The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 379

visible from a spot a quarter of an hour that the water supply of Phoenicia had not distant. "The dependence of SBrepta on entirely failed. " The fresh streams of Bidon is indicated in the inscriptions of Lebanon would retain their life-giving Benno.ohorib, where it is mentioned as be- power long after the scantier springs of longing to Luliya, king of Bidon," Rawlin- Palestine he.d been dried up, " StBnley J son], and dwell there: behold, I have com- he called to her, and Bald, Bring me, I pray manded e. Widow woman there to auste.tn thee, a morsel of bread [The request for thee [In considering these words the food will soon reveal to him whether this is genemlly dostitute condition of the widow the widow woman who is to sustain him) of the Enst should be borne in mind (Aots 1n thine hand. [Bahr would understand vi. 1; 1 Tim. v. 3-6, &c.) Wo gather from here, " Give me a morsel of the bread which Luko iv. 26, 26, that it was for her sake as thou bast in thine hand "-einen Bissen des well as his that the prophet was sent Brodes das du besitzest- Bnd he has the thither. Matt. xv. 21-28 tells of another LXX,, ,/,wµ},v t'i(YroV roii Iv rii xup, 110v, to Syro-Phoenioian woman.] support hlm. But it is fa.ta.I to this view Ver. 10.-So he arose and went to Zare- (1) that the verb is 'l".1~?-the same as phe.th (It does not follow that his route Jay over the" White Promontory," or Ladder of already used in the request for water (ver. Tyre, the way our Lord took when He " de- 10), and (2) that there is no article before parted into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon " bread. "The bread in thine haud " would (Matt. xv. 21). If his place of concealment have been clear, but the words as they stand was anywhere near 'Abara, or Bethsbean, can only mean, "Bring me, together with it is probable he would keep east of the the water in the vessel, a morsel of bread Jordan, as far as Banias or Dan, where the in thine hand." Besides, "in thy posses- river is fordable, and whence a road leads sion " would probably have been expressed direct to Sidon. He would thus avoid Tyre]. by " under thine hand," as in 1 Sam, xxi. And when he came to the gate of the city 3, 4, 8, though "in the hand" is found in (the ruins of Sura.fend a.re still very con- Eccles. v, 13 ; Ezra vii. 25, in a somewhat siderBble (see Thomson,"LBnd Bnd Book," i. similar sense.] 235) and prove it to have been e. place of Ver. 12.- And she said, A.a the Lord thy importance, B town with gates and WBlls. God llveth [Bahr, Keil, al. conclude from "Gate," however, is used somewhat loosely this formula that the woman was a wor- in the 0. T.-of the entrance to o. village, shipper of the God of Israel. Bahr is or even of the place of concourse and of extremely positive on this point, affirming judgment], behold, the (Heb. a. He did that, had she been a heathen, the words not yet know that this WBS the widow to would have been positively hypocritica.J, whom he was sent. Her replies to his re- and more, that Elijah would never have quests first informed him that this was the been sent (Luke iv. 26) to an idolater. He object of his search] Widow woman was further suggests that possibly she was an there [Heb. behold there, a widow woman] Israelite by birth, who had been married to gathering of sticks [This was not a promis- a Phoenioie,n. But a.11 this is extremely ing sign. It only proved her poverty]: e.nd doubtful. In the first place, it is note- he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray worthy thBt the words a.re, "Jehovah thy thee, a little water 1n a vessel -[Heb. the God," words which show that she recognized vessel. Bahr nnderste.nds the drinking-cup Elijah, perhaps by his Jewish face, probably that Elijah had brought with him from the by his prophetic dress (2 Kings i. 8) as a W§.dy Cherith; but surely it is extremely worshipper of Jehovah. But had she a.Jso improbable that he would oan-y either cup been the same, it ie probable that she or bottle with him. " The vessel" probably would have said "my God," for that form imports the ordinBry vessel used for the would not only have given greater force to purpose-the "potter's earthen bottle" her obtestation, but would have established (Jer. xi.x. 1). That this was used for fetch- o. bond of sympathy-such as Jews i":_ a ing water, we know from IsB. xxx. 14], that foreign land were only too glad to recognize I me.y dr1nk. -between them. And the remark that it Ver. 11.-And as she was going to fetch is hypocrisy to swear by a god in whom one it [The gift of water to the thirsty is e.lways does not believe is disposed of by the con- regarded as o. sacred duty in the Ee,st. sideration that she may well have believed •' Never yet during many years' residence in in the Lord as well as in Bae.I. See note on Syria and many a. long day's tmvel, have I oh. v. 7. The Tyrians knew nothing of been refused 11, draught of water by a single monotheism], I have not a cake [liL'~, the individuo.l of any seot or race. The Bedawy in the desert bas shared with me the last synonym of i1il/ (ver. 13), the smallest kind drop in his we,ter-skin" (Porter). It is olear of bread. It wa~ baked in the ashes ; hence 1 KINGS, 20  880 TIIE FIRST 1300K OF KINGS. [en. XVII, 1-24.