CHAPTER XVII.

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2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,

3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

5 So he went, and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

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8 And the word of the LORD came

unto him, saying,

9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I

q Heb. Elijahu. Luke 1. 17. & 4. 25, he is called Elias-r 2 Kings 3. 14.-s Deut. 10. 8.- Ecchus. 48. 3. Jas. 5. 17.-u Luke 4. 25-v Heb. at the end of days. Hiel lost his first-born when he laid the foundation, he would have proceeded under this evidence of the divine displeasure, and at the risk of loosing his whole family? Which of these opinions is the right one, or whether any of them be correct, is more than I can pretend to state.

NOTES ON CHAPTER XVII.

Verse 1. Elijah the Tishbite] The history of this great man is introduced very abruptly; his origin is enveloped with 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 parentage, miraculous birth, of his continual celibacy, his academy of the prophets, &c. &c. all equally worthy of credit. One opinion, which at first view appears strange, bears more resemblance to truth than any of the above, viz. that he had no earthly parentage known to any man; that he was an angel of God, united for a time to a human body, in order to call men back to perfect purity, both in doctrine and manners, from which they had totally swerved. His Hebrew name, which we have corrupted into Elijah, and Elias, is Alihu; or, according to the vowel points, Eliyahu; and signifies, he is my God. Does this give countenance to the supposition that this great personage was a manifestation in the flesh of the Supreme Being? He could not be the Messiah; for we find him with Moses on the mount of transfiguration with Christ. The conjecture, that he was an angel, seems countenanced by the manner of his departure from this world; yet, in James v. 17. he is said to be a man bμotoraons, of like passions, or rather with real human propensities: this, however, is reconcileable with the conjecture.

There shall not be dew nor rain these years] In order to remove the abruptness of this address, R. S. Jarchi dreams thus:-"Elijah and Ahab went to comfort Hiel in his grief, concerning his sons. And Ahab said to Elijah, Is it possible that the curse of Joshua, the son of Nun, who was only the servant of Moses, should be fulfilled; and the curse of Moses, our teacher, not be fulfilled; who said, (Deut. xi. 16, 17.) If ye turn aside and serve other gods, and worship them, then the Lord's wrath shall be kindled against you; and he will shut up the heaven that there be no rain? Now all the Israelites serve other gods, and yet the rain is not withheld. Then Elijah said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word." This same mode of connecting this, and the preceding chapter, is followed by the Jerusalem and Babylonish Talmuds, Sedar Olam, Abarbanel, &c. Verse 3. Hide thyself by the brook Cherith] This brook, and the valley through which it run, are supposed

have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruise; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son:

14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruise of oil fail, until the day that the LORD * sendeth rain upon the earth.

15 And she went, and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruise of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake · by Elijah.

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17 And it came to pass after these things,

w Obad. 20. Luke 4. 26, called Sarepta.-x Heb giveth-y Or, a full year. z Heb. by the hand of

to have been on the western side of Jordan, and not far from Samaria. Others supposed it to have been on the eastern side, because the prophet is commanded to go eastward, ver. 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 was this of the power of God, and the vanity of idols! As God's prophet prayed, so there was rain or drought; and all the gods of Israel could not reverse it! Was not this sufficient to have converted all Israel?

Verse 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.

Verse 6. And the ravens brought him bread and flesh] The Septuagint, in the Codex Vaticanus, and some ancient fathers, read the passage thus-Kai & Kopakes edepoz αυτώ άρτους το πρωί, και κρέα το δείλης, And the cros brought him bread in the morning, and flesh in the evening: but all the other versions agree with the Hebrew text. This is the first account we have of flesh-meat breakfasts, and flesh-meat suppers. And, as this was the food appointed by the Lord, for the sustenance of the prophet, we may naturally conjecture that it was the food of the people at large.

Verse 7. The brook dried up] Because there had been no rain in the land for some time; God having sent this drought as a testimony against the idolatry of the people. See Deut. xi. 16, 17.

Verse 9. Get thee to Zarephath] This was a town between Tyre and Sidon, but nearer to the latter, and is therefore called in the text Zarephath, which belonged to Sidon; or, as the Vulgate and other versions express it Sarepta of the Sidonians. Sarepta is the name by which it goes in the New Testament; but its present name is Sarphan. Mr. Maundrel, who visited it, describes it as consisting of a few houses only, on the tops of the mountains; but supposes that it anciently stood in the plain below, where there are still ruins to a considerable extent. Verse 12. A handful of meal in a barrel] The word cad, is to be understood as implying an earthen jar; not a wooden vessel, or barrel of any kind. In the East they preserve their corn and meal in such vessels; without which precaution the insects would destroy them. Travellers, in Asiatic countries, abound with observations of this kind.

The word cruise, nes tsiphhath, says Jarchi, signifies what, in our tongue, is expressed by bouteille, a bottle. Jarchi was a French rabbin.

Verse 13. But make me thereof a little cake first] This was certainly putting the widow's faith to an extraordinary trial to take and give to a stranger, of whom she knew nothing, the small pittance requisite to keep her child from perishing, was too much to be expected.

18 And she said unto Elijah, "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

a See Luke 5. 8.-b 2 Kings 4. 34, 35.-e Heb. measured.

Verse 16. The barrel of meal wasted not] She continued to take out of her jar, and out of her bottle, the quantity of meal and oil requisite for the consumption of her household; and, without carefully estimating what was left, she went with confidence each time for a supply, and was never disappointed. This miracle was very like that worked by Jesus at the marriage at Cana in Galilee : as the servants drew the water out of the pots, they found it turned into wine; and thus they continued to draw wine from the water-pots till the guests had been sufficiently supplied.

Verse 17. There was no breath left in him.] He ceased to breathe, and died.

Verse 18. To call my sin to remembrance] She seems to be now conscious of some secret sin, which she had either forgotten, or too carelessly passed over; and, to punish this, she supposes the life of her son was taken away. It is mostly in times of adversity that we duly consider our moral state: outward afflictions often bring deep searchings of heart.

Verse 21. Stretched himself upon the child three times] It is supposed that he did this in order to communicate some natural warmth to the body of the child, in order to dispose it to receive the departed spirit. Elisha, his disciple, did the same, in order to restore the dead child of the Shunammite, 2 Kings iv. 24. And St. Paul appears to have stretched himself on Eutychus, in order to restore him to life, Acts xx. 10.

Let this child's soul come into him again.] Surely this means more than the breath. Though the word v nephesh, may sometimes signify the life; yet, does not this imply that the spirit must take possession of the body in order to produce and maintain the flame of animal life? The expressions here are singular: Let his soul we nephesh, come into him; 12¬py âl kirbo, into the midst of

him.

Verse 22. And the soul] D nephesh, "of the child came into him again;" by al kirbo, "into the midst of him;" and he revived, va yechai, "and he became alive." And did he not become alive from the circumstance of the immaterial principle coming again into him?

Although ruach, is sometimes put for the breath, yet generally means the immortal spirit; and where it seems to refer to animal life alone, it is only such a life as is the immediate and necessary effect of the presence of the immortal spirit.

The words and mode of expression here appear to me a strong proof, not only of the existence of an immortal and immaterial spirit in man; but also that that spirit can and does exist in a separate state from the body. It is here represented as being in the midst of the child like a spring in the centre of a machine, which gives motion to every part, and without which the whole would stand still.

Verse 24. The word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.] Three grand effects were produced by this temporary af fliction.-1. The woman was led to examine her heart, and try her ways-2. The power of God became highly manifest in the resurrection of the child-3. She was convinced that the word of the Lord was truth, and that not one syllable of it could fall to the ground. Through a little suffering all this good was obtained.

THE subject in the fourth verse of this chapter deserves a more particular consideration :

I have commanded the ravens to feed thee.-It is contended that, if we consider by orebim, to signify ravens, we shall find any interpretation on this ground to be clogged with difficulties. I need mention but a few: the raven is an unclean bird, And these ye shall have in abomination among the fowls-every raven after his kind, Lev. xi. 13-15; that is, every species of this genus shall be considered by you unclean and abominable. Is it, therefore,

21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

d Heb. into his inward parts.-e Heb. 11. 35.-f John 3. 8. & 16. 30. likely that God would employ this most unclean bird to feed his prophet? Besides, where could the ravens get any flesh that was not unclean? Carrion is their food; and would God send any thing of this kind to his prophet? Again, if the flesh was clean which God sent, where could ravens get it? Here must be at least three miracles; one, to bring from some table the flesh to the ravens; another, to induce the ravenous bird to give it up; and the third, to conquer its timidity toward man, so that it could come to the prophet without fear. Now, although God might employ a fowl that would naturally strive to prey on the flesh, and oblige it, contrary to its nature, to give it up; yet it is by no means likely that he would employ a bird that his own law had pronounced abominable. Again, he could not have employed this means without working a variety of miracles at the same time, in order to accomplish one simple end: and this is never God's method: his plan is ever to accomplish the greatest purposes by the simplest means.

The original word orebim has been considered by some as meaning merchants, persons occasionally trading through that country, whom God directed, by inspiration, to supply the prophet with food. To get a constant supply from such hands in an extraordinary way was miracle enough; it showed the superintendence of God, and that the hearts of all men are in his hands.

But in answer to this, it is said, that "the original word never signifies merchants; and that the learned Bochart has proved this." I have carefully read over cap. 13. part ii. lib. 2. of the Hierozicon of this author, where he discusses this subject; and think that he has never succeeded less than in his attempt to prove that ravens are meant in this passage. He allows that the Tyrian merchants are described by this periphrasis yoy Ezek. xxvii. 27. the occupiers of thy merchandize; and asserts that Day orebim, per se, mercatores nusquam significat, by itself, never signifies merchants. Now, with perfect deference to so great an authority, I assert that y orebey, the contracted form of any orebim, does signify merchants, both in Ezek. xxvii. 9, 27. and that y meoreb, signifies a place for merchandize, the market-place or bazaar, in Ezek. xxvii. 9, 13, 17, 19; as also the goods sold in such places, Ezek. xxvii. 33; and therefore may, for aught proved to the contrary, signify merchants in the text.

As to Bochart's objections, that the prophet being ordered to go to the brook Cherith, that he might lie hid, and the place of his retreat not be known, if any traders or merchants supplied his wants, they would most likely discover where he was, &c.; I think there is no weight in it; for the men might be as well bound by the secret inspiration of God, not to discover the place of his retreat, as they were to supply his wants: besides, they might have been of the number of those seven thousand men who had not bowed their knees to the image of Baal, and consequently would not inform Ahab and Jezebel of their prophet's hiding place.

Some have supposed that the original means Arabians; but Bochart contends that there were no Arabians in that district: this is certainly more than he or any other man can prove. Colonies of Arabs, and hordes and families of the same people, have been widely scattered over different places, for the purpose of temporary sojournment and trade; for they were a wandering people, and often to be found in different districts remote enough from the place of their birth. But, letting this pass merely for what it is worth, and feeling as I do the weight of the objections that may be brought against the supposition of ravens being the agents employed to feed the prophet, I would observe, that there was a town or city of the name of Orbo, that was not far from the place where Elijah was commanded to hide himself. In Bereshith Rabba, a rabbinical comment on Gene

CHAPTER XVIII. Elijah is comman led by the Lord to show himself to Ahab, 1,2 Ahab and Obadiah his steward search the land to find provender for the cattle, 3-6. Obaliah incets Elijah, who commands him to inform Ahab that he is realy to present himself before hin, 7-15 Elijah and Ahab meet, 16--18. Elijah proposes that the four hundred and fifty priests of Baal should be gathered together at mount Carmel; that they should offer a sacrifice to their god, and he to Jehovah; and the God who should send down fire to consume the sacrifice should be acknowledged as the true God, 19-24. The proposal is acc pied, and the priests of Baal call in vain upon their god through the whole day, 25-29. Elijah offers his sacrifice, prays to God, and fire comes down from heaven and consumes it; whereupon the people acknow

ledge Jehovah to be the true Gol, and slay all the prophets of Baal. 30-40. Elijah

promises Ahab that there shall be immediate rain; it comes accordingly, and Ahab and Elijah come to Jezreel, 41-46.

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AND it came to pass after many

Ante I. Ol. 130. days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show thyself unto Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth.

2 And Elijah went to show himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

3 And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house: (now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

4 For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water :)

5 And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks; peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

6 So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself. 7 And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah? 8 And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

Luke 425. Jaunes 6. 17.-h Dent. 28. 12.-i Heb. Obadiahu-k Heb. over his house.-1 Heb. Izebel-in Heb. that we cut not off ourselves from the beasts.

sis, we have these words: ynowi jawnia din Air hia betechom Beithshan, veshemo orbo; "There is a town in the vicinity of Bethshan, (Scythopolis,) and its name is Orbo." We may add to this from St. Jerom, Orbim accola villæ in finibus Arabum, Eliæ dederunt alimenta; "The Orbim, inhabitants of a town in the confines of the Arabs, gave nourishment to Elijah." Now, I consider Jerom's testimony to be of great worth, because he spent several years in the Holy Land, that he might acquire the most correct notion possible of the language and geography of the country, as well as of the customs and habits of the people, in order to his translating the Sacred Writings, and explaining them. Had there not been such a place in his time he could not have written as above: and, although in this place the common printed editions of the Vulgate have corvi, crows or ravens; yet, in 2 Chron. xxi. 16. St. Jerom translates the same word Day Orbim, "the Arabians;" and the same in Neh. iv. 7: it is, therefore, most likely that the inhabitants of Oreb, or Orbo, as mentioned above, furnished the aliment by which the prophet was sustained; and that they did this, being specially moved thereto by the Spirit of the Lord. Add to all these testimonies that of the Arabic version, which considers the word as meaning a people, Orabim, and not ravens or fowls of any kind. In such a case this version is high authority.

It is contended, that those who think the miracle is lost if the ravens be not admitted, are bound to show-1. With what propriety the raven, an unclean animal, could be employed? 2. Why the dove, or some such clean creature, was not preferred? 3. How the ravens could get properly dressed flesh to bring to the prophet? 4. From whose table it was taken; and by what means? 5. Whether it be consistent with the wisdom of God, and his general conduct, to work a tissue of miracles where one was sufficient? 6. And whether it be not best, in all cases of this kind, to adopt that mode of interpretation which is most simple; the wisdom, goodness, and providence of God, being as equally apparent as in those cases where a multitude of miracles are resorted to, in order to solve difficulties?

NOTES ON CHAPTER XVIII. Verse 1. After many days-in the third year] We learn from our Lord, Luke iv. 25. that the drought, which brought on the famine in Israel, lasted three years and six months, St. James, v. 17. gives it the same duration. Probably Elijah spent six months at the brook Cherith, and three years with the widow at Sarepta.

I will send rain upon the earth] The word

9 And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

10 As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation nor kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there, he took an oath of the kingdom, and nation, that they found thee not.

11 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord,

Behold, Elijah is here.

12 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; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

13 Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid a hundred men of the LORD's prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14 And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

15 And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself unto him to-day.

16 So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17 And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that P troubleth Israel?

18 And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

19 Now therefore send and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of

n 2 Kings 2. 16. Ezek. 3, 12, 14. Matt. 4. 1. Acts 8. 39-0 Ch. 21. 20.—p Josh. 7. 25. Acts 16. 20.-q 2 Chron. 15. 2-r Josh 19. 26.

haadamah, should be translated the ground, or, the land; as it is probable that this drought did not extend beyond the land of Judea.

Verse 3. Obadiah feared the LORD greatly] He was a sincere and zealous worshipper of the true God; and his conduct toward the persecuted prophets was the full proof both of his piety and humanity.

Verse 4. Fed them with bread and water] By these are signified the necessaries of life, of whatsoever kind. Verse 5. Unto all fountains of water] All marshy or well-watered districts, where grass was most likely to be preserved.

Verse 10. There is no nation or kingdom] He had sent through all his own states, and to the neighbouring governments, to find out the prophet; as he knew, from his own declaration, that both rain and drought were to be the effect of his prayers. Had he found him, he no doubt intended to oblige him to procure rain; or punish him for having brought on this drought.

He took an oath] Ahab must have had considerable power and authority among the neighbouring nations, to require and exact this; and Elijah must have kept himself very secret to have shunned such an extensive and minute search.

Verse 12. The Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee] Obadiah supposed that the Spirit of the Lord had carried him to some strange country, during the three years and a half of the drought: and, as he had reason to think that Ahab would slay Elijah if he found him, and that the God of the prophet would not suffer his servant to fall into such murderous hands: he took for granted that, as soon as he should come into danger, so soon would the Spirit of the Lord carry him away, or direct him to some hiding-place.

Verse 13. When Jezebel slew the prophets] This persecution was probably during the dearth; for, as this bad woman would attribute the public calamity to Elijah, not being able to find him, she would naturally wreak her vengeance on the prophets of Jehovah, who were within her reach.

Verse 18. Ihave not troubled Israel] Here the cause of the dearth is placed on its true ground: the king and the people had forsaken the true God; and God shut up the heavens that there was no rain. Elijah was only the minister whom God used to dispense this judgment.

Verse 19. Gather to me all Israel] The heads of tribes and families; the rulers of the people.

The prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty-the prophets of the groves four hundred] The king and

22 Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under.

24 And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God

Chap 16 33-t Chap. 22 w See Josh. 21 15-x Chap. a Heb. The word is good. queen had different religious establishments: the king and his servants worshipped Baal, the supreme lord and master of the world, the sun. For this establishment four hundred and fifty priests were maintained.

6-a 2 Kings 17. 41. Matt. 6. 21-v Or, thoughts. 19. 10, 14-y Ver. 19.-2 Ver. 33. 1 Chron. 21. 26. Or, answer.

The queen and her women worshipped Asherah, Astarté, or Venus; and for this establishment four hundred priests were maintained. These latter were in high honour they ate at Jezebel's table; they made a part of her household. It appears that those eight hundred and fifty priests were the domestic chaplains of the king and queen; and, probably, not all the priests that belonged to the rites of Baal and Asherah in the land; and yet, from the following verse, we learn that Ahab had sent to all the children of Israel to collect these prophets: but Jezebel had certainly four hundred of them in her own house, who were not at the assembly mentioned here. Those of Baal might have a more extensive jurisdiction than those of Asherah, the latter being constantly resident in Samaria. Verse 21. How long hall ye between two opinions?] Literally, "How long hop ye about upon two boughs ?" This is a metaphor taken from birds hopping about from bough to bough; not knowing on which to settle. Perhaps the idea of limping, through lameness, should not be overlooked. They were halt, they could not walk uprightly; they dreaded Jehovah, and therefore could not totally abandon him; they feared the king and queen, and therefore thought they must embrace the religion of the state. Their conscience forbade them to do the former; their fear of man persuaded them to do the latter: but in neither were they heartily engaged; and, at this juncture, their minds seemed in equipoise, and they were waiting for a favourable opportunity to make their decision. Such an opportunity now, through the mercy of God, presented

itself.

Verse 22. I only, remain a prophet of the LORD] That is, I am the only prophet of God present, and can have but the influence of an individual; while the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty to one! It appears that the queen's prophets, amounting to four hundred, were not at this great assembly; and these are they whom we meet, chap. xxii. 6. and whom the king consulted relative to the battle at Ramoth-gilea.

Verse 24. The God that answereth by fire] Elijah gave them every advantage when he granted that the God who answered by fire should be acknowledged as the true God: for as the Baal who was worshipped here was incontestably Apollo, or the sun, he was therefore the god of fire, and had only to work in his own element.

Verse 25. For ye are many] And therefore shall have the preference; and the advantage of being first in your application to the Deity.

Verse 26. From morning even until noon] It seems that the priests of Baal employed the whole day in their desperate rites. The time is divided into two periods:1. From morning until noon; this was employed in preparing and offering the sacrifice, and in earnest supplication for the celestial fire. Still there was no answer: and at noon Elijah began to mock and ridicule them, and this excited them to commence anew.-And, 2. They continued from noon to the time of offering the evening sacrifice, dancing up and down, cutting themselves with knives, mingling their own blood with their sacrifice, praying, supplicating, and acting in the most frantic manner.

that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, "It is well spoken.

25 And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many: and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

26 And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

27 And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

28 And they cried aloud, and cut themselves, after their manner, with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

e P. 115. 5. Jer. 10. 5. 1 Cor. 8. 4. & 12 2-d Or, heard.-e Or, leaped up and down at the altar.-f Heb. with a great voice-g Or, he meditateth-b Heb. hath a pursuit-i Lev. 19. 28. Deut. 14. 1.-k Heb. poured out blood upon them.

And they leaped upon the altar] Perhaps it will be more correct to read with the margin, they leaped up and down at the altar; they danced round it with strange and hideous cries and gesticulations: tossing their heads to and fro, with a great variety of bodily contortions.

A heathen priest, a high priest of Budhoo, has been just showing me the manner in which they dance and jump up and down, and from side to side, twisting their bodies in all manner of ways, when making their offerings to their demon-gods; a person all the while beating furiously on a tom-tom, or drum, to excite and sustain those frantic attitudes; at the same time imploring the succour of their god, frequently in some such language as this-"O loving brother devil, hear me, and receive my offering." To perform these sacrificial attitudes they have persons who are taught to practice them from their earliest years, according to directions laid down in religious books; and to make the joints and body pliant, much anointing of the parts, and mechanical management, are used; and they have masters whose business it is to teach these attitudes and contortions, according to the rules laid down in those books. It seems, therefore, that was a very general practice of idolatry; as, indeed, are the others mentioned in this chapter.

Verse 27. At noon-Elijah mocked them] Had not Elijah been conscious of the divine protection, he certainly would not have used such freedom of speech, while encompassed by his enemies.

Cry aloud] Make a grsat noise: oblige him by your vociferations to attend to your suit.

For he is a god]ki Elohim hu; he is the supreme god; you worship him as such; he must needs be such; and, no doubt, jealous of his own honour, and the

credit of his votaries!

He is talking] He may be giving audience to some others: let him know that he has other worshippers, and must not give too much of his attention to one. Perhaps the word siach, should be interpreted as in the margin, he meditateth; he is in a profound reverie; he is making some godlike projects; he is considering how he may best keep up his credit in the nation. Shout! let him know that all is now at stake.

He is pursuing] He may be taking his pleasure in hunting; and may continue to pursue the game in heaven, till he have lost all his credit and reverence on earth.

The original words, re sig lo, are variously translated: He is in a hotel, in diversorio, VULGATE. Perhaps he is delivering oracles μη ποτε χρηματίζει αυτός, SEPTUAGINT. Or, he is on some special business. Therefore, cry aloud.

He is in a journey] He has left his audience-chamber, and is making some excursions: call aloud to bring him back, as his all is at stake.

Peradventure he sleepeth] Rab. S. Jarchi gives this the most degrading meaning: I will give it in Latin, because it is too coarse to be put in English;-Fortassis ad locum secretum abiit, ut ventrem ibi exoneret. "Perhaps he is gone to the This certainly reduces Baal to the lowest degree of contempt, and with it the ridicule and sarcasm are complete.

Verse 28. They cried aloud] The poor fools acted as they were bidden.

And cut themselves after their manner] This was done

m

29 And it came to pass, when mid-day was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was "neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. P And he repaired the altar of

the LORD that was broken down.

31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

32 And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

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33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the wood. 34 And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time. 35 And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water. 36 And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the

11 Cor. 11. 4, 5-m Heb. ascending.-n Ver. 26-0 Heb. attention.-p Ch. 19. 10-q Gen. 32. 28 & 35. 10. 2 Kings 17. 34.-r Col. 3. 17.- Lev. 1. 6,7,8-t See Judg. 6. 20.-u Heb. went.- Ver. 2, 38-w Exod. 3. 6.

according to the rites of that barbarous religion: if the blood of the bullock would not move him, they thought their own blood might; and with it they smeared themselves and their sacrifice. This was not only the custom of the idolatrous Israelites, but of the Syrians, Persians, Greeks, Indians, and in short of all the heathen world.

Verse 29. They prophesied] They made incessant prayer and supplication: a farther proof that to pray, or supplicate, is the proper ideal meaning of the word 2 naba, which we constantly translate to prophesy, when even all the circumstances of the time and place are against such a meaning. See what is said on the case of Saul among the prophets, in the note on 1 Sam. x. 5.

Verse 30. He repaired the altar of the LORD] There had been an altar of Jehovah in this place, called, even among the heathens, the altar of Carmel, probably built in the time of the Judges; or, as the rabbins imagine, by Saul. Tacitus and Suetonius mention an altar on mount Carmel, which Vespasian went to consult: there was no temple nor statue, but simply an altar that was respectable for its antiquity. "Est Judeam inter Syriamque Carmelus; ita vocant montem Deumque: nec simulachrum Deo, aut templum situm tradidere majores: aram tantùm, et reverentiam." TACIT. Hist. lib. ii. c. 78. A priest, named Basilides, officiated at that altar: and assured Vespasian that all his projects would be crowned with

success.

Suetonius speaks to this purpose:-Apud Judæam Carmeli Dei oraculum consulentem ita confirmarere sortes, ut quicquid cogitaret volveretque animo, quamlibet magnum, id esse proventurum pollicerentur. SUET. in Vespas. cap. 5. The mount, the absence of a temple, no image, but a simple altar, very ancient, and which was held in reverence on account of the true answers which had been given there, prove that this was originally the altar of Jehovah; though, in the time of Vespasian, it seems to have been occupied by a heathen priest, and devoted to lying vanities.

Verse 31. Took twelve stones] He did this to show that all the twelve tribes of Israel should be joined in the worship of Jehovah.

Verse 32. He made a trench] This was to detain the water that might fall down from the altar, when the barrels should be poured upon it, ver. 35.

Verse 33. Fill four barrels] This was done to prevent any kind of suspicion that there was fire concealed under the altar. An ancient writer, under the name of Chrysostom, quoted by Calmet, says, that he had seen, under the altars of the heathens, holes dug in the earth, with funnels proceeding from them, and communicating with openings on the tops of the altars. In the former the priests concealed fire, which, communicating through the funnels with the holes, set fire to the wood, and consumed the sacrifice; and thus the simple people were led to believe that the sacrifice was consumed by a miraculous fire. Elijah showed that no such knavery could be practised in

prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

37 Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that these people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

'

38 Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt-sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, a The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

40 And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew then there.

41 T And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

x Ch. 8. 43. 2 Kings 19. 19. Ps. 83, 18-y Num. 16. 23.- Lev. 9 21. Judg 6 A. 1 Chr. 21. 26. 2 Chr. 7. 1-a Ver. 24.-b Or, apprehend-c 2 Kings 10. 25- Deut 13. 5. & 18. 20.-e Or, a sound of a noise of rain. -f James 5. 17, 18.

the present case. Had there been a concealed fire under the altar, as in the case mentioned above, the water that was thrown on the altar must have extinguished it most effectually. This very precaution has for ever put this miracle beyond the reach of suspicion.

Verse 36. LORD God of Abraham] He thus addressed the Supreme Being, that they might know, when the answer was given, that it was the same God whom the patriarchs and their fathers worshipped; and thus have their hearts turned back again to the true religion of their ancestors.

Verse 38. Then the fire of the LORD fell] It did not burst out from the altar: this might still, notwithstanding the water, have afforded some ground for suspicion that fire had been concealed (after the manner of the heathens) under the altar.

Consumed the burnt-sacrifice] The process of this consumption is very remarkable; and all calculated to remove the possibility of a suspicion that there was any concealed fire. 1. The fire came down from heaven. 2 The pieces of the sacrifice were first consumed. 3. The wood next, to show that it was not even by means of the wood that the flesh was burst. 4. The twelve stones were also consumed, to show that it was no common fire, but one whose agency nothing could resist. 5. The dust, the earth of which the altar was constructed, was burnt up. And, 6. The water that was in the trench was, by the action of this fire, entirely evaporated. 7. The action of this fire was, in every case, downward, contrary to the nature of all earthly and material fire. Nothing can be more simple and artless than this description; and yet how amazingly full and satisfactory is the whole account! Verse 39. Fell on their faces] Struck with awe and reverence at the sight of this incontestable miracle.

And they said] We should translate the words thus: JEHOVAH, He is the God! JEHOVAH, He is the God! Baal is not the God; Jehovah alone is the God of Israel!

As our term Lord is very equivocal, we should every where insert the original word which we should write Yevé or Yehevch, or Yahvah or Yehueh; or, according to the points, Yehovah.

Verse 40. Let not one of them escape] They had committed the highest crime against the state and the people, by introducing idolatry, and bringing down God's judgments upon the land: therefore their lives were forfeited to that law which had ordered every idolater to be slain. It seems also that Ahab, who was present, consented to this act of impartial justice.

Verse 41. Get thee up, eat and drink] It appears most evidently that Ahab and the prophet were now on good terms; and this is a farther evidence that the slaying of the false prophets was by the king's consent.

Verse 42. Put his face between his knees] He kneeled down, and then bowed his head to the earth; so that, while his face was between his knees, his forehead touched the ground.