The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 414

a "prophesying, " and the word, conse- of profound significance. It showed him quently, m!\y merely mean "they pursued as the restorer of the law and the true their calling," "they cried and prayed," religion.] &c.] until the time of the o.ll'ertng [Keil Ver. 31.-And El!Jah took twelve etonea and Rawlinson would translate, " until to- [This number, too, was full of significo.nee. wards the time," &c. There is certainly Not only would it oe.rry back their thoughts to the giving of the law (Exod. xxiv. 4; xxviii. some indefiniteness in the words ni,J,'? ip, 21), and to their fathers' entrance into the until [the honr] for placing, &c., but we promised lo.nd (Josh. iv. 3, 9), but it would may well believe that their dances and remind them of the essential unity of the cries continued up to the moment of Elijah's people, notwithstanding the division of the prayer (ver. 36)] of the evenJ.ng sacri.11.ce kin(l'dom. Th~ act was thus a protest [Heb. the Minchah, i.e., the meat offering e.gamst the schism. We cannot hold with or nnbloody sacrifice. In Gen. iv. 3-6 the Keil, Wordsworth, al. that it was "e. prac- word_ would appear to be used of any tical declaration on the part of the prophet ofiermg ; but a.t a. later day it was re- that the division of the nation into two stricted to bloodless offerings, and was kingdoms was at variance with the will of opposed to M~).. Cf. Psa ..d. 7; Jer. xvii. 26. God," because we a.re distinctly told that Directions as to the offering of the Minche.h tha.t division was "from the Lord'' (eh. xii. are given, Exod. xxix. 38-41 ; No..m. 15). But it we.a certainly a witness age.inst xxziii. 3--8. The evening sacrifice was a divided Church, and e. reminder of the probably offered then, as it certainly was unity of the race], according to the number at a later day, at the ninth hour. Cf. Acts of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom iii. 1; x. 3, 30, and see Jos., Ant. xiv. 4. 3. the word of the Lord came [Gen. xxxii. 28], Wordsworth thinks this synchronism very saying, Israel shall be thy name. [He thus significant, as suggesting that the true protests against the exclusive assumption of worship of God was that of the temple in the name of Israel, and the exception of the Jerusalem], that there was neither voice, southern kingdom from the glorious heritage nor any to 3.Illlwer [as in ver. 26], nor any and calling of Israel, by the ten tribes. But that regarded. [Heb. and not attention. The we cannot follow Bahr in the belief that LXX. has a cnrious variation and ailditi~n Ja.cob received" from Jehovah the name of here: "And Elijah the Tishbite said to the Israel,'' i.e., the "soldier of God," because prophets of the idols, Stand back; I will now he commanded hie house to "put away the make ready my offering."] strange gods" (Gen. xxxv. 2, 10 eqq.), or Ver. 30.-And Elijah &a.id unto all the that Elijah would tee.eh that "only those people [He has now done with the priests. who did e.e Jacob did had a claim to hie They have had their opportunity; his tum name." The great idea. is that the people is come], Come near unto me. [Hitherto a.re one, and a.re the Lord's.] they had gathered round the altar of Baal, Ver. 32.-And with the stonea [the twelve and some, it may be, had joined their prayers he had chosen out of the rains. Cf. Exod. to those of the priests (ver. 24). In ver. 21, xx. 25] he built an altar in the name of the he " drew near "-same word-to them. Lord [not "by the command of Jehovah" Now they must stand round the altar he (Bii.hr), but rather as the minister and for the is a.bout to build. He will have "eye- service of Jehovah, or, e.e Keil, "by the witnesses and ear-witnesses" (Keil). There authority and for the glory of Jehovah." mast be no suspicion of imposture.] And all Nor is it certain that "he called, e.e he built the people came near unto him. And he it, on the no.me of Jehovah, and so dedi- repaired the altar of the Lord that was cated it to His service" (Ro.wl.) See Gen. broken down. [It has been already suggested xii. 8; xiii. 4 ; xxxiii. 20; XXXV. 7J: e.nd he that this altar may have dated from the made a trench [or channel, 2 Kings xviii. 17 ; time when there was no house built unto lee.. vii. 3 ; xxxvi. 2 ; Ezek. xxxi. 4. The the name of the Lord. But it is just e.e word implies that it wo.s for holding the likely that it had been restored, if not water, not for keeping off the people] about raised, by some of the " seven thousand the altar, as great as would conta.in two who bad not bowed their knees unto Baal," measures of seed [Hob. as the inside (lit., or by some of the faithful remaining in Israel house) of two seahs of seed. These words after the calf-worship and the hostility have been variously interpreted. Keil, with between the two kingdoms had me.de wor- Thcniue and Wordsworth, understands that ship at Jerusalem an impossibility. Anyhow " the trench was so large that you could sow we can hardly be mistaken in holding that two see.ha of seed upon the ground which it this was one of the " altars" (eh. xi.x. 10) covered." But apart from the fact tho.t M!.;J " thrown down " by command of Ahab or must refe1 to capo.city rather than super- Jezebel. Eliiah's repairing it was an act ficial extent, one does not me11eure a 4'11. nm. 1-46.] THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS, 426