And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab: ‘As Hashem, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.’
verse value 4978
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 90 letters. The shortest word is "dew" (טַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Ahab" (אֶל־אַחְאָב֒, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·settlers·of" (מִתֹּשָׁבֵ֣י), "if·there·will·be" (אִם־יִֽהְיֶ֛ה), "the·years" (הַשָּׁנִ֥ים). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אליהו ("Elijah") in I Kings. First appearance of the root תשבי ("the·Tishbite") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·rain', dividing the verse into phrases of 17 and 3 words.
Rashi
And Elijah the Tishbite said. From the land (other manuscripts: the name of the city) whose name is Toshav:
"As the Lord lives." Why is this juxtaposed here? Rather, Elijah and Ahab went to comfort Hiel in his mourning. Ahab said to Elijah: Is it possible that the curse of the disciple was fulfilled, but the curse of Moses our teacher was not fulfilled? As it is stated (Deuteronomy 11:17): "And you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them, and the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens." Yet all of Israel serve idolatry, and the rains are not withheld. Immediately, "And Elijah said," etc. (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 10:2).
Radak
And it says, “Elijah the Tishbite, from the inhabitants of Gilead.” He was originally from a city whose name was Tishbe, and afterward he settled in Gilead. As the Targum of Jonathan renders it: “Elijah of Tishbe, from the inhabitants of Gilead.” Our Sages of blessed memory disagreed as to which tribe he was from: some said he was from the tribe of Gad, and some said he was from the tribe of Benjamin, and some said that Phinehas is Elijah. Each of them supports his view with verses, though they are remote and distant. We do not know the truth. Now, Elijah decreed concerning the rain out of his zeal for the Lord, against the worshippers of idolatry. It is written in the Torah of Moses: “And you turn aside and serve other gods and bow down to them, then the anger of the Lord will be kindled against you, and He will shut up the heavens, so that there will be no rain” (Deuteronomy 11:16-17). He relied on God that He would fulfill His words, and concerning him and his like it is said: “You decree a word, and it stands for you” (Job 22:28), just as the prophet Samuel said: “I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain” (1 Samuel 12:17). And because he was more wicked than all who were before him, Elijah decreed and said to him, “There will be no dew or rain” (1 Kings 17:1), perhaps he would repent. And God, who is slow to anger, extended His patience toward him, as He had extended it toward those who were before him. And what he said, “except according to my word,” means only in accordance with my words, until he would see that they would return from serving idolatry, whether all of them or some of them. And in the Midrash it asks: What is the connection between this and this? Rather, when all the sons of Chiel died, Elijah and Ahab went to comfort Chiel. Elijah said to him, “Because of the sin that you built Jericho, your sons died, as the word of the Lord which Joshua son of Nun spoke.” Ahab said to him, “Who is greater, Moses or Joshua?” He said to him, “Moses, who was Joshua’s teacher.” He said to him, “The words of the teacher were not fulfilled, and the words of the student were fulfilled. Did not Moses say, ‘And you serve other gods, and He will shut up the heavens’? And are not all Israel serving idolatry, and yet the heavens are not shut up?” Elijah sprang up and said, and swore, “As the Lord lives, if there will be dew or rain these years except according to my word” (1 Kings 17:1).
“Which I stood before Him.” This means that I am accustomed to standing before Him in prayer. And similarly, “the place where he stood before the face of the Lord.”
“Only according to my word.” As its Targum [renders it]: “elahin kad eimar” [except when I say]. For the rain would not come according to his [Elijah's] own word alone — for God had first said to him: “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain.” Thus, “according to my word” means: until I say so, by the command of God.
Ralbag
And Elijah the Tishbite, from the inhabitants of Gilead. Behold, this mention is due to the extreme excess of Ahab’s sins, for even though he saw the fulfillment of what the prophet had decreed to him of evil for his sins, he did not therefore return to the Lord. And you should know that some of our Sages of blessed memory agreed that this Phinehas is Elijah, because of the similarities they found between them. And it is mentioned in the Torah that God, blessed be He, gave him the covenant of peace, and the prophet said, “My covenant was with him, life and peace.” And for this reason it is likened that God had already granted Phinehas a wondrous length of days. And we find that he was a priest in the days of the concubine at Gibeah, and in the days of David we find it written, “And Phinehas the son of Eleazar was their leader of old, and the Lord was with him.” And we have already explained in the Book of Judges that he was the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Gideon and to Jephthah, and the Spirit of the Lord would carry him, like the Angel of the Lord, as we also find in the case of Elijah. And for this reason it says, “And they shall seek the teaching from his mouth,” for he is the Angel of the Lord of Hosts. And for this cause it says, “of old, and the Lord was with him.”
And we find regarding Elijah that he said to God, blessed be He, “Take my soul, for I am not better than my fathers,” meaning that he should not live forever in this world, but should die like all the earth, for he is not better than his fathers. And we also find that he did not die at the time when he was taken up from the head of Elisha. This is because after this came the letter of Elijah to Jehoram, son of Jehoshaphat, as mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. And it will be clarified that this was after that, for Elisha was not a prophet except after Elijah was taken up from him, as it says, “The spirit of Elijah rests upon Elisha.” And we find that Elisha prophesied in the days of Jehoshaphat, as it says, “As the Lord lives, before whom I stand, were it not for the face of Jehoshaphat... and this is a sign that Elijah was alive after this. And if one were to say that Elijah had already written this before his death, and the letter came to Jehoram after Elijah’s death, we would say to him that this is impossible, for those words already included matters that it would not be fitting for the prophet to say before they occurred. This is what he rebuked him for: that he did not walk in the ways of his good fathers, but walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and killed his brothers of his father’s house, who were better than him, and decreed for him that a wondrous punishment would overtake him for this, as mentioned there. And it would not be fitting for the prophet to testify against him before he committed the sins, for even if the prophet sees in one man that he will already sin a certain sin, behold, that man can guard himself so as not to sin, for God, blessed be He, does not compel a person to sin, but made him a possessor of free choice so that he might escape from spiritual and bodily evils, as we have explained in the third book of The Wars of the Lord. And behold, if he had not been able to escape from this, he would not have deserved to be punished for it, for he would have been coerced in the commission of that sin. And this is very clear. And therefore it is clear that Elijah did not die then, and his request was not fulfilled in what he said, “Take my soul.”
And for this you will find that Malachi said, “Behold, I am sending to you Elijah the prophet,” with the definite article “the.” And since we found this wondrous length of days for Elijah, and we also found it for Phinehas, as we have mentioned, and we found in both of them that the Spirit of the Lord carried them, as if they were Angels of the Lord, and we found the covenant of life for Phinehas, as we have mentioned, therefore it is fitting that we say that Phinehas is Elijah, for it is more fitting that one miracle be attributed to one person than that two miracles be attributed to two different people. And behold, it says that he was from the inhabitants of Gilead, for there he settled in those days. And behold, it was the way of Phinehas to be hidden from men for a long time, and afterwards he would appear, as will be seen in what we have mentioned in the Book of Judges.
There shall not be dew nor rain these years, except according to my word. Behold, the level of dew in the seasons of the day is like the level of rain in the seasons of the year. Just as the time for rain is in the cold season, so too is the matter with dew; therefore, it falls toward the end of the second part of the night. Elijah was sent on a divine mission to withhold from them dew and rain in general throughout all those years, except at the time when Elijah, on a mission from God, blessed be He, would declare that the dew would not be withheld, even during the drought.
Metzudat David
And Elijah said , etc. Our Sages of blessed memory said (Jerusalem Talmud, Sanhedrin 10:2): when the sons of Hiel the Bethelite died, Ahab and Elijah went to comfort him. And Elijah said to Hiel that his sons died by the curse of Joshua. And Ahab replied: and why should not the curse of Moses our master be fulfilled, that he said (Deuteronomy 11:16): 'and you serve other gods' etc. 'and He will shut up the heavens.' Are they not all idolaters? And the rains are not withheld. Immediately Elijah leaped up and swore that he would withhold dew and rain.
The Lord lives. It is a matter of an oath; to say: just as the Lord lives, etc.
Before whom I stand. That I am accustomed to stand before Him in prayer.
Only by my word. Only for the measure of time that I will speak [at first] (in prayer) that it will be.
Metzudat Zion
HaTishbi. From a city called Toshav:
Me'tshuvei. From the language of dwelling; I mean: that he dwelt in Gilead for a long time:
L'fi. According to the measure of; like (Genesis 47:12) 'bread according to their children' (lechem l'fi hatof):
Malbim
(1–16) The Questions: Why did Elijah decree thus? And why precisely now, after the incident of Hiel the Bethelite? And what is the meaning of [the phrase] “But according to my word”? Yet surely it came not by his own word, but only by the command of the LORD. Why did He command him first to sit by the Brook Cherith, and not immediately command him to go out to Sidon, or to another place outside the Land [of Israel]? Why did He not send His blessing through the bread and water of Elijah, but had to send His blessing through the jar and cruse of the widow? Why did He command her to make a small cake for him first, and afterward for herself and her son? And what is the meaning of the verse “And she ate, she and he and her household”? Why did He say “The jar of meal shall not be spent,” whereas it would be proper to say “The meal in the jar shall not be spent, and the oil in the cruse shall not be lacking”?
Elijah the Tishbite said: There is no doubt that this deed made a great impression, and all the people heard and were afraid. Ahab, however, strove to deny this and to attribute it to chance. And so our Sages of blessed memory stated that Ahab said to Elijah: Is it possible that the curse of the master was not fulfilled, but the curse of the student was fulfilled? He argued with him, saying: How is it possible that the curse of Moses, who said, "Lest your heart be enticed and you turn aside and serve other gods, and He shut up the heavens so that there be no rain," was not fulfilled, while the curse of Joshua was fulfilled? However, the answer to this is that the punishments of the Torah apply only when Israel is under Divine providence. At that time, rain is providential, as it is written, "And it shall come to pass, if you will hearken diligently to My commandments, that I will give the rain of your land in its season." Then, when they abandon the Lord, providence departs from them, and there is no providential rain. However, after they, through the multitude of their idols, became like the nations of the land, and providence departed from them completely, and the land was delivered into the hands of nature and its mechanisms during the days of Ahab, it is not required that natural rain cease when they serve idols. For nature acts according to its custom, and it has no connection with the deeds of human beings; this connection exists only with providence, not with nature. And this applies only to the punishments of the Torah. However, the curse of Joshua, which he uttered on his own authority—surely the honor of Joshua, his speech, and his decree are connected with Divine providence, for the Lord watches over the honor of His righteous ones to fulfill their decrees. Although providence had departed from that generation of evildoers, it had not departed from Joshua the righteous, nor from his decree and his honor. Therefore, his curse was fulfilled. And Elijah came to clarify this to him through a miracle, that his decree would also be fulfilled now, if he were to decree regarding dew and rain. And this is because providence is attached to him to fulfill the utterance of his mouth, inasmuch as he stands before the Lord and His providence. And this is what he said: "As the Lord lives, before whom I stand." And on account of this, I decree that there shall be no dew or rain these years. And do not think that this will be on account of punishment for the evil of your deeds, for you are not worthy of providential punishment, since providence has departed from you. Rather, it is according to my words, that the Lord will fulfill my decree because I have spoken thus, and the Lord will fulfill my decree. Therefore, he added also "dew," which is not included in the punishment of the Torah, which states "there shall be no rain," in order that they may know that it is only according to his word and decree. And by this it will be clarified that the punishment indeed applied on account of the decree of Joshua and his word.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלָ֥יו [to·him] (47) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 581.
’Get you hence, and turn you eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
verse value 3693
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·hide·yourself" (וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 50: go, for·yourself. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·hide·yourself" (וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ֙). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "upon·the·face·of" (root פנים, 95x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'eastward', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 6 words. Full calculation: לֵ֣ךְ [go] (50) + מִזֶּ֔ה [from·here] (52) + וּפָנִ֥יתָ [and·you·shall·turn] (546) + לְּךָ֖ [for·yourself] (50) + קֵ֑דְמָה [eastward] (149) + וְנִסְתַּרְתָּ֙ [and·hide·yourself] (1116) + בְּנַ֣חַל [in·wadi·of] (90) + כְּרִ֔ית [Cherith] (630) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + עַל־פְּנֵ֥י [upon·the·face·of] (240) + הַיַּרְדֵּֽן [the·Jordan] (269) = 3693.
Rashi
“And you shall hide yourself.” Because of Ahab and Jezebel:
Radak
"And you shall hide." [Meaning] that no person should know of you there.
Ralbag
“And you shall hide yourself by the brook Cherith.” Behold, this is proof that God, blessed be He, acts through appropriate causes and does not innovate anything contrary to nature unless it is a time of necessity. For this reason, God, blessed be He, desired that Elijah should hide himself from Ahab, and God, blessed be He, arranged that Elijah’s sustenance should reach him through the ravens. And they were unclean birds, so that no one would know of Elijah’s presence there. One should not ask how Elijah knew that the meat was kosher, for God, blessed be He, desired that he eat what the ravens brought him. Moreover, it was already possible that God, blessed be He, arranged to feed him through the ravens something pure and kosher. However, in any case, there was no sin in this, because it is permitted to transgress certain commandments by means of prophecy, as has been explained in the Torah.
Metzudat David
Go from here. So that Ahab not kill you.
Eastward. To the east.
To the brook Cherith. Near the brook that stands east of the Jordan.
Metzudat Zion
U'faniti. You shall turn and go around:
Malbim
“Go from here” – He commanded him to distance himself from that place, whether on account of danger, or because, since he had stopped the flow from them and sealed the upper channels so that they would not pour water upon them, then if he were found among them and Divine Providence were to pour its abundance upon Elijah (since he still cleaves to God, and the blessing of the Lord will descend upon him), would it not then also pass over to the people and the place where he dwells? Therefore, he was compelled to leave from there. Nevertheless, He commanded him not to go out to the Land of Israel’s outside (Chutz La’Aretz), but rather that he should hide himself by the Brook Cherith, which is east of the Jordan, which is on the border of the Land of Israel. For there was a difference between any time that the Lord hides His face and His providence from Israel, and this particular time. When the Lord hides His face from Israel due to the evil of their deeds, then they are abandoned to nature and chance. And since the cosmic configuration and nature are always opposed to Israel, they will find many evils and troubles, mostly arising from themselves, as it is stated: “And I will hide My face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them.” Nevertheless, at a time when the cosmic configuration is favorable and evil is not incumbent upon them on account of nature, they will subsist according to nature. But at this time, according to nature, it was fitting for natural rains to descend, and it was not fitting for there to be a year of drought. And in this case, it was not sufficient merely to hide His face, for then the rains would have descended in their usual manner. Rather, it required Providence that the Lord should oversee nature so that it would not cause the rains that are obligated to descend according to nature to fall. And in this instance, both Providence and the hiding of the Face were required: namely, that He should oversee nature so that it would not cause its rains to fall, and that He should hide His Face from the people so that He would not bestow upon them in exchange the rain of Providence. And since Elijah was the agent and the actor of all these deeds through his power, He commanded him to sit on the border and the boundary. This is the indication that Elijah, with the Lord who dwells upon him to fulfill His decree, sits on the border to guard and to stop, lest the vapors rise from the earth into the air, which would fill the clouds with rain upon the land and pour it out. And likewise, lest clouds and rain come into the land, as one who guards the border so that good and abundance do not enter there. And He commanded him to sit on the eastern side, as it is stated: “And turn yourself eastward,” for from there the sun rises and obligates actions in the lower realms according to the cosmic configuration, in order to stop the flow lest it descend to that land.
And it shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.’
verse value 3004
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָֽׁם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ravens" (וְאֶת־הָעֹרְבִ֣ים, 9 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·the·wadi" (מֵהַנַּ֣חַל), "you·will·drink" (תִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה), "and·the·ravens" (וְאֶת־הָעֹרְבִ֣ים). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "there" (root שם, 66x in I Kings); "you·will·drink" (root שתה, 20x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·will·drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהָיָ֖ה [and·it·shall·be] (26) + מֵהַנַּ֣חַל [from·the·wadi] (133) + תִּשְׁתֶּ֑ה [you·will·drink] (1105) + וְאֶת־הָעֹרְבִ֣ים [and·the·ravens] (734) + צִוִּ֔יתִי [I·commanded] (516) + לְכַלְכֶּלְךָ֖ [to·feed·you] (150) + שָֽׁם [there] (340) = 3004.
Radak
"And it shall be that from the brook you shall drink." "And it shall be"—this refers to "your life," as it says, "from the brook you shall drink, and the ravens shall sustain you."
"And I commanded the ravens." Actual ravens, and they are the black birds. The meaning of "I commanded" is that I placed it in their hearts to bring bread and meat twice a day. One should not ask from where they brought it to him, for indeed they brought it to him from a kosher source, since they brought it to him by God's will, and there were many kosher [sources] in Israel, as it says, "And I left seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that bowed not to Baal, and every mouth that kissed him not." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, some say that they brought it to him from the table of Ahab, and there are those who say from the table of Jehoshaphat. And some say that the ravens were merchants, like "the merchant-traders of your wares" [Ezekiel 27:27]. And behold, the verse says, "You shall hide yourself," meaning that no man should know you there, for we have seen that Ahab was searching for him, as it says, "If there is a nation and a kingdom..." And perhaps those merchants were hiding him.
Metzudat David
And it shall be from the brook. Meaning: and it will be to quench your thirst; for from the brook you will drink.
And the ravens , etc. In order to arouse his spirit, so that he not become cruel to Israel; upon seeing that the cruel ravens will have compassion upon him to provide for him -- how will he not have compassion upon Israel?
I have commanded. Meaning: I put in their heart.
Metzudat Zion
Ha'orvim. They are the black birds:
L'kalchelcha. A matter of providing food:
Malbim
“And it shall be, from the brook you shall drink”: The abundance of Divine providence descends upon a person according to his preparation. Since Elijah prepared himself through this act to withhold the upper blessing from descending below, it was not possible for it to descend upon him either. Therefore, it was not possible to sustain him by finding blessing in his bread, as would later occur with the jar of meal, nor that the waters he drank from would be blessed, for this would contradict his preparation. Hence, it is said that he would drink from the brook, and the ravens would sustain him with what they would bring him of bread and meat that was found. And it was shown to him that he could not draw new abundance from the source of living waters, but only drink from a brook whose waters are already within it, which is destined to dry up and become desolate, just as he withheld from the people so that they would not be sustained except from the food and water found before his curse. And likewise, He prepared his sustenance through ravens, which are cruel by nature, so that he would remember that thus he had been cruel to the people by causing them to die of famine, which is the nature of the raven implanted in the attributes of man, who comprises all the attributes of animals, as I have elaborated in my discourses.
So he went and did according to the word of Hashem; for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
verse value 2818
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 45 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֖ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·face·of" (עַל־פְּנֵ֥י, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 66: and·went, and·went. The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "as·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַיַּ֖עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [as·word·of] (226) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיֵּ֗לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + וַיֵּ֙שֶׁב֙ [and·dwelt] (318) + בְּנַ֣חַל [in·wadi·of] (90) + כְּרִ֔ית [Cherith] (630) + אֲשֶׁ֖ר [that] (501) + עַל־פְּנֵ֥י [upon·the·face·of] (240) + הַיַּרְדֵּֽן [the·Jordan] (269) = 2818.
Malbim
“And he went and did according to the word of the Lord.” Behold, in his going there was an overt action, in that he removed himself from his place to the Jordan, and a hidden action, in that he caused the Divine Providence to likewise shift its attention toward that region of the land to withhold the heavens. Regarding the hidden action it says, “and did according to the word of the Lord,” meaning that he made an impression upon the higher realms in accordance with the utterance of the Lord; and regarding the overt action it says, “and he went and dwelt in the brook Cherith.”
And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
verse value 3122
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֜וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֜וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·ravens" (וְהָעֹרְבִ֗ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 508: and·flesh, and·flesh. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·ravens" (וְהָעֹרְבִ֗ים), "and·from·the·torrent" (וּמִן־הַנַּ֖חַל), "will·drink" (יִשְׁתֶּֽה). The root ערב appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "bringing" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings); "bread" (root לחם, 31x in I Kings); "will·drink" (root שתה, 20x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evening', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 2 words. Full calculation: וְהָעֹרְבִ֗ים [and·the·ravens] (333) + מְבִאִ֨ים [bringing] (93) + ל֜וֹ [to·him] (36) + לֶ֤חֶם [bread] (78) + וּבָשָׂר֙ [and·flesh] (508) + בַּבֹּ֔קֶר [in·the·morning] (304) + וְלֶ֥חֶם [and·bread] (84) + וּבָשָׂ֖ר [and·flesh] (508) + בָּעָ֑רֶב [evening] (274) + וּמִן־הַנַּ֖חַל [and·from·the·torrent] (189) + יִשְׁתֶּֽה [will·drink] (715) = 3122.
Metzudat David
And flesh. And since the Lord told him to eat it, he knew that it was kosher meat.
And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
verse value 1499
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·because" (כִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·made·dry" (וַיִּיבַ֣שׁ, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·made·dry" (וַיִּיבַ֣שׁ), "torrent" (הַנָּ֑חַל). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "days" (root יום, 100x in I Kings); "and·because" (root כי, 94x in I Kings). First appearance of the root גשם ("rain") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'torrent', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֛י [and·it·was] (31) + מִקֵּ֥ץ [from·end·of] (230) + יָמִ֖ים [days] (100) + וַיִּיבַ֣שׁ [and·made·dry] (328) + הַנָּ֑חַל [torrent] (93) + כִּ֛י [and·because] (30) + לֹא־הָיָ֥ה [not·was] (51) + גֶ֖שֶׁם [rain] (343) + בָּאָֽרֶץ [in·the·land] (293) = 1499.
Rashi
“And the river dried up.” In order that he might realize the need for rain and exert himself to reveal himself, for it was grievous in the eyes of the Holy One, blessed be He, that Israel were dwelling in a state of death by famine.
Malbim
"And the brook dried up" — Now, there is providential rain and natural rain, as we have explained elsewhere. Natural rain comes about through the rising of vapors from the earth upward; when the clouds become filled with vapors over the land, they are compelled to release them. As long as the brooks in the land had not dried up, vapors continued to rise from the brooks, the vegetation, and every source of water, and thus rain was necessitated by nature. Therefore, Elijah was required to remain there on guard, at the boundary, to subdue nature to His command, that it should not empty out what was in it. However, after this great brook dried up, then certainly all sources of water dried up, and likewise the moisture ceased, both in the earth and in the breathable air, for they dried up due to the heat and dissipated. Rain was no longer necessitated by nature, as it is during a prolonged drought. At that point, no further guarding was required for this purpose, and he was able to distance himself from the Land of Israel and go out to Sidon. This is hinted at in the verse's statement, "for there was no rain," meaning that rain was no longer prepared in actuality by nature, until the providential rain descended.
Verse structure: 4 words, 19 letters. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֥י, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·word·of·Hashem" (דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה, 7 letters). 4 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). Full calculation: וַיְהִ֥י [and·it·was] (31) + דְבַר־יְהֹוָ֖ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֵלָ֥יו [to·him] (47) + לֵאמֹֽר [saying] (271) = 581.
’Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Zidon, and dwell there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.’
verse value 4218
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Zidon" (לְצִיד֔וֹן, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: there, there. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·Zidon" (לְצִיד֔וֹן). The root שם appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "there" (root שם, 66x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'there', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: ק֣וּם [rise] (146) + לֵ֤ךְ [go] (50) + צָֽרְפַ֙תָה֙ [to·Zarephath] (775) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [which] (501) + לְצִיד֔וֹן [to·Zidon] (190) + וְיָשַׁבְתָּ֖ [and·dwell] (718) + שָׁ֑ם [there] (340) + הִנֵּ֨ה [they] (60) + צִוִּ֥יתִי [I·commanded] (516) + שָׁ֛ם [there] (340) + אִשָּׁ֥ה [wife] (306) + אַלְמָנָ֖ה [widow] (126) + לְכַלְכְּלֶֽךָ [to·sustain·you] (150) = 4218.
Rashi
Zarephath. The name of the city:
"I commanded there." In My retinue, that a widow woman shall sustain you there.
Radak
“Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon.” Because there is another Zarephath, as is stated regarding it, “the Canaanites, as far as Zarephath” [Obadiah 1:20]. This is the Zarephath that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Elijah to go to; it is adjacent to Sidon, and it belongs to Israel.
"Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you." If one were to say that He placed it in the widow's heart to sustain him, this would not be the case, for she had no means by which to sustain herself, except through a miracle. But Elijah understood the words of God thus, as it was also said to him, "And I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there." And since Elijah saw that the widow had no means by which to sustain herself, all the more so that she would sustain him, he knew that what God said to him, "I have commanded," was by means of a miracle. He said that He would command His word and His blessing in the house of the widow, so that she would be able to sustain him. Therefore, he said to her, "Thus says the Lord, God of Israel: The jar of flour shall not be exhausted, and the jug of oil shall not diminish." And they said in the midrash that this widow was the mother of the prophet Jonah.
Ralbag
“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon.” Since there was another place called Zarephath, as stated in “and the exile of this host of the children of Israel who are among the Canaanites, as far as Zarephath,” the text specifies “Zarephath which belongs to Sidon.”
"Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you." This means that it was through a miracle, for she had nothing with which to sustain him, as will be explained later. And since God, blessed be He, told him that she would sustain him, Elijah sought to take the water and the bread from the widow.
Metzudat David
Zarephath. The name of a city in the land of Sidon.
Behold, I have commanded. Meaning: I have appointed there a widow woman to provide for you.
Malbim
Behold, I have commanded there: I have already written that it was not possible to bestow a blessing upon Elijah’s bread, since this would have been contrary to his preparation [for the miracle]; rather, the widow was righteous and worthy, such that the blessing could be bestowed for her sake, to sustain her life. And she sustained Elijah from the blessing that was bestowed upon her.
So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her, and said: ‘Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.’
verse value 5820
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 85 letters. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֧י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·behold·there" (וְהִנֵּה־שָׁ֛ם, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·opening·of" (אֶל־פֶּ֣תַח), "and·behold·there" (וְהִנֵּה־שָׁ֛ם), "take·please" (קְחִי־נָ֨א). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·opening·of" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'tree', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Rashi
“Take, I pray you, a little water.” He did not recognize the widow whom the Holy One, blessed be He, had told him of. He learned from Eliezer, Abraham’s servant, and said: “The one who gives me water to drink is the widow.”
Metzudat David
Take, please, for me. Take from your house and bring to me.
Metzudat Zion
Me'kosheshet. Gathering of small things is called koshesh; likewise (Exodus 5:12) 'to gather straw' (l'koshesh kash):
Malbim
And [the phrase] “and behold, there [was] a woman” does not imply that her dwelling was at the entrance of the city; rather, she merely happened to be at the entrance of the city at that time to gather wood, for the Lord had arranged for her to be there to meet Elijah, so that he would find her upon his arrival at the entrance of the city. And this is what is stated: “And behold, there… gathering sticks.” And since the prophet recognized that this was the woman whom the Lord had arranged for him to meet, he wished to know what she lacked—whether water or bread. He began with water, because it was for its sake that the Lord had moved him from his place. And when he saw that she had gone to her house to fetch and bring [water], he then knew that she did not lack water. He said:
And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said: ‘Bring me, I pray you, a morsel of bread in your hand.’
verse value 2447
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "in·your·hand" (בְּיָדֵֽךְ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·me" (לִ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "take·please" (לִֽקְחִי־נָ֥א, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·take" (לָקַ֑חַת), "take·please" (לִֽקְחִי־נָ֥א), "fragment·bread" (פַּת־לֶ֖חֶם). The root לקח appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·she·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "to·her" (root אל, 102x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·take', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ [and·she·went] (456) + לָקַ֑חַת [to·take] (538) + וַיִּקְרָ֤א [and·called] (317) + אֵלֶ֙יהָ֙ [to·her] (46) + וַיֹּאמַ֔ר [and·he·said] (257) + לִֽקְחִי־נָ֥א [take·please] (199) + לִ֛י [to·me] (40) + פַּת־לֶ֖חֶם [fragment·bread] (558) + בְּיָדֵֽךְ [in·your·hand] (36) = 2447.
Radak
"Take, please, for me." The lamed stands with a ga'ya.
Metzudat Zion
Pat. A piece; like (Leviticus 2:6) 'break it into pieces' (patot otah):
And she said: ‘As Hashem your God lives, I have not a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse; and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.’
verse value 6633
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "in·the·jar" (בַּכַּ֔ד) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·only" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·will·make·it" (וַעֲשִׂיתִ֙יהוּ֙, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "if·there·is·to·me" (אִם־יֶשׁ־לִ֣י), "cake" (מָע֔וֹג), "if·fullness·of" (אִם־מְלֹ֤א). 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "as·Hashem·lives" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·I·will·make·it" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). First appearance of the root כד ("in·the·jar") in I Kings. First appearance of the root צפחת ("in·the·jar") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·jar', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 10 words.
Rashi
Me’ug. Like a cake:
"Full palm." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translates: "melei pisat yada" (the fill of the palm of the hand).
"In the flask." "Vitoile" in Old French (la'az), as it is stated regarding Saul (1 Samuel 26:12): "the cruse of water that was at his head."
"And we shall die." From there on, we shall die of famine.
Radak
"If I have a cake." Any food termed "ug" (cake), whether a large piece or a small one.
“Only a handful of fine flour.” This indicates that it is not yet baked into a cake. And the Targum translates “a handful” as “a palmful.”
"And we shall die." After we eat it, we will die, for we have nothing left to eat.
Ralbag
If there is a cake. It is a matter of a cake, and she said that she has nothing in the way of a cake, but she has a little flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug.
“And we shall eat it, and we shall die.” This means that after this they will die, for there is nothing for her to eat due to the severity of the famine.
Metzudat David
A full handful of meal. I have in the jar meal that is the measure of a full handful.
Two sticks. To bake with it.
And we shall die. And after this we shall die of hunger; for I have nothing more.
Metzudat Zion
Ma'ug. A cake; likewise (Psalms 35:16) 'with profane mockers for a cake' (vachane'i le'agi me'ug):
Kaf. The palm of the hand:
B'kad. A vessel:
B'tzafchat. A flask; likewise (I Samuel 26:11) 'the water flask' (tzafchat hamayim):
Malbim
For the Lord does not perform a miracle unless it is for a great necessity. And as long as she had food for one meal, the miracle of increasing the flour and the oil would not have been manifested. Therefore He arranged for Elijah to come at a time when she had only one meal remaining, in a situation where afterward she would die of starvation. And thus she was worthy of a miracle so that she would not die. And this is what the verse says: "and we will eat it, and die."
And Elijah said to her: ‘Fear not; go and do as you have said; but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it forth to me, and afterward make for you and for your son.
verse value 5025
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "go·in" (בֹּ֖אִי) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "indeed" (אַ֣ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "make·me·from·there" (עֲשִׂי־לִֽי־מִ֠שָּׁ֠ם, 8 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "do·not·fear" (אַל־תִּ֣ירְאִ֔י), "do" (עֲשִׂ֣י), "make·me·from·there" (עֲשִׂי־לִֽי־מִ֠שָּׁ֠ם). The root עשה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "as·your·word" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "do" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'as·your·word', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 11 words.
Rashi
A small cake at first. There is an aggadic midrash in Genesis Rabbah (why "at first"?): on the verse, "Leah said, 'Bagad!'" [Genesis 30:11].
Radak
“Do as you have said.” That is, prepare it as a full handful, and make for me from it a small cake, for the flour will suffice for me, for you, and for your son. And as for what he said at first, “For I am hungry,” it was because he had not eaten on that journey. And there is an interpretation that since he was a priest, she should first separate for him the challah from the dough.
Ralbag
"Only make for me from there a small cake first." Behold, Elijah commanded her this, because for the sake of sustaining him, God, blessed be He, will bring a blessing into that flour and oil; and if she were to make it for herself and her son first, the flour and oil would be exhausted in it.
Metzudat David
Do not fear. For you will not die of hunger.
Do so by your word. To knead the meal and make cakes.
From there. From that meal.
And you shall bring out to me. To feed me first; and afterwards you will make for yourself and for your son.
Malbim
“Only make for me” – I have already written that it was impossible for the flour to increase for Elijah’s sake, as this would have been contrary to the purpose of its preparation. And if she had made food for herself and her son first, which would have been from the existing flour, it would have been necessary that the cake intended for Elijah come from the blessing, because as long as there was flour found for her sustenance and her son’s sustenance, a miracle would not be performed in vain, and the flour would not have increased. And necessarily, the beginning of the blessing would have been for Elijah’s sake, and this was not possible, as stated above. Therefore, he commanded that his cake be made first from the existing flour, and thereby, in the remaining flour, there would not be sufficient abundance for her meal and her son’s meal, and necessarily the blessing would come into it for her sake. And then, after the blessing was found in it, Elijah too would be fed from it, for if the conduit is opened, it will not be closed again.
For thus says Hashem, the God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not be spent, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that Hashem sends rain upon the land.’
verse value 5694
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 74 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֜ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 5694 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "gives·Hashem" (תֵּת־יְהֹוָ֛ה, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "will·accomplish" (תִכְלָ֔ה), "will·lack" (תֶחְסָ֑ר). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'will·lack', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Radak
"לא תכלה" is written with a he and vocalized as if it had an aleph, and its meaning is a term of destruction and deficiency, like those words that have a he.
"Until the day that the LORD gives." It is written with a nun, like "latittan" there, and it is read without a nun, as "tet"; and both are correct. And we have already stated our opinion concerning the Ketiv and Kri, that in the exile the manuscripts became corrupted, and they would find in one manuscript thus, and in another manuscript thus, and they did not ascertain the clarification; and they wrote one within [the text] and the other outside [the text].
Metzudat David
Shall not be used up. From pouring out the meal.
Until the day , etc. For then there is no need for the miracle.
Metzudat Zion
Tichale. From the language of depletion (running out):
Malbim
For thus it is explained that the effect of this blessing was not through his own speech, [in contrast to] the effect of Elisha in the blessing of the oil (II Kings 4), which was through his own power, for there is in the power of the prophet to pour out blessing and additional abundance, for this was not now within the power of Elijah, but rather "thus said the Lord." And there is a difference between the blessing performed by a prophet through his power and that which is performed by the will of the Lord and His decree, for the prophet has in his power only to bestow blessing upon the little that exists so that it may increase, as it is stated regarding Elisha, "What do you have in the house?" and the oil increased. And the blessing was upon the little oil that it would increase, which is this matter of bringing something into existence from something, not so is the blessing of the Lord, which can rest even upon an empty thing, for here it said, "The jar of flour shall not be exhausted," meaning that not only will the flour not be exhausted, which is the blessing of the flour and the oil, for this is not a condition in the blessing of the Lord, but rather "the jar of flour shall not be exhausted" from being called a jar of flour, in a manner that the blessing rests upon the jar and the cruse, which is upon the vessel, whether there is something in it or there is not.
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
verse value 2563
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "you" ((הוא, 3 letters) and the longest is "she·and·he" (הִֽיא־וָה֛וּא, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·did" (וַֽתַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה), "she·and·he" (הִֽיא־וָה֛וּא), "and·her·house" (וּבֵיתָ֖הּ). The root הוא appears 3 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "as·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "and·her·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "and·did" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elijah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·she·went] (456) + וַֽתַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה [and·did] (781) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [as·word·of] (226) + אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ [Elijah] (52) + וַתֹּ֧אכַל [and·ate] (457) + (הוא [you] (12) + והיא) [and·she] (22) + הִֽיא־וָה֛וּא [she·and·he] (34) + וּבֵיתָ֖הּ [and·her·house] (423) + יָמִֽים [days] (100) = 2563.
Radak
"And she and he ate." The Ketiv mentions the male first and the female last, but the Kri is the reverse, and both readings convey the same meaning, for both of them ate. However, the custom of the language is that when both male and female are mentioned together, the language follows the one mentioned first, whether male or female, and the first one is the primary subject; therefore the primary subject is mentioned first, as in "And Miriam and Aaron spoke" (Numbers 12:1), and "Queen Esther and Mordecai the Jew wrote" (Esther 9:29), and "Mordecai the Jew and Esther the queen confirmed [these days] upon them" (Esther 9:31). So too here, "she and he ate," for she is the primary subject, even though the miracle came to her through Elijah. And in the midrash, [the Ketiv] "he and she" is written [to teach] that they ate in the merit of Elijah.
"And her household." [Meaning] her son and others, members of her household. But above he only said "to me and to my son," because it was sufficient only for the two of them alone, and they take precedence over the rest of the household.
Ralbag
"And he ate, and she, and her household, for days." The word "he" is placed first, just as Elijah had said to her.
Metzudat Zion
Yamim. Our Sages of blessed memory said: a year:
Malbim
(15-16) “And she went”: This explains that she did as Elijah had told her, making the cake for him first and then for herself. The reason for this order is that the primary blessing was on her account, not on Elijah’s account. Accordingly, in the phrase “and she ate and he ate,” she was the one who ate essentially and first, while he was secondary to her in this matter, eating by virtue of her merit, as it is stated, “Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” It further explains that the jar of flour did not run out, because the blessing rested upon the jar. This occurred in accordance with the word of the Lord, not by means of Elijah’s word or his power.
The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Hashem, which He spoke by Elijah.
verse value 2968
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "jar" (כַּ֤ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·jar" (וְצַפַּ֥חַת, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "accomplished" (כָלָ֔תָה). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "as·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'lacking', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: כַּ֤ד [jar] (24) + הַקֶּ֙מַח֙ [flour] (153) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + כָלָ֔תָה [accomplished] (455) + וְצַפַּ֥חַת [and·jar] (584) + הַשֶּׁ֖מֶן [the·oil] (395) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + חָסֵ֑ר [lacking] (268) + כִּדְבַ֣ר [as·word·of] (226) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + דִּבֶּ֖ר [He·spoke] (206) + בְּיַ֥ד [in·hand·of] (16) + אֵֽלִיָּֽהוּ [Elijah] (52) = 2968.
Radak
"And the jug of oil did not lack." [חָסֵר follows] the pattern of a Pa'al verb with a tsere, like "for he desired [חָפֵץ] the daughter of Jacob." And it says חָסֵר in the masculine form, because its sense is directed toward "the oil" [masculine]. And above it said "shall not lack" [תֶחְסָר] in the feminine form, its sense directed toward "the jug." And the matter is one, as stated above: it is the custom of the language, for the most part, that the sense of the verb is directed to the noun attached to it, and the verb will almost [agree] with the noun attached to it, as in "for the front of the battle was against him," "the voice of the leaders was hidden," "the bow of the mighty is broken."
Ralbag
And it is mentioned that for one year they ate from this, yet the jar of flour and the cruse of oil did not diminish. And behold, this miracle occurred when the air within the jar was transformed into flour, and the air within the cruse into oil, akin to the matter of the staff being turned into a serpent.
And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
verse value 3782
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֛ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·left·in·him" (לֹא־נֽוֹתְרָה־בּ֖וֹ, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, and·it·was. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "mistress·of" (בַּעֲלַ֣ת), "his·sickness" (חׇלְיוֹ֙), "not·left·in·him" (לֹא־נֽוֹתְרָה־בּ֖וֹ). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "the·words" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
The son of the woman became ill. In order that he might require the key of the resurrection of the dead, as it is stated at the end of the Aggadah of Chelek (Sanhedrin 113a):
Radak
“Until no spirit remained in him.” There are those who say that he did not die completely, but rather his illness was extremely severe, to the point that his breathing ceased and there were no signs of life discernible in him—neither in his breathing nor in the pulsing of his arteries—until his mother assumed that he was dead. And so it says in Daniel: “No spirit remained in me.” However, that verse is to be understood as an expression of exaggeration. The correct view is that he died a complete death, as is the common understanding among people.
Ralbag
"And his sickness was very strong, until there remained in him no breath." This means that death overtook him on account of the severity of his illness.
Metzudat David
Until , etc. Meaning: so strong was the illness upon him, that he died from this illness.
Metzudat Zion
Ba'alat ha-bayit. Mistress of the house:
Malbim
(17-24) The Questions: Why did it say "the son of the woman, the mistress of the house," and not say "the son of the widow woman," as it had said until now? And why did she say to him that he had come to recall her sin — could it not be that he died in the ordinary manner of all the earth? And why did she say, "Now I know that you are a man of God," when she had already seen that a blessing was sent through him by the word of the Lord?
"And it came to pass" — this is stated in connection with what is written subsequently, that she said, "Have you come to remind me of my sin?" For after the miracle was performed on her behalf so that she and her son would not die, how could it be that now her son would die from his illness? And our Sages already stated that in Syria there was a plague and famine, and they said that one should pray regarding the famine, for "whoever gives sustenance, gives it to the living." And therefore, precisely for this reason, He performed the miracle regarding the sustenance so that he would die from his illness. And this is what it says: "The son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell ill." That she was the "mistress of the house" means that she was the principal one in the house, because the miracle was performed on her merit, as explained above. "He fell ill" — not in the manner of natural illnesses, where initially one falls ill slightly and then the illness intensifies; rather, immediately his illness was very severe, to the point that no soul remained in him, such that she saw that he died as a form of punishment. And this contradicts Elijah's words to her, which stated that the miracle was performed for the sake of her household.
And she said to Elijah: ‘What have I to do with you, O you man of God? are you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?’
verse value 3480
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "and·to·you" (וָלָ֖ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Elijah" (אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "what·to·me" (מַה־לִּ֥י), "you·went·in" (בָּ֧אתָ), "to·make·memorial" (לְהַזְכִּ֥יר). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "you·went·in" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings); "to·me" (root אל, 102x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אליה ("to·Elijah") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·God', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·she·said] (647) + אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ [to·Elijah] (83) + מַה־לִּ֥י [what·to·me] (85) + וָלָ֖ךְ [and·to·you] (56) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [the·God] (91) + בָּ֧אתָ [you·went·in] (403) + אֵלַ֛י [to·me] (41) + לְהַזְכִּ֥יר [to·make·memorial] (272) + אֶת־עֲוֺנִ֖י [my·sin] (537) + וּלְהָמִ֥ית [and·to·slay] (491) + אֶת־בְּנִֽי [my·son] (463) = 3480.
Rashi
"To recall my sin." Before you came to me, they weighed my deeds and the deeds of my city, and I was worthy of a miracle. Since you came here, I was counted as nothing, and my righteousness is not evident (other manuscripts read: "is not remembered"). Similarly, Lot says (Genesis 19:19): "For I cannot escape to the mountain," [meaning] near Abraham, so that my merit not be remembered alongside his (Genesis Rabbah 50:11).
Radak
"To recall my sin." It seems to me that through you my sin was recalled — perhaps I did not serve You properly — and therefore God reminded me of a sin I have, and God punished me with the death of my son.
Ralbag
"You have come to me to recall my sin and to kill my son." She said this because, since Elijah was free from sin, his presence with her would highlight her guilt, for she was not as righteous as he. It is also possible that she said this because God, blessed be He, scrutinizes the righteous man very strictly, and punishes him more severely for his sin than He would punish another person, as we have mentioned regarding the old prophet who was in Bethel. For this reason, it is conceivable that if Elijah had not been there, God, blessed be He, would have overlooked her sins. But because he was present, God, blessed be He, scrutinized everything that occurred in the house where he was, and this became the cause for the punishment to befall her.
Metzudat David
What have I to do with you. Meaning: what is the enmity and hatred between us? What have you done to me, and what have I done to you? And why have you come to me to recall my sin? For until you came here, I was considered righteous compared to the men of my place; but compared to you I am wicked, and my sin was recalled, and through this my son died. And she thought: when she complains to the prophet, he will entreat the Lord on behalf of her son.
Malbim
And therefore, she suspected him, that what he had said in the name of the Lord, "The jar of meal shall not fail," was not true; rather, he performed this miracle by his own power, through names or charms that alter nature. And she suspected that for this reason her son died, for after one has benefited from something done covertly or through things that go beyond nature, this is considered a sin and one becomes liable to death, as it is stated, "he who makes [personal] use of the crown shall perish." And so she said, "You have come to me to bring my sin to remembrance, etc." Moreover, it has already been stated that one for whom a miracle is performed has it deducted from his merits, for if it is necessary that reality be altered on his behalf, his merits and sins are weighed on a scale to see if he is worthy of it. And since she thought that this was done through a miracle by Elijah's own doing (and not according to the will of the Lord, who commands thus from His own will without weighing merit and guilt), through this her sins were brought to remembrance and her son died.
And he said to her: ‘Give me your son.’ And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the upper chamber, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.
verse value 3921
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 67 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֔ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·the·roof-room" (אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּ֗ה, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "give·me" (תְּנִי־לִ֣י), "your·son" (אֶת־בְּנֵ֑ךְ), "and·he·took·him" (וַיִּקָּחֵ֣הוּ). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "give·me" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings); "to·her" (root אל, 102x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·son', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלֶ֖יהָ [to·her] (46) + תְּנִי־לִ֣י [give·me] (500) + אֶת־בְּנֵ֑ךְ [your·son] (473) + וַיִּקָּחֵ֣הוּ [and·he·took·him] (135) + מֵחֵיקָ֗הּ [from·her·bosom] (163) + וַֽיַּעֲלֵ֙הוּ֙ [and·offered·it·up] (127) + אֶל־הָעֲלִיָּ֗ה [to·the·roof-room] (151) + אֲשֶׁר־הוּא֙ [where·he] (513) + יֹשֵׁ֣ב [dwelling] (312) + שָׁ֔ם [there] (340) + וַיַּשְׁכִּבֵ֖הוּ [and·laid·him] (349) + עַל־מִטָּתֽוֹ [upon·his·bed] (555) = 3921.
Malbim
"And he said" — and he laid him down before reviving him, this indicates that his death was a great pain to him, and it was as though he himself were lying dead upon his bed [all the more so, since Elijah’s bed signified life, for he never tasted the taste of death]:
And he cried to Hashem, and said: ‘O Hashem my God, have you also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?’
verse value 4132
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "also" (הֲ֠גַ֠ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "upon·the·widow" (עַֽל־הָאַלְמָנָ֞ה, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "also" (הֲ֠גַ֠ם), "upon·the·widow" (עַֽל־הָאַלְמָנָ֞ה), "that·I" (אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֨י). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·he·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (317) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (57) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָ֔י [my·God] (46) + הֲ֠גַ֠ם [also] (48) + עַֽל־הָאַלְמָנָ֞ה [upon·the·widow] (231) + אֲשֶׁר־אֲנִ֨י [that·I] (562) + מִתְגּוֹרֵ֥ר [sojourning] (849) + עִמָּ֛הּ [with] (115) + הֲרֵע֖וֹתָ [have·you·harmed] (681) + לְהָמִ֥ית [to·put·to·death] (485) + אֶת־בְּנָֽהּ [her·son] (458) = 4132.
Radak
"Even upon the widow." That is to say, even upon the widow You visited the sin, just as You visit their sin upon Israel today by withholding the rains. And even upon this widow You visited her sin, to kill her son — will You not revive him through my merit, since I dwell with her? And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated in the Targum: "But upon the widow with whom I dwell, let no harm come to her, and let her son not die." And this serves as support for what we wrote, that he did not die a complete death.
"He sojourns with her." Just as it is said, "I sojourned with Laban" (Genesis 32:4), and it is in the hitpa'el conjugation.
Ralbag
"מתגורר" (settles). From the sense of "גר" (ger), meaning "dwells."
Metzudat David
Also upon the widow. Meaning: it is not enough that you did evil to me to go wandering and homeless in the land, for having withheld the rain; and on my account, you are angry also at the widow, for having taken me into her house; and you did evil to her to kill her son for this. And is my sin so great, that I will not find one to take me in?
Metzudat Zion
Metagorer. From the language of dwelling and sojourning; likewise (Genesis 32:4) 'I have dwelled with Laban' (im Laban gariti):
Malbim
The phrase "even the widow" means: And because you are angry with me and wish to harm me, has your anger grown so great that you will also bring harm to the widow, simply because I dwell with her? As if your wrath against me has turned around to punish even those who reside in my vicinity. And this is what the verse states: "with whom I dwell"—therefore, you have also brought harm upon her by killing her son.
And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried to Hashem, and said: ‘O Hashem my God, I pray you, let this child’s soul come back into him.’
verse value 3843
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֣ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "please" (נָ֛א, 2 letters) and the longest is "soul·of·the·child" (נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּ֥לֶד, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·stretched·himself" (וַיִּתְמֹדֵ֤ד), "upon·the·child" (עַל־הַיֶּ֙לֶד֙), "let·it·return" (תָּ֥שׇׁב). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "my·God" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·said', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּתְמֹדֵ֤ד [and·stretched·himself] (464) + עַל־הַיֶּ֙לֶד֙ [upon·the·child] (149) + שָׁלֹ֣שׁ [three] (630) + פְּעָמִ֔ים [times] (240) + וַיִּקְרָ֥א [and·called] (317) + אֶל־יְהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (57) + וַיֹּאמַ֑ר [and·he·said] (257) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + אֱלֹהָ֔י [my·God] (46) + תָּ֥שׇׁב [let·it·return] (702) + נָ֛א [please] (51) + נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּ֥לֶד [soul·of·the·child] (479) + הַזֶּ֖ה [this] (17) + עַל־קִרְבּֽוֹ [into·his·midst] (408) = 3843.
Rashi
"And he stretched himself." From the language of 'measure' (middah); he lay spread out upon him.
Radak
"Vayitmoded" – related to the word "measure" [מִדָּה], in the hitpa'el conjugation, meaning that he set himself to the measure of the child, as he lay upon him, like what is said of Elisha: "And he lay upon the child, and put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands" (2 Kings 4:34). The matter is that his prayer would be with greater intention for the child when he lay upon him and stretched over him. In this same manner, "And Isaac entreated the LORD on behalf of his wife" (Genesis 25:21) – meaning that his wife was before him at the time of his prayer, so that he would direct his prayer for her, since she was barren. And it is also possible that he did so in order to lay [the child] upon himself and warm him with the natural warmth emanating from his face and flesh, for often miracles are accomplished through a small measure of worldly contrivance.
"Three times." And he did not need to do more, for on the third time he was answered. And in each of the three times he was calling, "O Lord my God, restore, I pray, the soul of this child to his body." And the matter of the soul's return to the body is the return of its breath and its sensations, which had ceased; and similarly, "[And he ate, and his spirit returned to him]" and verses like it.
"Upon his midst." This is like "to his midst," and similarly, "And she prayed to the LORD" [using עַל in the sense of אֶל]. And it says "his midst," because the life of a person depends on the heart, and it [the heart] is within a person. And the Targum translates it as "his innards."
Ralbag
"And he stretched himself out over the child three times." This means that he prostrated himself upon him and made himself a measure for him, placing his eyes upon the child's eyes, his mouth upon the child's mouth, and his hands upon the child's hands. And so in this manner, just as Elisha did with the Shunammite's son, as if he intended thereby that the spirit should pass from the prophet's limbs to the child's limbs.
"Let the soul of this child now return to his midst." This is because in the internal organs, such as the heart, the liver, and the stomach, the power of the soul appears more prominently. Therefore, he prayed that the soul would return there, and specifically to the heart, since from there it spreads throughout the entire body.
Metzudat David
And he stretched himself. Meaning: he put his mouth upon his mouth, and his eyes upon his eyes, etc.; as Elisha did with the Shunammite's son. And as though he measured himself to the measure of the child; and to pour the life from his limbs into the limbs of the child.
Upon his body. [Meaning:] into his body.
Metzudat Zion
V'yitmoded. From the language of measuring:
Kirbo. Within his body:
Malbim
And he contended to revive him, he needed: a. to prepare the body, over which corruption had already gained dominion, so that it would accept revival; b. to breathe a soul into the corpses. Now, regarding the preparation of the body, he contended over it three times, to prepare the three vessels, which are the dwelling places for the natural soul, the vital soul, and the rational soul, each of which has its own specific vessels, as stated in another place. And to restore the spirit, this is not within the power of human hands, but only in the hand of the Giver of souls alone. And concerning this, he called out to the Lord that the soul of the child would return to his body.
And Hashem hearkened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back into him, and he revived.
verse value 2271
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 39 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה, 4 letters) and the longest is "soul·of·the·child" (נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּ֛לֶד, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·lived" (וַיֶּֽחִי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·came·back" (root שוב, 61x in I Kings); "and·he·hearkened" (root שמע, 60x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elijah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁמַ֥ע [and·he·hearkened] (426) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + בְּק֣וֹל [voice] (138) + אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ [Elijah] (52) + וַתָּ֧שׇׁב [and·came·back] (708) + נֶפֶשׁ־הַיֶּ֛לֶד [soul·of·the·child] (479) + עַל־קִרְבּ֖וֹ [into·his·midst] (408) + וַיֶּֽחִי [and·he·lived] (34) = 2271.
And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the upper chamber into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said: ‘See, your son lives.’
verse value 2653
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. Notable word values: "living" (חַ֥י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "living" (חַ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "from·the·roof-room" (מִן־הָֽעֲלִיָּה֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 52: Elijah, Elijah. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·brought·him·down" (וַיֹּרִדֵ֤הוּ), "from·the·roof-room" (מִן־הָֽעֲלִיָּה֙), "looking" (רְאִ֖י). The root אליהו appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·the·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "and·gave·him" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·mother', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקַּ֨ח [and·took] (124) + אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ [Elijah] (52) + אֶת־הַיֶּ֗לֶד [the·child] (450) + וַיֹּרִדֵ֤הוּ [and·brought·him·down] (231) + מִן־הָֽעֲלִיָּה֙ [from·the·roof-room] (210) + הַבַּ֔יְתָה [to·the·house] (422) + וַֽיִּתְּנֵ֖הוּ [and·gave·him] (477) + לְאִמּ֑וֹ [to·his·mother] (77) + וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ [Elijah] (52) + רְאִ֖י [looking] (211) + חַ֥י [living] (18) + בְּנֵֽךְ [your·son] (72) = 2653.
And the woman said to Elijah: ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Hashem in your mouth is truth.’
verse value 3646
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·word·of·Hashem" (וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 311: the·woman, man. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "I·know" (יָדַ֔עְתִּי). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·she·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַתֹּ֤אמֶר [and·she·said] (647) + הָֽאִשָּׁה֙ [the·woman] (311) + אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ [to·Elijah] (83) + עַתָּה֙ [now] (475) + זֶ֣ה [this] (12) + יָדַ֔עְתִּי [I·know] (494) + כִּ֛י [that] (30) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + אֱלֹהִ֖ים [God] (86) + אָ֑תָּה [you] (406) + וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֥ה [and·word·of·Hashem] (238) + בְּפִ֖יךָ [in·your·mouth] (112) + אֱמֶֽת [truth] (441) = 3646.
Radak
"And the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." Explanation: And furthermore, that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth, meaning: Now I know that you are a man of God by the fact that you revived my son who was dead. And I also know this by seeing that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth, in that you said, "The jar of flour shall not be exhausted, and the jug of oil shall not run dry," and so it was. Or, another explanation: When he said to her, "Give me your son, on the condition that I will revive him," he said to her, and just as he said to her, so it was. And what she said to him, "Now I know," she said regarding the flour and the oil, because the blessing of God was due to the merit of the prophet. And this matter is found in the manner of, "May the Lord send you the blessing in your storehouses." But to revive the dead, this was not found [in prior experience].
Ralbag
"Now this I know, that you are a man of God, and the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth." It seems that she had thought that, regarding the matter of the jar of flour and the jug of oil [not being depleted], Elijah had heard this from another prophet, but that he himself was not a prophet. Only when she saw that he revived the dead did it become clear to her that he himself was a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in his mouth was truth.
Metzudat David
Now I know this. Although she had called him 'a man of God' before, nevertheless she was doubtful in her heart; for she thought perhaps he had heard from a prophet what he told her: 'the jar of flour shall not be depleted,' etc.
And the word of the Lord is truth in your mouth. Meaning: truly the matter is that also at first the word of the Lord was in your mouth; that He spoke in you and not you heard from another prophet besides you, as I had thought until now.
Malbim
Now I know that initially she was in doubt regarding what the man of God had said in the name of the Lord, "The jar of flour shall not run out," [thinking] that it was not the word of the Lord, as stated above in verse 18. And from this perspective, she also fell into doubt concerning Elijah: whether he performed it by his own power, by virtue of being a man of God, or through witchcraft and sorcery. And now I know: 1. That you are a man of God; 2. That the word of the Lord is true in your mouth.
Rashi
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim