The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 378

viii. 1). bnt in e.ny oe.se, e.t no gTeat dist&noe [the Vat. LXX. h9.S" bread in tho morning from Dctbe.be.ra (John i. 28/. Now Beth- and flesh in the evening." It has been nbaro. has been identified, a most to a cer- objected that this verse is fato.l to the view ad- tainty (Conder, "Tent-work," pp. 229-232) ve.nced above-that the C1::l1ll were not birds wit,h the modem 'Abara.h (i.e., 'Passage or but men-that no men would have " oome ferry), "one of the me.in fords of the Jordan regularly twice a:day, ... thus giving them- just above the pl11oe where the J e.lud river, selves needless trouble and inoreasing the flowing down the valley of Jezreel and by chn.noe of detection, when they might easily Beisfin, debouches into Jorde.n." But we have left him a supply for severo.l days" lee.rn from nn ancient and independent (Rawlinson). But if we mn.y beliGve tho.t source, the Dereshith Rabba (see Diet. Bib. the prophet was, if not among kinsmen or ii. 464), th1tt in the neighbourhood of Beisfin, friends, yet among the po.storo.J, aemi- i.e., Dcthshean, there was anciently e. town nomadio people of Gilead, a people, that is named Orbo, b-W-a word, it is to be to sa.y, like the Bedawin in their instincts observed, which preserves the re.dice.ls of and customs, it is easy to understand tho.t having taken him under their protection, ::lJ\V transposed. We may safely assume they would make a point of visiting him thnt these two places, Orbo and Oreb, were regularly, not only to show him all possible identical ; that the former was the repre- honour, as a person endued with super- sentative at a later day of the latter, or wn.s natural pow81'8 (cf. oh. xviii. 7, 13), but to the shape which the name assumed when afford him some measure of sympathy and bestowed on the hamlet, as distinct from the companionship. And we can then see a rock. The inhabitants of this place would, reason for the morning and evening being of conrse, be called c•::i,")17, just as the in- mentioned. Their visits would be made in habitants of Ziph were ·known as Ziphim the twilight, which is really longer in the (1 Sam. xrn. 1), or the men of Zidon as East than is generally supposed]; and he Zidonim (1 Kings v. 6). We :find, conse- drank [Hebrew drinks, The Heb. future often quently, the.t this word, whlch means has the force of an imperfect, and expresses "ravens," also designates the inhabitants continued or repeated action] of the brook. of a village near Bethshean, o.nd probably Ver. 7.-And it came to pass after a whlle, east of the J ordo.n ; that is to say, in or [Heb. at the end of days. Not necessarily near Elijah's native country of Gilead. And post annum. The words no doubt have this with this agree the testimonies of Rabbi force elsewhere, Levit. xxv. 29; Judg. xi. Judah and Jerome alread_y referred to. The 40; xvii. 10; 1 Sam. xxvii. 7, &c. ; but in former held that the Orebim were not ravens all these cases, the meaning is not resident at all, but inhabitants of Orbo or the rock in the words themselves, but in the context. Oreb, while the latter says, with eque.1 It is impossible to say how long Elijah positiveness, Orbim, accol,ae villae in jini- remained in the WAdy. All we oe.n be sure bus Arabum, Eliae dederu.nt alimenta. It of is that he must have been more tho.n two ouly remains for us to notice the perfect yeaxs, out of the three and a half, at Zare- naturalness and consistency of the narrative phatb. See on eh. xviii. l] that the brook thus interpreted. Elijah is bidden to go dried up, because there had been no ra1D eastward ; to hide in tLe Wa.dy Cherith, 1n the land. [P~~. imber, signifies heavy where he would be among tribesmen or rain. The word used in ver. 1 is 1~'1• rain friends. For water, there is the brook; of any kind.] for food, the Orbites, whose name would be familiar to him, and whom he may have Ver. 8.-And the word of the Lord came known, are commanded to feed him. He unto him, saytng, goes : he is received with Arab hospitality; Ver. 9.-Artse, get thee to Za.rephath the Ee.stern law of Dakheel, by which any [Cf. Obad. 20. The name points to furnaces man e.t any time is entitled to throw himself or workshops for the refining of metals, 91¥, upon the mercy and protection of another, liquavit. LXX. l:ape1rra; cf. Luke iv. 26. ensures his safety. The Orebim minister It is now represented by an insignificant assidaoa.sly to his wants. Every morning village, Su.rafend, which, however, preserves before the dawn, every evening after dark, the original no.me. It lies still, as uo doubt they bring him bread and flesh.] it did then, on the high road between Tyre Ver. 5.-So he went and did according and Sidou, and on the shore. The prophet an.to the word of the Lord : for [Heb. and] would thus be in the lion's den, in the very he went and dwelt by [Heh. in] the brook heart of the dominions of Ethbo.al. Bee Cherith, tha.t 1B before Jordan. Porter, ii. 397. Stanley (8. and P. p. 268) Ver. 6.-And the ravens brought [Heb. shows how the memory of this visit still bringing] h1m brea.4 and flellh 1n the morn- liDgers in the traditions of the neighbour- lllg, IIA4 brea4 a.n.4 11.ellh 1n tile eveJl!Dg hood], which 11olong-eth to Zldoa [Bidoa ii OR, XVJI, 1-24.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS. 885