of the people, that Jehovah is the true God, 1 Kings 18:21, on
which all the prophets of Baal were slain, 1 Kings 18:40, and
rain in great abundance was given at the prayer of the prophet, 1 Kings 18:41.
1 Kings 18:1 And
it came to pass after many days that the word of the Lord came to
Elijah, in the third year, saying, “Go, present yourself to Ahab, and I will
send rain on the earth.”
YLT
1And the days are many, and
the word of Jehovah hath been unto Elijah in the third year, saying, `Go,
appear unto Ahab, and I give rain on the face of the ground;'
And it came to pass after many days,.... When two years and
more were gone from the time the drought and famine began; or rather from the
time of the prophets departure to the brook Cherith, which might be six months
after the famine began:
that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year; of his
absence from Ahab:
saying, go show thyself unto Ahab; whom he had not seen so
long, and who had been seeking for him, but to no purpose:
and I will send rain upon the earth; the term of three years
and six months being almost expired, see James 5:17.
1 Kings 18:2 2 So Elijah went to present
himself to Ahab; and there was a severe famine in Samaria.
YLT
2and Elijah goeth to appear
unto Ahab. And the famine is severe in Samaria,
And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab,.... Which
showed his cheerful and ready obedience to the will of God, and his great
courage and magnanimity, to face a king enraged against him, and that sought
his life:
and there was a sore famine in Samaria; the
metropolis of the kingdom, where Ahab kept his court, and therefore must be sensible
of it, and bore the greater indignation against the prophet who had foretold
it.
1 Kings 18:3 3 And Ahab had called
Obadiah, who was in charge of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly.
YLT
3and Ahab calleth unto
Obadiah, who [is] over the house -- and Obadiah hath been fearing Jehovah
greatly,
And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house,.... Perhaps
his steward: the JewsF13T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 39. 2. take him to
be Obadiah the prophet, who wrote the small prophecy that goes by his name:
(now Obadiah feared the Lord greatly:) who, though he
did not go up to Jerusalem to worship, which ceremonial service was dispensed
with in him, yet he did not worship the calves, nor Baal, but served the Lord
in a spiritual manner.
1 Kings 18:4 4 For so it was, while
Jezebel massacred the prophets of the Lord, that Obadiah had taken
one hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty to a cave, and had fed them with
bread and water.)
YLT
4and it cometh to pass, in
Jezebel's cutting off the prophets of Jehovah, that Obadiah taketh a hundred
prophets, and hideth them, fifty men in a cave, and hath sustained them with
bread and water –
For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord,.... Or slew
them, as the Targum; put them to death some way or another; such as were
brought up in the schools of the prophets, trained up in religious exercises,
and instructed others therein:
that Obadiah took one hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a
cave; fifty in one cave and fifty in another; for there were large
caves in the land of Israel capable of holding such a number, and many more,
see 1 Samuel 22:1 and
fed them with bread and water; which in this time of famine were very
acceptable; though these may be put for all the necessaries of life.
1 Kings 18:5 5 And Ahab had said to
Obadiah, “Go into the land to all the springs of water and to all the brooks;
perhaps we may find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so that we will
not have to kill any livestock.”
YLT
5and Ahab saith unto
Obadiah, `Go through the land, unto all fountains of waters, and unto all the
brooks, if so be we find hay, and keep alive horse and mule, and do not cut off
any of the cattle.'
And Ahab said unto Obadiah, go into the land, unto all fountains
of water, and unto all brooks,.... To observe in what condition they were,
and the places adjoining to them, the meadows and valleys:
peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive; particularly
those which belonged to the king's stables, to find provisions for which it was
found difficult:
that we lose not all the beasts; many of them, doubtless,
were lost through the drought already, and there was great danger of the rest,
and so, in time, of there being none to procreate and preserve their species,
and to prevent which Ahab proposed to take this method.
1 Kings 18:6 6 So they divided the land
between them to explore it; Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went
another way by himself.
YLT
6And they apportion to
themselves the land, to pass over into it; Ahab hath gone in one way by
himself, and Obadiah hath gone in another way by himself;
So they divided the land between them, to pass through it,.... And one
took one part, and the other the other part:
Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by
himself; Ahab not caring to trust any but Obadiah, who he knew was a
faithful man, lest they should be bribed by those that had grass not to
discover it.
1 Kings 18:7 7 Now as Obadiah was on his
way, suddenly Elijah met him; and he recognized him, and fell on his face, and
said, “Is that you, my lord Elijah?”
YLT
7and Obadiah [is] in the
way, and lo, Elijah -- to meet him; and he discerneth him, and falleth on his
face, and saith, `Art thou he -- my lord Elijah?'
And as Obadiah was in the way,.... In his district,
making his observations:
behold, Elijah met him: where is not said; but
he was, no doubt, upon the road from Zarephath to Samaria:
and he knew him that is, Obadiah knew Elijah, having seen
him at Ahab's court before he absconded:
and fell on his face, and said, art thou that my lord Elijah? thus doing him
honour and reverence both by words and gesture, as being an extraordinary
prophet of the Lord.
1 Kings 18:8 8 And he answered him, “It
is I. Go, tell your master, ‘Elijah is here.’”
YLT
8And he saith to him, `I
[am]; go, say to thy lord, Lo, Elijah.'
And he answered him, I am,.... He did not desire to
be concealed, his orders were to show and make himself known to Ahab, and
Obadiah was one of his domestic servants:
go tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here; in such a
place, ready to face him at any time. Elijah, by calling Ahab the lord of
Obadiah, as he tacitly reproves him for calling him lord, shows reverence to
Ahab as a king, and yet that he was fearless of him, as he was the prophet and
ambassador of the Lord of hosts to him.
1 Kings 18:9 9 So he said, “How have I
sinned, that you are delivering your servant into the hand of Ahab, to kill me?
YLT
9And he saith, `What have I
sinned, that thou art giving thy servant into the hand of Ahab -- to put me to
death?
And he said, what have I sinned,.... Or in what have I
offended God or his prophet, that revenge should be taken on me in this way:
that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab to
slay me? for that he supposed would be the consequence of it, as he
argues and more plainly expresses his sense in the following words.
1 Kings 18:10 10 As
the Lord
your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent
someone to hunt for you; and when they said, ‘He is not here,’ he
took an oath from the kingdom or nation that they could not find you.
YLT
10Jehovah thy God liveth, if
there is a nation and kingdom whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee; and
they said, He is not, then he caused the kingdom and the nation to swear, that
it doth not find thee;
As the Lord thy God liveth,.... Which is the form of
an oath he thought fit to make, to ascertain the truth of what he was about to
say:
there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to
seek thee; which is either an hyperbolical expression, signifying he had
sought for him in many places, and in every place he could think of; or it must
be understood either of the ten tribes, which were as so many nations and
kingdoms as they had been; or were more in the times of the Canaanites; or of
the nations round about, that were in alliance with or tributary to the king of
Israel:
and when they said, he is not there, he took an oath of the
kingdom and nation that they found thee not; which he might exact of
his own subjects, but could not of other nations, unless they were free to it
of themselves; or he might take it of their ambassadors or merchants that came
into his land, of whom he inquired, and adjured them to tell him the truth.
1 Kings 18:11 11 And now you say, ‘Go, tell
your master, “Elijah is here”’!
YLT
11and now, thou art saying,
Go, say to thy lord, Lo, Elijah;
And now thou sayest, go tell thy lord, behold, Elijah is here. Which, if I
should not be able to make good, would be of fatal consequence to me; and that
it is plain he feared, by what he next says.
1 Kings 18:12 12 And it shall come to pass,
as soon as I am gone from you, that the Spirit of the Lord will carry you
to a place I do not know; so when I go and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you,
he will kill me. But I your servant have feared the Lord from my youth.
YLT
12and it hath been, I go from
thee, and the Spirit of Jehovah doth lift thee up, whither I know not, and I
have come to declare to Ahab, and he doth not find thee, and he hath slain me;
and thy servant is fearing Jehovah from my youth.
And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that
the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not,.... This he
supposed might possibly, and very probably, be the case, since small raptures
might have been already, and known to Obadiah, as there were afterwards, see 2 Kings 2:16, and
then he should not know where he was, nor be able to direct his master where to
find him:
and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he
shall slay me; for telling him a lie, and deceiving and mocking him; or for not
seizing on Elijah, and bringing him, when he knew he was so desirous of getting
him into his hands:
but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth; and therefore
did not deserve to be treated after this manner, having been an early and
conscientious worshipper of the true God.
1 Kings 18:13 13 Was it not reported to my
lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the Lord, how I hid one
hundred men of the Lord’s
prophets, fifty to a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
YLT
13`Hath it not been declared
to my lord that which I have done in Jezebel's slaying the prophets of Jehovah,
that I hide of the prophets of Jehovah a hundred men, fifty by fifty in a cave,
and sustained them with bread and water?
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets
of the Lord? how I hid one hundred men of the Lord's prophets by fifty in a
cave, and fed them with bread and water? See Gill on 1 Kings 18:4, this
he said not in a way of ostentation, but to show that it would be very
ungenerous and ungrateful, as well as impolitic, to sacrifice such a friend at
court to the Lord's prophets as he had been, and might still continue to be.
1 Kings 18:14 14 And now you say, ‘Go, tell
your master, “Elijah is here.”’ He will kill me!”
YLT
14and now thou art saying,
Go, say to my lord, Lo, Elijah -- and he hath slain me!'
And now thou sayest, go tell my lord, behold, Elijah is here:
and he shall slay me. That is, should he carry such a message to him, and Elijah should
be removed elsewhere, and not to be found.
1 Kings 18:15 15 Then Elijah said, “As
the Lord
of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him
today.”
YLT
15And Elijah saith, `Jehovah
of Hosts liveth, before whom I have stood, surely to-day I appear unto him.'
And Elijah said, as the Lord of hosts liveth, before whom I stand,.... In whose
presence he was, and whose prophet and minister he was; he takes this oath, to
assure Obadiah that he would certainly be upon the spot, or to be found, and
not expose him to any danger:
I will surely show myself unto him today; he was
determined at all events to present himself to him that day.
1 Kings 18:16 16 So Obadiah went to meet
Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
YLT
16And Obadiah goeth to meet
Ahab, and declareth [it] to him, and Ahab goeth to meet Elijah,
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him,.... That
Elijah was in such a place, and had desired him to inform him of it, and was
ready to appear before him that day wherever he pleased; for upon the prophet's
oath Obadiah was entirely satisfied, and was in no fear of delivering the
message:
and Ahab went to meet Elijah; though perhaps the bold
message of the prophet might make him fear he had something to say to him not
very agreeable.
1 Kings 18:17 17 Then it happened, when
Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of
Israel?”
YLT
17and it cometh to pass at
Ahab's seeing Elijah, that Ahab saith unto him, `Art thou he -- the troubler of
Israel?'
And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah,.... As soon
as he came up to him, and knew who he was; Abarbinel thinks, because his hair
was grown so long that Ahab did not know him certainly, and therefore put the
following question:
that Ahab said unto him, art thou he that troubleth Israel? by opposing
the religion of Baal, which prevailed among them; but chiefly rain being
withheld from them according to his word, and at his prayer.
1 Kings 18:18 18 And he answered, “I have
not troubled Israel, but you and your father’s house have, in that you
have forsaken the commandments of the Lord and have followed the
Baals.
YLT
18And he saith, `I have not
troubled Israel, but thou and the house of thy father, in your forsaking the
commands of Jehovah, and thou goest after the Baalim;
And he answered,.... That is, Elijah, with great boldness and
undaunted courage, not fearing the face of the king, being sent to show himself
to him in the name of the King of kings:
I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house; they, by
their sins, were the cause of all the troubles, those sore evil and sad
calamities that were upon them:
in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord: to have no
other gods before him, and not to make images, and worship them, which they had
done:
and thou hast followed Baalim; the several Baals, the
Sun, moon, and stars, the whole host of heaven, worshipped under this name; or,
not content with the Phoenician Baal, or Baal of the Zidonians, followed
others, see Judges 2:11.
1 Kings 18:19 19 Now therefore, send and
gather all Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of
Baal, and the four hundred prophets of Asherah,[a] who eat at
Jezebel’s table.”
YLT
19and now, send, gather unto
me all Israel, unto the mount of Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred
and fifty, and the prophets of the shrine, four hundred -- eating at the table
of Jezebel.'
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel..... No doubt
but more discourse passed between Ahab and Elijah, though not recorded, before
he made this motion to him; it is very probable, that after some dispute
between them, who was the true God, and about idolatry, as the cause of want of
rain, Elijah proposed to the king what he afterwards did to the people, to
which he could not object; and being desirous of gratifying his curiosity, and
especially of having rain, which the prophet might promise him in the issue of
this affair, he agreed unto it; and therefore Elijah desired that all Israel
might be convened, that it might be openly and publicly done, and to the
conviction and reformation of them, which was what was chiefly designed; and he
chose Carmel, a mountain in the tribe of Issachar, well situated for the people
that came from all parts; and the rather this than Samaria, that he might meet
with no obstruction from Jezebel, and from whence: he might be able to see the
rain when coming, as he did. Of this mountain; see Gill on Jeremiah 46:18, to
which may be added, the description of it by Mr. SandysF14Travels,
l. 3. p. 158. Ed. 5. .
"Mount
Carmel stretcheth from east to west, and hath its uttermost basis washed with
the sea; steepest towards the north, and of an indifferent altitude; rich in
vines and olives when farmed, and abounding with several sorts of fruits and
herbs, both medicinal and fragrant, though now much overgrown with woods and
shrubs of sweet savour.'
From
the following solemn transaction at it, it seems in later times, to have become
sacred, and was very venerable with the Heathens; from this mountain, a deity
with them had the name of Carmel, and was worshipped here, without an image or
a temple, only had an altar erected for it, in imitation of the God of Israel,
worshipped here in like manner; here Vespasian sacrificed to this deity,
assisted by the priest of it, Basilides, as TacitusF15Hist. l. 2. c.
78. relates; SuetoniusF16Vit. Vespasian. c. 5. also makes mention of
this deity, and of Vespasian's consulting its oracle, which gave him hopes of
obtaining the empire; and from hence, in Popish times, there were an order of
friars called Carmelites, instituted in the year 1180, pretending to be the
successors of the children of the prophets Elijah left there:
and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty; who are
supposed to be dispersed in the various parts of the kingdom, to teach and
practise the worship of Baal, and encourage and spread it in the nation:
and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at
Jezebel's table; for it seems there were now more groves than that one Ahab first
made, 1 Kings 16:33, for
which such numbers were appointed to attend, and which, perhaps, were near
Samaria, since they ate at Jezebel's table, and were a sort of domestic
chaplains of her's. "Asheroth", we render "groves", the
learned SeldenF17De Dis Syris Syntagm. 2. c. 2. p. 232, &c.
takes to be Ashtoreth, or Ashtareth, or Astarte, the goddess of the Zidonians,
for whom, and so for these prophets, Jezebel might have a peculiar respect, see
1 Kings 11:5.
1 Kings 18:20 20 So Ahab sent for all the
children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.
YLT
20And Ahab sendeth among all
the sons of Israel, and gathereth the prophets unto the mount of Carmel;
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel,.... By
messengers, requiring their attendance at Mount Carmel at such a time, at least
their chief and principal men:
and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel; the four
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, but not the four hundred prophets of the
groves; for of them we have no account afterwards, only of the former; it may
be they were not at the command of Ahab, only of Jezebel, at whose table they
ate, who would not suffer them to go.
1 Kings 18:21 21 And Elijah came to all the
people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God,
follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
YLT
21and Elijah cometh nigh unto
all the people, and saith, `Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? -- if
Jehovah [is] God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' and the people have
not answered him a word.
And Elijah came unto all the people,.... Assembled at Mount
Carmel:
and said, how long halt ye between two opinions? sometimes
inclining to the one, and sometimes to the other: as a lame man in walking, his
body moves sometimes to one side, and sometimes to another; or "leap ye
upon two branches"F18פסחים על שתי הסעפים
"transilietis super duos ramoe, Malvenda; vos transilientes super ambos
ramos", Piscator. , like a bird that leaps or hops from one branch to
another, and never settles long; or rather it denotes the confusion of their
thoughts, being like branches of trees twisted and implicated; thus upbraiding
them with their inconstancy and fickleness; what their two opinions were, may
be learnt from the next clause:
if the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him; for there is
but one God, one infinite, immense, and incomprehensible being; one that is
omnipotent, all sufficient, good, and perfect; there cannot be more, and
therefore but one to be followed, served, and worshipped:
and the people answered him not a word: through
conviction and confusion, his reasoning being unanswerable; or not knowing
which to choose at present; or fearing they should be drawn into a snare,
should they name any; either incur the displeasure of the king, who was for
Baal, or of the prophet, who was for the Lord, at whose word rain was withheld,
and might be given, which they were desirous of.
1 Kings 18:22 22 Then Elijah said to the
people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord; but Baal’s prophets are
four hundred and fifty men.
YLT
22And Elijah saith unto the
people, `I -- I have been left a prophet of Jehovah -- by myself; and the
prophets of Baal [are] four hundred and fifty men;
Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only remain a prophet
of the Lord,.... At least as he thought, all the rest being slain, as he
supposed; however there were none present but himself:
but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men; which were
very great odds he had to contend with.
1 Kings 18:23 23 Therefore let them give us
two bulls; and let them choose one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and
lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare
the other bull, and lay it on the wood, but put no fire under it.
YLT
23and let them give to us two
bullocks, and they choose for themselves the one bullock, and cut it in pieces,
and place [it] on the wood, and place no fire; and I -- I prepare the other
bullock, and have put [it] on the wood, and fire I do not place; --
Let them therefore give us two bullocks,.... Who,
being so many, were better able to be at the expense of them, and having the
king on their party too; though perhaps no more is meant than that two bullocks
should be brought thither, and presented before them:
and let them choose one bullock for themselves; which of the
two they would, if they thought one was any ways preferable to the other, it
was at their option to take it:
and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood; as sacrifices
usually were:
and put no fire under; which was wont to be
done for burnt offerings, as this was designed to be:
and I will dress the other bullock; by slaying and cutting
it in pieces;
and lay it on wood: as for a burnt offering:
and put no fire under; to consume it.
1 Kings 18:24 24 Then you call on the name
of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord; and the God
who answers by fire, He is God.” So all the people answered and said, “It is
well spoken.”
YLT
24and ye have called in the
name of your god, and I -- I call in the name of Jehovah, and it hath been, the
god who answereth by fire -- He [is] the God.' And all the people answer and
say, `Good [is] the word.'
And call ye on the name of your gods,.... The
Baalim, the many lords and gods they served:
and I will call on the name of the Lord; the one true
Jehovah and God of Israel, whom I serve:
and the God that answereth by fire; by causing fire to come
down upon the sacrifice, and consume it:
let him be God; accounted, owned, and acknowledged as the
true God, and so afterwards worshipped as such:
and all the people answered and said, it is well spoken; they thought
it a very reasonable proposal, a very good method to determine the controversy,
and come at the truth, and know who was the true God, and who not.
1 Kings 18:25 25 Now Elijah said to the
prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first,
for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under
it.”
YLT
25And Elijah saith to the
prophets of Baal, `Choose for you the one bullock, and prepare first, for ye
[are] the multitude, and call ye in the name of your god, and place no fire.'
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal,.... Who
agreed to this proposal, though not expressed; or they signified it by their
silence. Ben Gersom thinks they agreed to it, because that, according to their
belief, Baal was Mars, and in the sign of Aries, one of the fiery planets, and
therefore fancied he could send down fire on their sacrifice; but Abarbinel is
of opinion that it was the sun they worshipped, under the name of Baal, the
great luminary which presides over the element of fire, and therefore had power
to cause it to descend; and if not, they agreed to it, he thinks, for three
reasons; one was necessity, they could not refuse, after the people had
approved of it, lest they should rise upon them, and stone them; and another
was, that Elijah proposed to offer without the temple, contrary to the law of
his God, and therefore concluded he would not answer him by fire, and so they
should be upon a par with him; and the third was, that they thought they should
offer their bullocks together, so that, if fire descended, it would come upon
them both, and then the dispute would be, whether his God, or their god, sent
it; and so no proof could be made who was God, nor the matter in controversy decided:
choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye
are many; therefore in civility to them gave the choice of the bullock and
the altar first, he being one and they many:
and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under; under the
wood on which was the sacrifice cut in pieces; and when they had so done, then
they were to call on their gods to cause fire to descend upon it.
1 Kings 18:26 26 So they took the bull
which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of
Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was
no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had
made.
YLT
26And they take the bullock
that [one] gave to them, and prepare, and call in the name of Baal from the
morning even till the noon, saying, `O Baal, answer us!' and there is no voice,
and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made.
And they took the bullock which was given them,.... By such
of them as made the choice:
and they dressed it; slew it, and cut it in
pieces, and laid it on the wood, but put no fire under it:
and called on the name of Baal, from morning even until noon,
saying, O Baal, hear us; and send fire down on the sacrifice; and if the sun was their
Baal, they might hope, as the heat he gradually diffused was at its height at
noon, that some flashes of fire would proceed from it to consume their
sacrifice; but after, their hope was turned into despair, they became and acted
like madmen:
but there was no voice, nor any that answered; by word, or
by sending down fire as they desired:
and they leapt upon the altar which was made; not by
Elijah, but by themselves, either now or heretofore, and where they had
formerly sacrificed; and they danced about it, and leaped on it, either
according to a custom used by them; such as the Salii, the priests of Mars,
used, so called from their leaping, because they did their sacred things
leaping, and went about their altars capering and leapingF19Servius
in Virgil. Aeneid. l. 8. "tum Salii ad cantus", &c. Vid.
Gutberleth. de Salii, c. 2. p. 9. ; or rather they were mad on it, as the
Targum renders it, and acted like madmen, as if they were agitated by a
prophetic fury and frenzy.
1 Kings 18:27 27 And so it was, at noon,
that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he
is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is
sleeping and must be awakened.”
YLT
27And it cometh to pass, at
noon, that Elijah playeth on them, and saith, `Call with a loud voice, for he
[is] a god, for he is meditating, or pursuing, or on a journey; it may be he is
asleep, an doth awake.'
And it came to pass at noon,.... When they had been
from the time of the morning sacrifice until now invoking their deity to no
purpose:
that Elijah mocked them; he jeered and bantered
them:
and said, cry aloud; your god does not hear
you; perhaps, if you raise your voice higher, he may;
for he is a god; according to your esteem of him, and, if
so, he surely may hear you: unless
either he is talking; with others about
matters of moment and importance, who are waiting on him with their
applications to him; or he is in meditation; in a deep study upon some things
difficult to be resolved:
or he is pursuing; his studies, or his pleasures, or his
enemies, to overtake them; or he is employed on businessF20David de
Pomis Lexic. fol. 211. 1. :
or he is in a journey; gone to visit his
friends, or some parts of his dominions; so HomerF21Iliad. ver. 1.
423. represents Jupiter gone to pay a visit to the Ethiopians, and as yesterday
gone to a feast, and all the gods following him, from whence he would not
return until twelve days; and in like manner LucianF23Jupiter
Tragoedus. speaks of the gods, mocking at them:
or, peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked; with a loud
crying to him: it being now noon, Abarbinel thinks this refers to a custom of
sleeping after dinner; HomerF24Ut supra, (Iliad. ver. 1. 423.) in
fine, & Iliad. 2. ver. 1, 2. also speaks of the sleep of the gods, and
which used to be at noon; and therefore the worshippers of Baal ceased then to
call upon him; and it is saidF25Meurs. Auctuar. Philol. c. 6. apud
Quistorp. in loc. , the Heathens feared to go into the temples of their gods at
noon, lest they should disturb them; but such is not the true God, the God of
Israel, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, Psalm 121:4.
1 Kings 18:28 28 So they cried aloud, and
cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood
gushed out on them.
YLT
28And they call with a loud
voice, and cut themselves, according to their ordinance, with swords and with
spears, till a flowing of blood [is] on them;
And they cried aloud,.... Trying to make him
hear, if possible:
and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets,
till the blood gushed out upon them; so the priests of
Heathen deities used to slash themselves on their shoulders, arms, and thighs,
in their devotions to them, as many writers observeF26Vid. Kipping.
Antiqu. Roman. l. 1. c. 10. p. 202. , fancying their gods were delighted with
human blood; particularly the priests of BellonaF1Tertul Apolog. c.
9. Lactant. Institut. l. 1. c. 21. , and the worshippers of the Syrian goddessF2Apulei
Metamorph. l. 8. , and of the Egyptian IsisF3Herodot. Euterpe, c.
61. Manetho. Apotelesm. l. 1. ver. 243,244. Seneca de vita beata, c. 27. .
1 Kings 18:29 29 And when midday was past,
they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice. But there was no voice; no one answered, no one paid
attention.
YLT
29and it cometh to pass, at
the passing by of the noon, that they feign themselves prophets till the going
up of the present, and there is no voice, and there is none answering, and
there is none attending.
And it came to pass when midday was past,.... And
nothing done, no fire descended:
and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice; continued praying to Baal, and singing his praises, but all to
no purpose; or they behaved like madmen, as the Targum; thus they went on until
it was time to offer the evening sacrifice; so that they had no interruption in
their service, and had all the time they could desire to have to importune
their god to do the favour for them they requested:
that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that
regarded; no voice was heard that returned them any answer; nor was any
answer made by fire, nor any regard shown to their mad gestures, and barbarous
actions; and very likely the people also, by this time, paid no regard unto
them, perceiving they were not able, by all their cries and methods they took,
to obtain an answer.
1 Kings 18:30 30 Then Elijah said to all
the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people came near to him. And he
repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken
down.
YLT
30And Elijah saith to all the
people, `Come nigh unto me;' and all the people come nigh unto him, and he
repaireth the altar of Jehovah that is broken down;
And Elijah said unto all the people, come near unto me,.... And
observe what I do, and what will be done at my request:
and all the people came near unto him; left the
prophets of Baal to themselves, and took no more notice of them, but attended
to what the prophet should say and do:
and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down; which had
been set up when high places and altars were allowed of, while the tabernacle
was unsettled, and the temple not built; this is supposed to have been erected
in the times of the judges; though, according to a tradition of the JewsF4Jarchi
& Kimchi in loc. , it was built by Saul, see 1 Samuel 15:12 but
had been thrown down by the idolatrous Israelites, who demolished such as were
erected to the name of the Lord everywhere, and built new ones for their idols,
1 Kings 19:10.
Benjamin of TudelaF5ltinerar. p. 37. says, that on the top of Mount
Carmel is now to be seen the place of the altar Elijah repaired, which is four
cubits round.
1 Kings 18:31 31 And Elijah took twelve
stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the
word of the Lord
had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”[b]
YLT
31and Elijah taketh twelve
stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom
the word of Jehovah was, saying, `Israel is thy name;'
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the
tribes of the sons of Jacob,.... Which he might very easily come at from
the mountain:
unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy
name, which signifies one that has power with God, as Jacob had, when
the word came to him to make a change in his name at Penuel, Genesis 32:28, and
as Elijah hoped and believed he should have at this time, being a prophet, and
a worshipper of Israel's God.
1 Kings 18:32 32 Then with the stones he
built an altar in the name of the Lord; and he made a trench
around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
YLT
32and he buildeth with the
stones an altar, in the name of Jehovah, and maketh a trench, as about the
space of two measures of seed, round about the altar.
And with the stones he built an altar in the same of the Lord,.... Whom the
twelve tribes had formerly worshipped; and though now divided in their civil
state, yet ought to be united in the worship of God:
and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain
two measures of seed; or two seahs, one of which was the third part of an ephah, and
two of them were more than half a bushel; and this trench or ditch round the
altar was as broad as such a measure of seed would sow.
1 Kings 18:33 33 And he put the wood in
order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, “Fill
four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the
wood.”
YLT
33And he arrangeth the wood,
and cutteth in pieces the bullock, and placeth [it] on the wood, and saith,
`Fill ye four pitchers of water, and pour on the burnt-offering, and on the
wood;
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and
laid him on the wood,.... Just in such manner as sacrifices usually were:
and said, fill four barrels with water; either from
the brook Kishon, or, if that was dried up, from the sea; for both were near
this mountain, and so to be had, though a time of drought:
and pour it on the burnt sacrifice; that which was intended
to be one:
and upon the wood: wherewith it was to be burnt, and so made
unfit for it; and which would make the miracle appear the greater, when fire
came down and consumed it.
1 Kings 18:34 34 Then he said, “Do it
a second time,” and they did it a second time; and he said, “Do it
a third time,” and they did it a third time.
YLT
34and he saith, `Do [it] a
second time;' and they do [it] a second time; and he saith, `Do [it] a third
time;' and they do [it] a third time;
And he said, do it the second time, and they did it the second
time,.... That is, poured four barrels of water more upon the wood:
and he said, do it the third time, and they did it the third time; so that there
were in all twelve barrels of water poured on the wood, agreeably to the number
of the twelve stones the altar was built with, and may have respect to the same
as they.
1 Kings 18:35 35 So the water ran all
around the altar; and he also filled the trench with water.
YLT
35and the water goeth round
about the altar, and also, the trench he hath filled with water.
And the water ran round about the altar,.... There
being such a large effusion of it on it;
and he filled the trench also with water; which
surrounded the altar, so that it seemed impracticable that any fire should
kindle upon it; and this gave full proof and demonstration there could be no
collusion in this matter.
1 Kings 18:36 36 And it came to pass, at the
time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the
prophet came near and said, “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am
Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
YLT
36And it cometh to pass, at
the going up of the [evening-]present, that Elijah the prophet cometh nigh and
saith, `Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to-day let it be known that
Thou [art] God in Israel, and I Thy servant, that by Thy word I have done the
whole of these things;
And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening
sacrifice,.... Which the people of God at Jerusalem were now attending to:
that Elijah the prophet came near; to the altar he had
built, and on which he had laid the sacrifice:
and said; in prayer to God:
Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the covenant
God of the ancestors of his people, though they had now so fully departed from
him:
let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel; and that
there is no other:
and that I am thy servant; a true worshipper of
him, and his faithful prophet and minister:
and that I have done all these things at thy word; restrained
rain from the earth for some years past, and now had convened Israel, and the
false prophets, together, that by a visible sign from heaven it might be known
who was the true God; all which he did not of himself, but by the impulse,
direction, and, commandment of the Lord.
1 Kings 18:37 37 Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that
this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that
You have turned their hearts back to You again.”
YLT
37answer me, O Jehovah,
answer me, and this people doth know that Thou [art] Jehovah God; and Thou hast
turned their heart backward.'
Hear me, O Lord, hear me;.... Which repetition is
made to express his importunity, and the vehement earnest desire of his soul to
be heard in such a case, which so much concerned the glory of God; the Targum
is,
"receive
my prayer, O Lord, concerning the fire, receive my prayer concerning the rain;'
as
if the one respected the sending down the fire on the sacrifice, and the other
sending rain on the earth; and which sense is followed by other Jewish writers:
that this people may know that thou art the Lord God; and not Baal,
or any other idol:
and that thou hast turned their heart back again; from
idolatry, to the worship of the true God; though some understand this of God's
giving them up to a spirit of error, and suffering them to fall into idolatry,
and hardening their hearts, as he did Pharaoh's; but the former sense is best.
1 Kings 18:38 38 Then the fire of the Lord fell and
consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it
licked up the water that was in the trench.
YLT
38And there falleth a fire of
Jehovah, and consumeth the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and
the dust, and the water that [is] in the trench it hath licked up.
Then the fire of the Lord fell,.... An extraordinary
fire from God out of heaven, as the effects of it show:
and consumed the burnt sacrifice; as it had done in former
instances, Leviticus 9:24, and
besides this, which is still more extraordinary,
and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; of the altar,
thereby signifying that even such were not to be used any more:
and licked up the water that was in the trench; around the
altar, see 1 Kings 18:32.
1 Kings 18:39 39 Now when all the people
saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is
God! The Lord,
He is God!”
YLT
39And all the people see, and
fall on their faces, and say, `Jehovah, He [is] the God, Jehovah, He [is] the
God.'
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces,.... In
reverence of God, astonished at the miracle wrought, ashamed of themselves and
their sins, particularly their idolatry, that they should turn their backs on
the true God, and follow idols:
and they said, the Lord, he is the God, the Lord, he is the God; which
acknowledgment of God, as the true God, in opposition to Baal, is repeated, to
show their firm belief and strong assurance of it.
1 Kings 18:40 40 And Elijah said to them,
“Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!” So they seized
them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.
YLT
40And Elijah saith to them,
`Catch ye the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape of them;' and they catch
them, and Elijah bringeth them down unto the stream Kishon, and doth slaughter
them there.
And Elijah said unto them, take the prophets of Baal,.... The four
hundred and fifty that were upon the spot; for the number of the people of
Israel, now gathered together, were equal to it; nor was it in Ahab's power to
hinder it, and he might himself be so far surprised and convicted as not in the
least to object to it:
let not one of them escape: that there might be none
of them left to seduce the people any more:
and they took them; laid hold on them, everyone of them:
and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon; which ran by
the side, and at the bottom of Mount Carmel, into the sea; See Gill on Judges 4:7, Judges 5:21.
and slew them there; intimating, that it was
owing to the idolatry they led the people into that rain had been withheld, and
the brooks were dried up, as this might be; or, as Ben Gersom thinks, that the
land might not be defiled with their blood, but be carried down the river after
it: these he slew not with his own hand, but by others he gave orders to do it;
and this not as a private person, but as an extraordinary minister of God, to
execute justice according to his law, Deuteronomy 13:1 by
which law such false prophets were to die; and the rather he was raised up and
spirited for this service, as the supreme magistrate was addicted to idolatry
himself.
1 Kings 18:41 41 Then Elijah said to Ahab,
“Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.”
YLT
41And Elijah saith to Ahab,
`Go up, eat and drink, because of the sound of the noise of the shower.'
And Elijah said unto Ahab, get thee up,.... From the
brook and valley where the execution of the prophets had been made; either up
to his chariot, or to the tent or pavilion erected on the side of the mount,
where the whole scene of things was transacted;
eat and drink; which he had no leisure for all the day,
from the time of the morning sacrifice to the evening sacrifice, which was
taken up in attending to the issue of the several sacrifices; but now he is bid
to eat and refresh himself, and that in token of joy and gladness, as became
him, both for the honour of the true God, which had been abundantly confirmed,
and for the near approach of rain, of which he assures him:
for there is a sound of abundance of rain; the wind
perhaps began to rise, and blow pretty briskly, which was a sign of itF6"Fit
fragor, hinc densi----nimbi", Ovid. Metamorph. l. 1. Fab. 8. v. 269. ;
besides, according to the Tyrian annalsF7Apud Joseph, Antiqu. l. 8.
c. 13. sect. 2. , there were loud claps of thunder at this time, at least when
the heavens became very black, as in 1 Kings 18:45.
1 Kings 18:42 42 So Ahab went up to eat and
drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the
ground, and put his face between his knees,
YLT
42And Ahab goeth up to eat,
and to drink, and Elijah hath gone up unto the top of Carmel, and he stretcheth
himself out on the earth, and he placeth his face between his knees,
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink,.... Up to his chariot,
as some think, or rather to some place higher than that in which he now was:
and Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; higher still,
where he both might be alone, and have the opportunity of observing the clouds
gathering, and the rain coming:
and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between
his knees; expressive of his humility, and of his earnestness, and vehement
desire, and continued importunity, that rain might fall; for this was a posture
of prayer he put himself into, and continued in; and it is certain that it was
through his prayer that rain came, James 5:18 and from
hence came the fable of the Grecians concerning Aeacus praying for rain in a
time of drought, when it cameF8Pausan. Attica, sive, l. 1. prope
finem. Isocrat. Evagoras, p. 373. . So the Chinese writersF9Martin.
Sinic. Hist. l. 3. p. 60. report that at the prayers of their emperor Tangus,
after a seven years' drought, great rains fell.
1 Kings 18:43 43 and said to his servant,
“Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There
is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again.”
YLT
43and saith unto his young
man, `Go up, I pray thee, look attentively the way of the sea;' and he goeth up
and looketh attentively, and saith, `There is nothing;' and he saith, `Turn
back,' seven times.
And said to his servant,.... Whom some take to be
the son of the widow of Sarepta, but he must be too young to be employed in
such service as this was:
go up now; still higher on Mount Carmel; than where he was, even to the
highest point of it:
look towards the sea: or the west, as the
Targum, the Mediterranean sea, which lay to the west of the land of Israel:
and he went up and looked, and he said, there is nothing; there was
nothing in the sky, or arising out of the sea, that looked like or foreboded
rain:
and he said, go again seven times; till he should see
something.
1 Kings 18:44 44 Then it came to pass the
seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand,
rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your
chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.’”
YLT
44And it cometh to pass, at
the seventh, that he saith, `Lo, a little thickness as the palm of a man is
coming up out of the sea.' And he saith, `Go up, say unto Ahab, `Bind -- and go
down, and the shower doth not restrain thee.'
And it came to pass at the seventh time that he said, behold there
ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand,.... Either
about the size or in the form of it; rain water comes out of the sea, and,
being strained through the clouds and air, becomes fresh:
and he said, go up: the meaning seems to be, that he should
first go down from the mount, and then go up to that part of it where Ahab was:
say unto Ahab, prepare thy chariot; bind or fasten the
horses to it, as the phrase seems to signify:
and get thee down; from the mountain where he was, to go to
Jezreel, which lay low in a valley:
that the rain stop thee not; on the road, that might
be made impassable by it, signifying that such abundance should fall as would
make it so.
1 Kings 18:45 45 Now it happened in the
meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy
rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel.
YLT
45And it cometh to pass, in
the meantime, that the heavens have become black -- thick clouds and wind --
and the shower is great; and Ahab rideth, and goeth to Jezreel,
And it came to pass in the mean while,.... That the
servant was gone with the message to Ahab, and Ahab was getting ready his
chariot:
that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a
great rain; which all sprung from the cloud like a man's hand; and so we are
toldF11Scheuchzer. Physic. Sacra, vol. 3. p. 591. , that sometimes a
little cloud called the ox's eye is seen on a mount of the Cape of Good Hope,
called Tafesbery, when the sky is most serene, and the sea quiet; which is at
first scarce so big as a barley corn, and then as a walnut; and presently it
extends itself over the whole surface of the mountain:
and Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel; as fast as he could.
1 Kings 18:46 46 Then the hand of the Lord came upon
Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of
Jezreel.
YLT
46and the hand of Jehovah
hath been on Elijah, and he girdeth up his loins, and runneth before Ahab, till
thine entering Jezreel.
And the hand of the Lord was on Elijah,.... Giving
him more than common strength of body, as well as courage and fortitude of
mind; so the Targum, the spirit of strength from the Lord was with him:
and he girded up his loins; gathered up his long
loose garment, and girt it about him, that he might be more fit for travelling:
and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel; reckoned
about sixteen miles from CarmelF12Bunting's Travels, &c. p. 204.
; this showed his humility, that he was not elated with the wonderful things
God had done by him, and that he bore no ill will to Ahab, but was ready to
show him all honour and respect due to him as a king; and that it were his sins,
and not his person, he had an aversion to; and that he was not afraid of
Jezebel, and her prophets, but entered into the city where she was, to instruct
the people, and warn them against her idolatries; though some think he went no
further than the gate of the city, prudently avoiding falling into her hands.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)