So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her, and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”
As she was going to get it, he called to her, and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
She said, “As Yahweh your God lives, I don’t have a cake, but a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me a little cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv10, 12 All this was to strengthen the faith of Elijah,…
All this was to strengthen the faith of Elijah, to the intent that he should look upon nothing worldly, but only trust on God’s providence.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv10–13 1Ki 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath.…
1Ki 17:10 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.
Ver. 10. Gathering of sticks.] {a} Which showeth her low condition. God chooseth "the poor in this world rich in faith." {Jas 2:5}
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A little water in a vessel.] Or, In this vessel, viz., that he had used at the brook Cherith, after his long journey; from whence he might well be thirsty, hungry, and weary.
{a} Ea nempe ligna quae prima obviam habebat. - Vat.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv10–13 He called to her; knowing by Divine suggestion that…
He called to her; knowing by Divine suggestion that this was the woman designed.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv10–13 So he arose, and went to Zarephath,.... Which, according…
So he arose, and went to Zarephath,.... Which, according to Bunting (f), was one hundred miles from the brook Cherith:
and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering sticks: perhaps out of an hedge just without the city this shows her to be a poor woman, who had no other way of coming at fuel but this, and no servant to fetch it for her: Bunting tells us, that now before the gate of the city there is showed a certain chapel, where they say Elias first spoke with the widow:
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and he called to her, and said, fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink; being thirsty through travelling, and supposing this to be the woman he was directed to, made trial of her this way; some render it, "in this vessel" (g), which he had with him, and made use of at the brook Cherith.
(f) Ut supra, (Travels, &c.) p. 203. (g) "in hoc vase", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv12–13 She said - Therefore though she was a Gentile,…
She said - Therefore though she was a Gentile, yet she owned the God of Israel as the true God. Two sticks - A few sticks, that number being often used indefinitely for any small number. And die - For having no more provision, we must needs perish with hunger. For though the famine was chiefly in the land of Israel, yet the effects of it were in Tyre and Sidon, which were fed by the corn of that land. But what a poor supporter was this likely to be? who had no fuel, but what she gathered in the streets, and nothing to live upon herself, but an handful of meal and a little oil! To her Elijah is sent, that he might live upon providence, as much as he had done when the ravens fed him.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv12–13 Verse 12. A handful of meal in a barrel]…
Verse 12. A handful of meal in a barrel] The word כד 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 cruse, צפחת tsappachath, says Jarchi, signifies what in our tongue is expressed by bouteille, a bottle. Jarchi was a French rabbin.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv10, 13 1Ki 17:10-12. Behold, the widow woman was gathering sticks…
1Ki 17:10-12. Behold, the widow woman was gathering sticks — He knew, by some secret divine intimations, that this was the woman that was to sustain him. Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water — Water, in consequence of the long drought, was doubtless scarce there as well as in the land of Israel; yet, being a pious woman, and therefore ready to succour a stranger in distress, she readily goes to fetch it. He called and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thy hand — This he probably said chiefly to try her, and to make way for what follows. She said, As the Lord thy God liveth — By this she discovers, that though she was a Gentile, yet she owned the God of Israel as the true God. I am gathering two sticks — A few sticks, that number being often used indefinitely for any small number. That we may eat it and die — For having no more provision, we must needs perish with hunger. Although the famine was chiefly in the land of Israel, yet the effects of it were felt in Tyre and Sidon, which were supported by the corn of that land. But what a poor supporter was this widow likely to be! who had no fuel, but what she gathered in the streets, and nothing to live upon herself, but a handful of meal and a little oil! To her Elijah is sent, that he might live upon Providence, as much as he had done when the ravens fed him.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On v12 As the Lord thy God liveth - The words…
As the Lord thy God liveth - The words do not prove that the woman was an Israelite, or a worshipper of the true God; any Phoenician, recognizing in Elijah’s appearance the garb and manner of a Jehovistic prophet, might have thus addressed him: Baal-worshippers would have admitted Yahweh to be “a” living God. The woman does not say “as the Lord my God liveth.”
That we may eat it and die - Phoenicia always depended for its cereal supplies on the harvests of Palestine (1Ki 5:9 note); and it is evident that the famine was afflicting the Phoenicians at this time no less than the Israelites.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On v13 First. He puts the faith of the widow to…
First. He puts the faith of the widow to a severe trial; and the gospel requires nothing more perfect than what she practised. The true faith, which she then received, was her first and most precious recompense; and we shall soon see, that her guest drew down blessings upon her. (Calmet)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv10, 12, 13 10. He came to the gate — An old…
10. He came to the gate — An old tradition points out the spot on the south of the ancient city where Elijah first saw the widow, and the crusaders built a small chapel over the reputed spot of the widow’s house.
Gathering of sticks — A scene that often meets the traveller’s eye in Palestine.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv10–13 10. gathering of sticks] R.V. modernizes the language by…
10. gathering of sticks] R.V. modernizes the language by omitting the preposition. The abject poverty of the widow is seen from her coming forth to pick up any chance bits of wood which might have fallen from the trees outside the city walls.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On v12 (12) I have not a cake.—The famine may have…
(12) I have not a cake.—The famine may have already extended to Phœnicia; for there, according to Menander, it lasted for a year; or, since the country depended upon Israel for supplies, the distress may have been only the reflex effect of the famine in Israel.
As the Lord thy God liveth.—The phrase indicates a recognition of Elijah as a prophet of Jehovah the God of Israel, but probably (as, indeed, seems to be implied by the use of the words “thy God”) no acknowledgment of Him as yet by the woman herself, such as the neighbouring heathen (as, for example, Hiram in the days of Solomon) often yielded.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv10–13 So he arose and went to Zarephath It does…
So he arose and went to Zarephath It does not follow that his route lay over the "White Promontory," or Ladder of Tyre, the way our Lord took when He "departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon". (Mat_15:21) If his place of concealment was anywhere near "Abara, or Bethshean, it is probable he would keep east of the Jordan, as far as Banias or Dan, where the river is fordable, and whence a road leads direct to Sidon. He would thus avoid Tyro. And when he came to the gate of the city the ruins of Surafend are still very considerable (see Thomson,"Land and Book," 1:235) and prove it to have been a place of importance, a town with gates and walls. "Gate," however, is used somewhat loosely in the O.T. of the entrance to a village, or even of the place of concourse and of judgment, behold, the Heb. a. He did not yet know that this was the widow to whom he was sent. Her replies to his requests first informed him that this was the object of his search widow woman was there Heb. behold there, a widow woman gathering of sticks This was not a promising sign. It only proved her poverty: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel Heb. the vessel. Bahr understands the drinking-cup that Elijah had brought with him from the Wady Cherith; but surely it is extremely improbable that he would carry either cup or bottle with him. "The vessel" probably imports the ordinary vessel used for the purpose the "potter"s earthen bottle". (Jer_19:1) That this was used for fetching water, we know, (Isa_30:14) that I may drink.
Vers. 10-16.
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The Barrel of Meal.
In the East the people kept their corn in earthen jars to protect it from insects which swarm in the heat of the sun. What in our translation is called a "barrel" (dk) was one of these vessels. The store in this case was run low; there was but a "handful" left; yet this was so multiplied by the power of God that three persons found at least in it sufficient provision for two and a half years. Let us inquire
I HOW ITS CONDITION BECAME KNOWN.
1. Elijah came to Zarephath in quest of the widow.
(1) Such were his instructions (vers. 8, 9). But was there only one widow in this city of "smelting furnaces", (comp. 1Ki_7:14) this hive of industry, this centre of population? How, then, is he to discover the right one?
(2) God knows her, and that is enough for the prophet. The Word of the Lord who came to him at Samaria and at Cherith will now guide him. (See Isa_42:16)
(3) Let us follow the light we have and God will give us more. So was Abraham"s faithful servant guided to Rebecca (Ge 24)
2. He found her at the gate of the city.
(1) She was there on an errand of her own, viz., to gather a few dry sticks to kindle a fire to cook her last meal in this world.
(2) She was there also, though unknown to herself, on an errand from God. She was commanded to sustain the prophet of Israel
(3) Yet these two errands harmonize. God uses man"s purposes to work out His own. Man proposeth; God disposeth.
3. He readily identified her.
(1) He asked her for water, which, with admirable promptitude, she went to fetch. This was the sign by which Abraham"s servant identified Rebecca. (Gen_24:14) The cup of cold water has its promise of reward. (Mat_10:42)
(2) Then he asked for bread, which further request opened the way for the whole truth, "As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but," etc. (ver. 12). From these words it is evident that she recognized Elijah, at least as an Israelite, and probably as the prophet of Israel; for he was a person of pronounced individuality. His profusion of hair, probably, placed Elisha in such contrast to him that Elisha was mocked as a "bald head." (Comp. 2Ki_1:8, and 2:23.)
II How ITS RESOURCES WERE MAINTAINED.
1. By the miracle-working power of God.
(1) "The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord which he spake by Elijah." This supplied not only the guest but the widow and her son for two years and a half. As Bp. Hall remarks, "Never did corn or olive so increase in the growing as these did in the using.
(2) This miracle was similar to that of the manna. The off was used as butter for the meal, and the taste of the manna was like fresh oil. (Num_11:8) Also to Christ"s miracles of the loaves.
(3) The lessons are the same. The miracles all teach that "man lives not by bread alone, but by the word of God." That this spiritual food is the gift of God. That it differs essentially from the bread that perishes. Not only is it imperishable, but it multiplies in the using, grows as it is dispensed. How delightful were the spiritual feasts of that two years and a half in the widow"s dwelling (See Rev_3:20)
2. Through the faith of the widow.
(1) She was predisposed to believe. God saw this, else He had not honoured her with His command to sustain his prophet. (See Luk_4:24-26) Let us ever live in that moral fitness to be employed by God.
(2) This disposition was encouraged. She waited for something to justify her faith in God, and she got it: "And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said," de. (vers. 13, 14). She knew that the word of the Lord was with Elijah And this instruction to make first a little cake for the prophet was according to God"s order. (See Num_15:20, Num_15:21)
(3) She proved the genuineness of her faith by her works. "She did according to the saying of Elijah." By works faith is perfected, And God justified the faith that justified him. J.A.M.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v13 Make me thereof a little cake first.
1Ki_17:13
Make me thereof a little cake first.
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Faith tested
First, take the narrative in its literal sense; then, examine the truths which are suggested by it; and finally, note its mystical import.
I. Literal sense.
1. Here is a test of faith: Make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. It was a sharp test. Famine brings out selfishness in hideous shapes (2Ki_6:28-29). To be asked to give to a stranger a little cake from the handful of meal that was left, before she met the cravings of hunger in herself and her son, must have been a searching demand.
2. A woman, too, of Zidon, like the woman in the Gospel, when Jesus came into those coasts; a woman without the privileges of the covenant of Israel and the opportunities of Gods people; a flower in the common hedge, not in the hothouse, but yet a flower--able to respond to the claim of God through His prophet--Make me a little cake first; for he that loveth son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me (Mat_10:37).
3. It was more than a test of faith; it was a test of trust. This is something more. The prophets demand appealed to the will, and not merely to the assent of the understanding. She had to make a sacrifice; it was a trifle in itself--a little cake; but when people are starving it was not a trifle; and she had to trust to a promise, from the standpoint of human calculation, least likely to be fulfilled.
4. She went and did according to the saying of the prophet (1Ki_17:15).
II. The truths which the prophets demand suggests.
1. God to be served first. God must be loved--to use the language of divinity--with a love of preference. As a king, St. Chrysostom says, should be served as a king, so God should be loved as God, that is to say, preferably to all creatures. In the same way, the claims of God and His service must stand first. The demand, Make me thereof a little cake first, is like that which our Lord gave on the mount, Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It is the law of the first-fruits.
2. Gods commands are to be taken upon trust. His positive commands test not only our obedience, but our confidence in Him. Moral commands are echoed from within, so that not to obey them is not folly alone, but also impiety (St. Augustine); but commands of which we do not see the reason, yet which must be obeyed as simply coming from God, are touchstones of trust in Him.
3. How little, after all, God requires of us! Make Me a little cake. He gave our first parents licence to eat of every tree in the garden save one--just an acknowledgment of His Sovereignty. He turns the water into wine; we have only to fill the water-pots. His commandments are not grievous (1Jn_5:3), but we may have made obedience difficult through having abused our powers. God asks little, but makes a large return (Mat_25:23). The barrel of meal did not waste, etc.
III. Its mystical import. When Aristotle in logic, and Plato in philosophy, ruled the day (twelfth century), Hugo and Richard de St. Victor were the great mystics of the period (Milman), and it is from the former of these I transcribe the mystical interpretation of the subject in hand. The widow of Zarephath represents the holy Church--a widow--waiting for the advent of the Saviour. Elijah came to the woman, when Christ, through the mystery of the Incarnation, came to the Church. The woman was gathering two sticks; for the holy Church received the faith of the Cross. The handful of meal is said to signify the imperfection of Divine knowledge at the time when Christ came; and the little oil in a cruse, the scarcity of grace. But Elijah multiplied both, because Christ, full of grace and truth, imparted both to mankind. The woman sustained Elijah; for the faith and holy works of the Church refresh the Lord: I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me (Rev_3:20).
IV. Lessons.
1. The leading lesson throughout is one of trust. Fear not. The woman of Zarephath affords a striking instance of obedience and submission, not only of the will, but of the judgment.
2. To remember that God should have the first claim upon us and upon our substance, which increases through parting with it, as did the five loaves as they were distributed to others by the disciples hands.
3. It is a great mistake to suppose that only the rich should give into the treasury of God. The poor widows two mites were more to Christ than the large gifts of the rich, because it was her all. (The Thinker.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v11 As Yahweh your God lives
As Yahweh your God lives
This phrase is an oath to emphasize that what she will say is true.
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only a handful of meal
"only a little bit of meal"
meal
"flour." This what is used to make bread.
See, I
"Let me tell you what I am doing: I"
two sticks
This may refer to two sticks or to only a few sticks. (See: Numbers)
that we may eat it, and die
It is implied that they will die because they do not have anymore food. AT: "that we may eat. Afterwards, we will starve to death" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
afterward make some for you and for your son
It is implicit that there would be enough flour and oil to make more bread. (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
Yahweh
God
oil
die
Elijah
fear
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv12–13 17:12 by the Lord your God (literally as surely…
17:12 by the Lord your God (literally as surely as the Lord your God lives): The wording reflects Elijah’s oath and pronouncement to Ahab (17:1). The Gentile woman’s oath does not necessarily claim that the Lord is her god, but it does affirm to Elijah that what she says is the truth.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.