John Gill Commentary 1 Kings 17

And Elijah the Tishbite, [who] was of the inhabitants of Gilead
Which belonged partly to the Reubenites and Gadites, and partly to the half-tribe of Manasseh on the other side Jordan, where this prophet dwelt; but why he is called the Tishbite is not easy to say; what Kimchi observes seems right, that he was at first of a city called Toshab, and afterwards dwelt at Gilead; which city perhaps is the same with Thisbe, in the tribe of Naphtali, the native place of Tobit, "Who in the time of Enemessar king of the Assyrians was led captive out of Thisbe, which is at the right hand of that city, which is called properly Nephthali in Galilee above Aser.'' and, if so, is an instance of a prophet, even the prince of prophets, as Abarbinel calls him, coming out of Galilee, contrary to the suggestions of the Jews, (John 7:52) .

R. Elias Levita ^F12 observes, that after the affair of Gibeah an order was given to smite the inhabitants of Jabeshgilead, (Judges 21:8–15) , and that as it is reasonable to suppose some might escape, he thinks Elijah was one of them; and that when this began to be inhabited again, they that returned were called the inhabitants of Gilead, of whom Elijah was, who lived in those times, being, as the Jews suppose, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar the son of Aaron, see (Judges 20:28) , but that he should be Elijah, and live to the times of Ahab, is beyond belief.

By Origen ^F13 he is said to be in Thesbon of Gilead; and by Epiphanius ^F14 said to be of Thesbis, of the land of the Arabians, Gilead bordering upon it: the same

said unto Ahab ;
who perhaps had been with him before, and reproved him for idolatry, warned him of the evil consequences of it, but to no purpose, and therefore now threatened in a very solemn manner:

as the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand ;
he swears by the living God, in whose presence he was, and to whom he appeals as the omniscient God, whose minister and prophet he was, and in whose name he came and spoke, and to whom he prayed; for standing was a prayer gesture, and sometimes put for it, (See Gill on Matthew 6:5) and it was at the prayer of Elijah that rain was withheld, as follows, see (James 5:17)

there shall not be dew nor rain these years ;
for some years to come, even three years and a half:

but according to my word ;
in prayer, or as he should predict, in the name of the Lord.

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: In Tishbi, p. 275. Vid. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 1. & David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 235. 4.
• F13: Comment. in Matth. p. 224. Ed. Huet.
• F14: De Prophet. Vit. c. 6. to be of Thesbis, of the land of the Arabians, Gilead bordering upon it: the same

And the word of the Lord came to him
The word of prophecy, as the Targum; this shows that by word, in the former verse, he means the word of the Lord by him:

saying ;
as follows.

Get you hence, and turn you eastward
From the place where he was, being in danger from Ahab and Jezebel, provoked by his reproofs, threatenings, and prophecies:

and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan ;
in some wood or cave near it, or among the reeds and rushes that grew on the banks of it; and Bochart ^F15 takes it to be the same with the river Kanah, on the borders of Ephraim, which has its name from reeds, (Joshua 16:8) (17:9) , and Cherith by anticipation, from the prophet's being fed there;

and Adrichomius ^F16 places this brook in the tribe of Ephraim; though Fuller ^F17 in the half tribe of Manasseh, beyond Jordan; but Bunting says ^F18 it runs from Mount Ephraim between Bethel and Jericho, eight miles from Jerusalem towards the north, and so, passing along towards the east, falls into Jordan.

FOOTNOTES:

• F15: Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 2. c. 13. col. 216.
• F16: Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 26.
• F17: Pisgah-Sight B. 2. c. 3. p. 97.
• F18: Travels p. 205.

And it shall be, that you shall drink of the brook
The water of that was to be his drink:

and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there ; by which he would be provided with food to eat.

By whom are meant not angels in the form of ravens, as some; nor, as others, Arabians, for there were none of that people near him; nor, as others, merchants, the word being sometimes used of them, for this was not a likely method for privacy; nor, as others, the inhabitants of a place called Oreb, or Orbo; so the Arabic version calls them Orabimi; but we read of no such place near Jordan; the Jews ^F19 speak of a city of this name near Bethshean, from where these Orebim came; and some of them ^F20 think they had their name from Oreb, in (Judges 7:25).

It seems better to interpret them of ravens, as we do, these creatures delighting to be in solitary places, in valleys, and by brooks; nor need it be any objection that they were unclean creatures by the law, since Elijah did not feed upon them, but was fed by them; and supposing any uncleanness by touch, the ceremonial law might be dispensed with in an extraordinary case, as it sometimes was.

Though it is very remarkable that such creatures should be employed in this way, which are birds of prey, seize on anything they can, live on carrion, and neglect their own young, and yet feed a prophet of the Lord; which shows the power and providence of God in it.

Something like this Jerom ^F21 relates, of a raven bringing a whole loaf of bread, and laying it before the saints, Paulus and Antonius.

FOOTNOTES:

• F19: Bereshit Rabba, sect. 33. fol. 29. 1.
• F20: T. Bab. Cholin. fol. 5. 1. Menasseh Ben Israel Conciliat. in Lev. quaest. 3.
• F21: In Vita Paul Erem. fol. 82. C.

So he went, and did according to the word of the Lord

Took his journey eastward, and hid himself in the place directed to:

for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan ,

(See Gill on 1 Kings 17:3).