And it came to pass after many days, that the word of Hashem came to Elijah, in the third year, saying: ‘Go, show thyself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the land.’
verse value 3717
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 75 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֚ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·word·of·Hashem" (וּדְבַר־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "be·seen" (הֵרָאֵ֣ה). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 7 words.
Radak
“And it came to pass in the third year.” [This refers] to the cessation of the rains.
"And I will give the rain." Because due to the famine, many did teshuvah (repentance) and improved their ways; furthermore, there were seven thousand in Israel who had not bowed to Baal.
Ralbag
"In the third year" – this means in the third year of the withholding of the dew and the rain.
Metzudat David
Go, show yourself to Ahab. The matter came about so that he [Ahab] would entreat your favor on account of the rain, and I would give it through your hand. And since Elijah had sworn that there would be no rain except by his word, for this reason He commanded him thus.
Malbim
And the words of our Sages of blessed memory are known, that when he was in need of the key of revival, he was compelled to return the key of rains. And according to my method, behold, at first Elijah sealed off all the channels of abundance from releasing rain and life, and therefore he did not have the power until now to pour out life upon anything, since through this the channel would be opened. However, at the time of reviving the child, he was compelled to turn from this path of his that held back and closed off the abundance; it was reversed, for he was required to bring down an abundance of vitality and life upon the child. And through this, all the sources of life that had been closed by the withholding of rains, which bring life to the world for living creatures and the vegetation of the field, were opened. Therefore, the Lord said that now He would also give rain, for He had already said, regarding the prisoners, "the opening of the prison," and "I will give rain." I have already written (chapter 17, verse 7) that from the time of the drying up of the stream, rain was not obligatory from the perspective of nature, and providential rain was required. And this cannot be conceived without repentance from the sin of idolatry in their hands. Therefore, He commanded him to appear before Ahab and to strive to bring Israel back in repentance, so that they would recognize the power of the Lord, as occurred afterwards when they said, "The Lord is God," as it is written, "Do the idols of the nations bring rain?" And through this, I will give providential rain.
And Elijah went to show himself to Ahab. And the famine was sore in Samaria.
verse value 1799
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "strong" (חָזָ֖ק, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·be·seen" (לְהֵרָא֖וֹת, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·be·seen" (לְהֵרָא֖וֹת), "and·the·famine" (וְהָרָעָ֥ב). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "to·Ahab" (root אחאב, 49x in I Kings); "to·be·seen" (root ראה, 36x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Ahab', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ [and·went] (66) + אֵֽלִיָּ֔הוּ [Elijah] (52) + לְהֵרָא֖וֹת [to·be·seen] (642) + אֶל־אַחְאָ֑ב [to·Ahab] (43) + וְהָרָעָ֥ב [and·the·famine] (283) + חָזָ֖ק [strong] (115) + בְּשֹׁמְרֽוֹן [in·Samaria] (598) = 1799.
Malbim
"And he went" (to Elijah): The time was opportune to bring them back to repentance easily. 1. For the famine was severe in Samaria, and they would return out of fear of death. 2. (3) "And Ahab called": Even Ahab had already taken to heart the distress of his people and the evil of his own deeds, and he called Obadiah — who feared the Lord greatly — to consult with him, and he recounted the reason for summoning him (and some also explain what is stated, "who was over the house," that in those days, seeing the Lord's punishments, he [Ahab] appointed that righteous man over his household, so that he would have support through his merit); all this was because he [Obadiah] feared the Lord and he [Ahab] wished to shelter under his merit. 3. (4) "And it came to pass when [Jezebel] cut off [the prophets of the Lord]": this was a great merit, worthy to stand for him in the time of famine, as our Sages of blessed memory said regarding the incident of Nehunya the Ditch-Digger: "Is it possible that a righteous man suffered over a matter, etc."
And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household.—Now Obadiah feared Hashem greatly;
verse value 2281
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 48 letters. The shortest word is "who" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Obadiah" (אֶל־עֹבַדְיָ֖הוּ, 8 letters). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). First appearance of the root עבדיהו ("and·Obadiah") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'over·the·house', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיִּקְרָ֣א [and·called] (317) + אַחְאָ֔ב [Ahab] (12) + אֶל־עֹבַדְיָ֖הוּ [to·Obadiah] (128) + אֲשֶׁ֣ר [who] (501) + עַל־הַבָּ֑יִת [over·the·house] (517) + וְעֹבַדְיָ֗הוּ [and·Obadiah] (103) + הָיָ֥ה [was] (20) + יָרֵ֛א [feared] (211) + אֶת־יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (427) + מְאֹֽד [very] (45) = 2281.
Radak
"Fearing the Lord greatly." And now it asks: How did he fear the Lord greatly? Because he risked his life to save the prophets of the Lord and to keep them alive. And our Sages of blessed memory said that this is Obadiah, who hid fifty men in one cave and fifty men in another cave, as it says below: "fifty men by fifties in a cave."
Metzudat David
To Obadiah. To go with him; as is said below in the matter.
Over the house. He was in charge of the king's house.
for it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of Hashem, that Obadiah took a hundred prophets, and hid them fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.—
verse value 3021
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 78 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵאָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·hid·them" (וַֽיַּחְבִּיאֵ֞ם, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·the·cutting·off" (בְּהַכְרִ֣ית), "spokesman" (נְבִיאִ֗ים), "and·hid·them" (וַֽיַּחְבִּיאֵ֞ם). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "man" (root איש, 79x in I Kings). First appearance of the root איזבל ("Jezebel") in I Kings. First appearance of the root מערה ("in·the·cave") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 11 words.
Rashi
"And it was, when Jezebel was cutting off [the prophets of GOD]." [This verse] comes to tell how Obadiah feared the Lord.
“Fifty men in one cave, and fifty men in another cave.”
Radak
Bread and water. For water was dear during the years of the famine:
Ralbag
"And he hid them in a cave, fifty men." This means that out of fear that Jezebel would find them, he divided them into two camps: he placed fifty men in one cave and fifty in another cave.
And Ahab said to Obadiah: ‘Go through the land, to all the springs of water, and to all the brooks; perhaps we may find grass and save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.’
verse value 3177
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֤ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·all·spring·of" (אֶל־כׇּל־מַעְיְנֵ֣י, 9 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·all·spring·of" (אֶל־כׇּל־מַעְיְנֵ֣י), "and·to" (וְאֶ֖ל), "all·the·torrents" (כׇּל־הַנְּחָלִ֑ים). 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·Obadiah" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). First appearance of the root אולי ("perhaps") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'all·the·torrents', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
"And we shall not lose from the cattle." [Meaning:] none of our cattle shall be lost to us.
Radak
"And we shall not be cut off from the cattle." The text writes "from the cattle" (מן בהמה), and we read it as "from the cattle" (מהבהמה), and it is one [thing]. And its explanation is: our city shall not be cut off from [having] cattle.
Ralbag
Hay. Herb for feeding cattle:
And we are not severed from the animal. He means to say that we are not severed from the animal, so that a portion of it should not remain for us.
Metzudat David
We shall not be cut off. And we shall not be deprived of [any] of the livestock.
Metzudat Zion
Chatzir. Herbage:
U'nahya. And we will be sustained; likewise (Genesis 45:5) 'to preserve life He sent me' (lemichyah shlachani):
Malbim
And he said: Therefore, he commanded him to seek food for his livestock, and outwardly he told him to seek food for the animals, based on what they said in the Midrash: When people are not worthy of rain, the rain falls for the sake of the animals. For man, who has free will, is subject to reward and punishment, but not so the living creatures: they have a covenant made with them, a natural covenant that their species will not be cut off. And through this covenant, rain falls even upon man, even though he is judged according to his deeds. And this is what it says: "Perhaps we will find fodder and keep alive the horse and the mule," and through this, "we shall not be cut off" is to be understood [as coming] by virtue of the animal — we will not fare worse than the animal — and through the animal, human beings too will not be cut off.
So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.
verse value 2028
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָד֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 2028 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶ֛ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Obadiah" (וְעֹבַדְיָ֛הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: went, went. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·divided" (וַֽיְחַלְּק֥וּ), "to·pass·through·it" (לַעֲבׇר־בָּ֑הּ), "in·way·one" (בְּדֶרֶךְ־אֶחָ֖ד). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "one" (root אחד, 61x in I Kings); "the·land" (root ארץ, 50x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·pass·through·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 9 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְחַלְּק֥וּ [and·they·divided] (160) + לָהֶ֛ם [to·them] (75) + אֶת־הָאָ֖רֶץ [the·land] (697) + לַעֲבׇר־בָּ֑הּ [to·pass·through·it] (309) + אַחְאָ֞ב [Ahab] (12) + הָלַ֨ךְ [went] (55) + בְּדֶ֤רֶךְ [in·way] (226) + אֶחָד֙ [one] (13) + לְבַדּ֔וֹ [alone] (42) + וְעֹבַדְיָ֛הוּ [and·Obadiah] (103) + הָלַ֥ךְ [went] (55) + בְּדֶרֶךְ־אֶחָ֖ד [in·way·one] (239) + לְבַדּֽוֹ [alone] (42) = 2028.
Malbim
And they split, yet throughout all this, Ahab individually did not abandon his ways, and each turned to his own path—one to the Lord and the other to Azazel. And this is what it says: “Ahab went... and Obadiah went...”
And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him; and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said: ‘Is it you, my lord Elijah?’
verse value 2625
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "Obadiah" (עֹבַדְיָ֙הוּ֙, 6 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): "to·meet·him" (לִקְרָאת֑וֹ), "and·recognized·him" (וַיַּכִּרֵ֙הוּ֙), "on·his·face" (עַל־פָּנָ֔יו). The root אליהו appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "on·his·face" (root פנים, 95x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·meet·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֤י [and·it·was] (31) + עֹבַדְיָ֙הוּ֙ [Obadiah] (97) + בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ [way] (226) + וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + אֵלִיָּ֖הוּ [Elijah] (52) + לִקְרָאת֑וֹ [to·meet·him] (737) + וַיַּכִּרֵ֙הוּ֙ [and·recognized·him] (247) + וַיִּפֹּ֣ל [and·fell] (126) + עַל־פָּנָ֔יו [on·his·face] (246) + וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + הַאַתָּ֥ה [are·you] (411) + זֶ֖ה [this] (12) + אֲדֹנִ֥י [my·lord] (65) + אֵלִיָּֽהוּ [Elijah] (52) = 2625.
And he answered him: ‘It is I; go, tell your lord: Behold, Elijah is here.’
verse value 872
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·your·lord" (לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ, 6 letters). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "to·your·lord" (root אדון, 36x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + ל֖וֹ [to·him] (36) + אָ֑נִי [I] (61) + לֵ֛ךְ [go] (50) + אֱמֹ֥ר [say] (241) + לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ [to·your·lord] (115) + הִנֵּ֥ה [they] (60) + אֵלִיָּֽהוּ [Elijah] (52) = 872.
And he said: ‘Wherein have I sinned, that you would deliver your servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?
verse value 2736
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 2736 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "what" (מֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "into·hand·of·Ahab" (בְּיַד־אַחְאָ֖ב, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "I·have·sinned" (חָטָ֑אתִי), "into·hand·of·Ahab" (בְּיַד־אַחְאָ֖ב), "to·slay·me" (לַהֲמִיתֵֽנִי). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "giving" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings); "your·servant" (root עבד, 78x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'I·have·sinned', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מֶ֣ה [what] (45) + חָטָ֑אתִי [I·have·sinned] (428) + כִּֽי־אַתָּ֞ה [that·you] (436) + נֹתֵ֧ן [giving] (500) + אֶֽת־עַבְדְּךָ֛ [your·servant] (497) + בְּיַד־אַחְאָ֖ב [into·hand·of·Ahab] (28) + לַהֲמִיתֵֽנִי [to·slay·me] (545) = 2736.
Rashi
"To kill me." As it explains and says: "And the Spirit of the Lord will carry you away to a place that I do not know."
Metzudat David
For you are the one giving. Meaning: you will be the cause that I die by Ahab's hand.
As Hashem your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord has not sent to seek you; and when they said: He is not here, he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found you not.
verse value 4254
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 82 letters. Notable word values: "lives" (חַ֣י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "lives" (חַ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·kingdom" (אֶת־הַמַּמְלָכָה֙, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "if·there·is·nation" (אִם־יֶשׁ־גּ֤וֹי), "and·kingdom" (וּמַמְלָכָה֙), "did·not·send" (לֹא־שָׁלַ֨ח). The root גוי appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·they·shall·say" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nothing', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
"For he shall not find you." That is, the people will not be able to find you.
Radak
If there is a gentile and a kingdom surrounding the Land of Israel, not as the one who says that he reigned over the entire world, and behold, in the Land of Israel he did not rule at all; how could he rule over the entire world? And behold, he had wars, and the king of Aram took cities from him and established for himself quarters in Samaria. And what is meant by "and he made the gentile and the kingdom swear"? It was by a path of love and request, not by a path of fear and dominion. Or perhaps it refers to the merchants who come from every gentile and kingdom to the Land of Israel; he would make them swear if they had seen you in their land.
"for he will not find you": Its meaning is connected to "to seek you," namely, because he did not find you in the Land of Israel, he sent to seek you in the lands of the nations. And one might wonder: How did he not find him, since he was in Zarephath, which is adjacent to Sidon, which was in the Land of Israel? Perhaps the widow concealed him and did not reveal him to the inhabitants of her city, or perhaps the inhabitants of her city concealed him from the messengers of Ahab when they came to seek him.
Ralbag
"If there is a nation and a kingdom to which my lord has not sent to seek you, behold, even if Ahab were not reigning over them, he would still inquire of them whether Elijah had fled there; and he would also make the nation and the kingdom swear by their gods that they would tell him the truth, as is customary for a person to make his companion swear by whatever he asks of him to tell him the truth. Yet Ahab did not reign over the whole world, for he was exceedingly wicked, and it was not fitting that God, blessed be He, should bestow upon him this kindness. Do you not see that when Ben-Hadad sent to him, saying, 'Your silver and your gold are mine,' he sent him a reply, 'As you say, my lord the king'?"
Metzudat David
That they did not find you. If they did not find you.
Metzudat Zion
Eyn. He is not here:
Malbim
(10-15) The Questions: Why did he first mention that he had sent to seek him in every place, and this does not obligate that he be killed if he says to him, “Behold, Elijah,” and why did he lengthen his speech and repeat twice, “And now you say, ‘Go, say to your master, Behold, Elijah,’ and he will kill me,” and why did he mention what he had hidden, the hundred prophets?
“‘As the Lord lives’—this implies: If you desire to reveal yourself to him, why have you hidden yourself until now to such an extent that he could not find you in any place, since you have undoubtedly been sitting in concealment? And if you did not wish to reveal yourself until he would seek to see you, behold, he has already sought you. And if you were to say that you did not know of this, behold, if there is a gentile and a kingdom, etc., you certainly knew of this.”
And now you say: Go, tell your lord: Behold, Elijah is here.
verse value 1646
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֛ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·your·lord" (לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: saying, say. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "you" (root אתה, 46x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'saying', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּ֖ה [now] (481) + אַתָּ֣ה [you] (406) + אֹמֵ֑ר [saying] (241) + לֵ֛ךְ [go] (50) + אֱמֹ֥ר [say] (241) + לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ [to·your·lord] (115) + הִנֵּ֥ה [they] (60) + אֵלִיָּֽהוּ [Elijah] (52) = 1646.
Malbim
And now, how can it be imagined that you would now act in the opposite manner? It is not enough that you do not hide from those seeking you; rather, you say, "Go, say, 'Here is Elijah,'" and you wish to make yourself available to him. And this is impossible.
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from you, that the spirit of Hashem will carry you whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find you, he will slay me; but I your servant fear Hashem from my youth.
verse value 3978
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֞ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 3978 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "to" (עַ֚ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·will·kill·me" (וַהֲרָגָ֑נִי, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: and·it·shall·be, Hashem. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "these" (אֵלֵ֣ךְ), "will·lift·you" (יִֽשָּׂאֲךָ֙), "not·I·know" (לֹֽא־אֵדָ֔ע). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·shall·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·will·kill·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Radak
"And the Spirit of the Lord shall lift you up." They would think, whenever they could not find him, that the Spirit of the Lord had lifted him up to one of the mountains, as the sons of the prophets said to Elisha, "Lest the Spirit of the Lord has lifted him up and cast him upon one of the mountains."
"And Your servant fears the Lord." Therefore, you ought to have compassion on me, so as not to bring me to death.
Ralbag
"And the Spirit of the Lord shall lift you up, to a place that I know not." Behold, Elijah was accustomed to this, for when he was in one place, the Spirit of the Lord would carry him to another place, as we have mentioned; and therefore Obadiah feared this.
Metzudat David
And the spirit of the Lord will carry you. As was his habit, time after time.
Unto that which. To a place that I do not know where it is, to seek you there.
And he will not find you. In this place.
And he will kill me. Thinking that I lied to him; as though saying in mockery: behold, I sent to seek him and did not find him; and behold he is standing here.
And your servant has feared , etc. And why then will you be the cause of my death?
Malbim
"And it shall be, and therefore, for truly you do not wish to appear before him; rather, you wish to demonstrate that he seeks you for nothing in other lands, since you are present here. And yet, 'it shall be that I will go,' etc., and 'the Spirit of the Lord will carry you to a place that I do not know.' This is your aim, to show him this. But behold, by this you will cause me danger, for 'when I come to tell him,' etc., 'and he will not find you, and he will kill me.' And your servant fears the Lord; why, then, would you bring about my death?"
Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of Hashem, how I hid a hundred men of Hashem’S prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?
verse value 4854
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 94 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "hundred" (מֵ֣אָה, 3 letters) and the longest is "that·I·did" (אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֔יתִי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 398: fifty, fifty. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "was·it·not·told" (הֲלֹֽא־הֻגַּ֤ד), "that·I·did" (אֲשֶׁר־עָשִׂ֔יתִי), "and·I·hid" (וָאַחְבִּא֩). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·I·did" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "man" (root איש, 79x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 12 words.
Malbim
And you might say: "He will not kill me for this, since he will not blame me, seeing that you are able to vanish from sight in an instant." [The answer is,] that is to say: "Has it not been told to my lord what I did," etc. And this became known afterwards to Ahab (for the killing of the prophets of the Lord was done by Jezebel, not by Ahab). And consequently, I am suspected in his eyes, that my hand is with the prophets of the Lord to sustain them and save them, and by this [he would indeed blame me]:
And now you say: Go, tell your lord: Behold, Elijah is here; and he will slay me.’
verse value 1920
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֛ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·your·lord" (לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 241: saying, say. The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "you" (root אתה, 46x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elijah', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 1 words. Full calculation: וְעַתָּה֙ [now] (481) + אַתָּ֣ה [you] (406) + אֹמֵ֔ר [saying] (241) + לֵ֛ךְ [go] (50) + אֱמֹ֥ר [say] (241) + לַאדֹנֶ֖יךָ [to·your·lord] (115) + הִנֵּ֣ה [they] (60) + אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ [Elijah] (52) + וַהֲרָגָֽנִי [and·will·kill·me] (274) = 1920.
Metzudat David
'And now,' etc. 'And he will kill me.' And if so, who will provide for the prophets from now on? Have compassion upon them, I pray.
Malbim
And now you say: This means that now, after this suspicion from which I have not yet been cleared, if I say, "Behold, Elijah," he will kill me, for he will suspect that I also hid you in the cave.
And Elijah said: ‘As Hashem of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely show myself to him to-day.’
verse value 2398
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "lives" (חַ֚י) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "lives" (חַ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "I·appear" (אֵרָאֶ֥ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·his·face', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ [and·said] (257) + אֵֽלִיָּ֔הוּ [Elijah] (52) + חַ֚י [lives] (18) + יְהֹוָ֣ה [Hashem] (26) + צְבָא֔וֹת [hosts] (499) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [whom] (501) + עָמַ֖דְתִּי [I·stood] (524) + לְפָנָ֑יו [to·his·face] (176) + כִּ֥י [and·surely] (30) + הַיּ֖וֹם [day] (61) + אֵרָאֶ֥ה [I·appear] (207) + אֵלָֽיו [to·him] (47) = 2398.
So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him; and Ahab went to meet Elijah.
verse value 1826
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "and·went" (וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ, 4 letters) and the longest is "Obadiah" (עֹבַדְיָ֛הוּ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 731: to·meet, to·meet. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·told·him" (וַיַּגֶּד־ל֑וֹ). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "Ahab" (root אחאב, 49x in I Kings); "to·meet" (root קרא, 47x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·he·told·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֧לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + עֹבַדְיָ֛הוּ [Obadiah] (97) + לִקְרַ֥את [to·meet] (731) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + וַיַּגֶּד־ל֑וֹ [and·he·told·him] (59) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + לִקְרַ֥את [to·meet] (731) + אֵלִיָּֽהוּ [Elijah] (52) = 1826.
And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him: ‘Is it you, you troubler of Israel?’
verse value 2693
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 47 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "Elijah" (אֶת־אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: Ahab, Ahab, this. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "Elijah" (אֶת־אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ), "he·who·troubles" (עֹכֵ֥ר). The root אחאב appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Elijah', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֛י [and·it·was] (31) + כִּרְא֥וֹת [when·seeing] (627) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + אֶת־אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ [Elijah] (453) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אַחְאָב֙ [Ahab] (12) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + הַאַתָּ֥ה [are·you] (411) + זֶ֖ה [this] (12) + עֹכֵ֥ר [he·who·troubles] (290) + יִשְׂרָאֵֽל [Israel] (541) = 2693.
Metzudat David
Troubler of Israel. For you have troubled them, in that you swore to withhold the rain.
Metzudat Zion
Ocher. A destroyer and disturber; likewise (Genesis 34:30) 'you have troubled me' (achartem oti):
And be answered: ‘I have not troubled Israel; but you, and your father’s house, in that you have forsaken the commandments of Hashem, and you have followed the Baalim.
verse value 4794
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Israel" (אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "I·troubled" (עָכַ֙רְתִּי֙), "if·you" (אִם־אַתָּ֖ה), "in·your·forsaking" (בַּעֲזׇבְכֶם֙). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·house·of" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·father', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לֹ֤א [not] (31) + עָכַ֙רְתִּי֙ [I·troubled] (700) + אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל [Israel] (942) + כִּ֥י [but] (30) + אִם־אַתָּ֖ה [if·you] (447) + וּבֵ֣ית [and·house·of] (418) + אָבִ֑יךָ [your·father] (33) + בַּעֲזׇבְכֶם֙ [in·your·forsaking] (141) + אֶת־מִצְוֺ֣ת [commandments·of] (937) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + וַתֵּ֖לֶךְ [and·you·went] (456) + אַחֲרֵ֥י [after] (219) + הַבְּעָלִֽים [the·Baalim] (157) = 4794.
Metzudat David
I have not troubled. Meaning: I am not the beginning of the cause; but you are, in that you forsook the Lord.
Malbim
"I did not trouble them, for when they transgressed the commandments of the Lord to serve other gods, they were no longer Israelites but like the nations of the land; I did not trouble Israel. But you and your father's house, by abandoning the commandments of the Lord, have troubled Israel, for by this they became like the nations. Likewise, I decreed the cessation of dew and rain as punishment for their sin, for this is what they deserve, and you are the cause."
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, that eat at Jezebel’s table.’
verse value 6095
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 89 letters. The shortest word is "send" (שְׁלַ֨ח, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·Israel" (אֶת־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 447: hundred, hundred. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·prophets·of" (וְאֶת־נְבִיאֵ֨י), "the·Asherah" (הָאֲשֵׁרָה֙), "eaters·of" (אֹכְלֵ֖י). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·hill" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "to·me" (root אל, 102x in I Kings); "and·the·prophets·of" (root נביא, 49x in I Kings). First appearance of the root כרמל ("the·Carmel") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Carmel', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Radak
"Eaters of the table of Jezebel." [This] was said of the prophets of Baal and the prophets of Asherah, or of the prophets of Asherah alone — and the latter is correct. Therefore Jezebel did not let them [the prophets of Asherah] go to be tested against Elijah. And this is the proof: Elijah said, "I alone remain a prophet of the Lord," and the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men — but he did not mention the prophets of Asherah. It appears that they were not present there.
Metzudat David
And now. Meaning: if you seek for the rain, send and gather to me, etc. And this will be the cause that the rain will come.
Eaters , etc. He speaks of the prophets of Asherah.
Malbim
"And now, in order that I may bring them back in repentance and clarify who is the true God, send and gather to me all Israel."
And Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.
verse value 2279
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "Ahab" (אַחְאָ֖ב, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets" (אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים, 9 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·all·sons·of" (בְּכׇל־בְּנֵ֣י). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·mount" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "Israel" (root ישראל, 120x in I Kings); "in·all·sons·of" (root כל, 86x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Israel', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח [and·he·sent] (354) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + בְּכׇל־בְּנֵ֣י [in·all·sons·of] (114) + יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל [Israel] (541) + וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץ [and·he·gathered] (208) + אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים [the·prophets] (519) + אֶל־הַ֥ר [to·mount] (236) + הַכַּרְמֶֽל [the·Carmel] (295) = 2279.
Radak
And he gathered the prophets. And it did not say "all of Israel," because Israel gathered themselves of their own free will when they heard that Elijah desired to perform the test; but the prophets [of Baal] were not gathered except by the compulsion of Ahab, for they knew that their claim was false. However, Ahab could not compel the prophets of Asherah to go there because of Jezebel, since they were those who ate from her table, and she did not want them to go there.
Metzudat David
And he gathered , etc. For all Israel came on their own when he sent after them. But the prophets did not come until the king gathered them against their will. And for this reason he gathered only the prophets of Baal, and not the prophets of Asherah; for Jezebel did not let them go there; for they were among those who ate at her table.
And Elijah came near to all the people, and said: ‘How long halt you between two opinions? if Hashem be God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ And the people answered him not a word.
verse value 4827
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 95 letters. The shortest word is "you" (אַתֶּ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·people" (אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֗ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 225: after·him, after·him. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·all·the·people" (אֶל־כׇּל־הָעָ֗ם), "until·when" (עַד־מָתַ֞י), "passing·over" (פֹּסְחִים֮). The root הלך appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "if·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "word" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'after·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
The two branches. The two thoughts, by which you do not understand how to decide which is God:
And if Baal. [Is] the god — follow him:
"And the people did not answer him a word." This means that they were unable to distinguish [the correct response].
Radak
Pesachim. Just as one who limps limps on both his legs, for whoever has a limp in one leg leans on the other leg, and whoever limps on both legs does not know on which leg he will stand; so too you are limping on both branches, and they are the thoughts. Therefore, it uses feminine language, because the interpretation of "branches" is "thoughts," meaning you do not know how to discern in your minds who is God: whether it is God or whether it is Baal. And if you object: but they incline after Baal, and were not inclining after God at all [so why call them wavering]? We say that when they saw that the rains were withheld by the word of Elijah, who was a prophet of the Lord, their hearts inclined toward the Lord. However, the prophets of Baal were misleading them, telling them not to abandon the worship of Baal, for it would benefit them. For this reason, they were limping on both branches. And the Targum says: "Until when will you split into two factions? Is not the Lord God? Worship Him alone. Why do you follow after Baal, in whom there is no benefit?" And behold, the test that Elijah performed, it is possible that he performed it from his own heart, trusting in God that He would not send him away empty-handed, and that He would sanctify His Name in public. And what he said, "and by Your word I have done," means: If You answer me, this people will know that I am not doing what I am doing from my own heart, but by Your word and by Your commandment, which I say You uphold. Or it is possible that God told him, even though the Scripture did not recount it, and this is what he meant by "by Your words I have done." But the first explanation is more likely, for if God had told him, why would he have needed to pray? And it should be explained that God required him to pray, even though He told him, just as with the matter of the rain, where God told him, "I will give rain," and yet he was required to pray. The reason is so that Israel would know that he is a true prophet, and that God hears his prayer. And if he had come without his prayer, they would have said it was a coincidence. And regarding the matter of the fire, they would have said he was doing it through sorcery.
"And the people did not answer him a word": They did not wish to say to him either "yes" or "no," because they were uncertain about the matter. But when they heard the clarification, they answered and said, "The matter is good."
Ralbag
Until when will you halt between two opinions? Behold, the lame man leans now on one leg and now on the other. Similarly, Israel leaned toward two thoughts: at times they believed that the Lord alone is God, and at times they believed that Baal is God. Now, the matter of Baal was according to what I think they did: they would fashion an image and bring down into it, according to their thought, the power of the superior minister who ruled over that nation and that climate. And the prophets of Baal would perform various actions, through which they would attain a certain type of magic, and information would flow to them according to their thought from that ruler whose powers descended by virtue of the Baal they had fashioned according to their thought. Likewise, the prophets of the Asherah thought that those powers would flow through the Asherah tree that they had planted at a specific time, and they would attain a certain type of magic from those disgraceful actions. We have already explained the deficiency that occurs in the knowledge of magic in Book Two of Wars of the Lord. Now, it is written that the prophets of the Asherah were eaters at Jezebel's table. And they did not come there when Ahab called them, because they heard that they were called to test the power of the Asherah, and they themselves knew that their idol was a falsehood, vain, and of no benefit. Jezebel saved them, so that they were not compelled to go there by the king's command. However, the prophets of Baal were compelled to go there by the king's command.
"And the people did not answer him a word." It is possible that they were already perplexed by this matter and did not know which way to turn, because due to what they had seen—that the dew and rain were withheld from them on account of the evil deeds they committed by going after other gods—their thoughts leaned toward the idea that the Lord is God; yet, because of the great incitement of the prophets of Baal and Asherah, their thoughts leaned toward the idea that Baal is God. And it seemed to them that, according to their belief, Baal was Mars in the sign of Aries, which is his domicile, and it is one of the fiery signs. Therefore, Elijah wished to test this through that which they claim is attributed to Baal, namely fire, and for this reason the people and the prophets of Baal agreed to this proposal. And from what indicates that they thought Baal was Mars is that they cut themselves according to their custom until blood poured out upon them, because the shedding of blood is among the things attributed to Mars. For this reason, He said to them in a manner of mockery that they should cry out with a loud voice, for God is He who will bring His power to bear against this Baal, who is the upper servant, and therefore He is very far from you. Moreover, another cause will prevent Him from hearing you, which is that he has 'sicha' (speech/business) or that he has attainment (sig). Now, 'siach' has its root in n-s-ch, like 'pei'ach' (soot) whose root is n-p-ch, and the intention is that his fundamental power is like 'and you will be uprooted from the face of the earth,' for the letter samekh and the letter shin share greatly in the meanings of the words in which they appear. And thus, the uprooting of his power will occur when he is in his house of war or in his house of falling, or something similar to this. Or, the intention of 'siach' is the uprooting of motion, which occurs when he is standing between the upright and the retrograde. And 'sig' likewise has its root in n-s-g with a samekh, and it is from the matter of retrograde motion, for then his power to move uprightly will weaken. And since there are gods whose motions change, perhaps he is asleep now, having no power, and he will awaken with that which you will stir his power by calling to him with a loud voice. Or, the intention is that 'he converses' (siach) with him, meaning speech with another, and this is an analogy for the aspects that emanate from him to the servants, and then his power becomes mixed with their power. And 'he attains' (sig) him, meaning the attainment of another servant in a manner that they join together and one gives power to the other.
And is it his way? This means that he will be separated from his vision, or from his attachment, or from his home, or from his house of honor, or from his triplicity, or from something else that resembles these.
Perhaps he is sleeping now, for he has no power because he is in the house of falling, and he will awaken if you call out with a loud voice. And for this reason, the prophets of Baal believed him and called out with a loud voice, for such was their custom for these reasons that Elijah mentioned to them. And this was the height of madness and folly. Behold, this is the very beautiful explanation of this matter. And it is possible to say further that the intention here is that he said to them, in a manner of mockery, "Call out with a loud voice, since he is God according to your belief, and he has speech and prayer—that is to say, that he accepts prayer—and that he has attainment, and that he has a way—that is to say, that he has the attainment of a desired thing, and he has a path through which he moves to attain it. And if the matter is so, perhaps now he is sleeping—that is to say, since he has the faculties of movement, perhaps he also has the faculties of sleep after his exertion in movement—and he will awaken if you call out with a loud voice." And he said this to them in a manner of ridicule. However, they called out with a loud voice because this was their custom when they sought something from Baal. And in order that the test be completed, He gave them the choice to select one of the bulls. And behold, after they had chosen it, they were given permission to cut it up and place it on the wood, but they did not kindle a fire. And it seemed that that day was a day of Mars, and therefore He desired that they perform this in the morning, because in the first hour Mars rules more strongly. And therefore they prolonged this until the eighth hour had passed, for then the dominion returns to him, until he also participates in the dominion during the other hours. And it is possible to say that the test was not by fire because of its emanation from Baal, as we have assumed, but rather He desired to test who is God through things that go beyond nature, for this is something that none other than the Name, blessed be He, alone can do.
Metzudat David
You limping. Meaning: like this lame person, who at times leans to the right side and at times to the left side; and so you -- until when will you incline in your thoughts, at times after the Lord and at times after Baal?
God. Meaning: the One who has power and guides the world.
Metzudat Zion
Poschim. Hopping; a lame person is so called, because when he walks he appears to hop:
Hasa'ifim. The thoughts; like (Psalms 119:113) 'I hate divided hearts' (sa'afim sinati); it is a term borrowed from the branch of a tree, for the thoughts are to the heart as a branch is to a tree:
Malbim
“Until when?” means: How long will you serve Baal, and in times of distress will you cry out to the Lord, as it is written, “And in the time of their distress they will say, ‘Arise and save us’”? For you are vacillating between two opposing ideas and do not know whom you will serve. This is impossible, for there is no middle ground between two opposites. If the Lord is God, then Baal has no reality, which He commanded to be destroyed and abhorred. And if Baal has reality, then you have no share in the Lord. And they did not answer, because the people were in doubt.
Then said Elijah to the people: ‘I, even I only, am left a prophet of Hashem; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.
verse value 3368
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "I" (אֲנִ֞י, 3 letters) and the longest is "four·hundred" (אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "I·was·left" (נוֹתַ֧רְתִּי). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "to·the·people" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'alone', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלִיָּ֙הוּ֙ [Elijah] (52) + אֶל־הָעָ֔ם [to·the·people] (146) + אֲנִ֞י [I] (61) + נוֹתַ֧רְתִּי [I·was·left] (1066) + נָבִ֛יא [prophet] (63) + לַיהֹוָ֖ה [to·Hashem] (56) + לְבַדִּ֑י [alone] (46) + וּנְבִיאֵ֣י [and·prophets·of] (79) + הַבַּ֔עַל [Baal] (107) + אַרְבַּע־מֵא֥וֹת [four·hundred] (720) + וַחֲמִשִּׁ֖ים [and·fifty] (404) + אִֽישׁ [man] (311) = 3368.
Metzudat David
I am left. For the hundred prophets that Obadiah hid were not known to them.
And the prophets , etc. Meaning: although I am alone and they are many, despite all this it will be seen now whose prayer will be accepted.
Malbim
And he said, that is to say: In this respect, they will have no pretext to say that Baal has power like the [true] God, but rather that there was some deficiency in their service and a superiority in Elijah's service, and that is why He brought down the fire and they did not. For you have an advantage: 1) because the prophets of Baal are many and I am alone — and this is why he said, "I alone remain a prophet of the Lord," etc.; 2)
Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under; and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on the wood, and put no fire under.
verse value 6791
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 100 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָ֜ד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·let·them·give·us" (וְיִתְּנוּ־לָ֜נוּ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 315: upon·the·wood, upon·the·wood. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·let·them·give·us" (וְיִתְּנוּ־לָ֜נוּ), "bulls" (פָּרִ֗ים), "and·let·them·choose" (וְיִבְחֲר֣וּ). The root שום appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "I·will·do" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings); "upon·the·wood" (root על, 127x in I Kings); "and·let·them·give·us" (root נתן, 113x in I Kings). First appearance of the root פר ("bulls") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'they·will·put', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 9 words.
Metzudat Zion
V'yanatchu. They cut him into pieces; like (Leviticus 1:6) 'and he shall cut it into pieces' (vanitach otah):
Malbim
And they shall give from the side of the offering, lest they think that I have chosen an offering that has some advantage: they shall give us two bulls (even if they are two unequal ones), and they shall choose for themselves the choicer one. 3. One may say it is an advantage from the side of the many worshippers and those engaged [in the service], and this is what it says, "And they shall cut it in pieces and place [the pieces]," so that those engaged [in the service] shall be many. And for Me there shall be two disadvantages: One, that I shall perform the slaughter of the one remaining bull, the inferior one; Two, that I shall be alone.
And call you on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of Hashem; and the God that answers by fire, let him be God.’ And all the people answered and said: ‘It is well spoken.’
verse value 3883
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 81 letters. Notable word values: "and·it·shall·be" (וְהָיָ֧ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·name·of" (בְּשֵׁ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·name·of·Hashem" (בְשֵׁם־יְהֹוָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·God, God. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·you·shall·call" (וּקְרָאתֶ֞ם), "I·call" (אֶקְרָ֣א), "in·the·name·of·Hashem" (בְשֵׁם־יְהֹוָ֔ה). The root אלהים appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·answers" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·they·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "in·the·name·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 5 words.
Metzudat David
That shall answer by fire. Meaning: the answer will be in the matter of bringing down the fire.
Malbim
"And you shall call out"—and thus there shall be no distinction between the actions performed, for [the verse states] "And you shall call out, and I will call out," and even in this matter you shall call out first. And according to this, it becomes clear that the God who answers by fire is indeed God, for there will be nothing to attribute the failure to—neither a deficiency in the sacrifice, nor in those offering it, nor in the time of the offering—since in all these matters the priority belongs to you. Rather, the deficiency will stem from the fact that Baal is not God. And all the people answered, because they had genuinely been in doubt and wanted to reach a clear resolution.
And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal: ‘Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.’
verse value 4649
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "the·one" (הָאֶחָד֙) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·prophets·of" (לִנְבִיאֵ֣י, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, many. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·prophets·of" (לִנְבִיאֵ֣י), "choose" (בַּחֲר֨וּ), "to·you" (לָכֶ֜ם). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·do" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings); "your·god" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'many', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Metzudat David
For you are many. And it is a way of instruction; that the many will choose for themselves and do first.
Malbim
And he said: 1. Choose the choicest; 2. Perform the first; 3. For you are the many, as stated above.
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying: ‘O Baal, answer us.’ But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they danced in halting wise about the altar which was made.
verse value 5990
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 96 letters. The shortest word is "to·them" (לָהֶם֮, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·until·the·noon" (וְעַד־הַצׇּהֳרַ֤יִם, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: and·nothing, and·nothing. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·the·name·of·Baal" (בְשֵׁם־הַ֠בַּ֠עַל), "from·the·morning" (מֵהַבֹּ֨קֶר), "and·until·the·noon" (וְעַד־הַצׇּהֳרַ֤יִם). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·put" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·they·did" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). First appearance of the root צהר ("and·until·the·noon") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'testifying', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
Which He gave to them. For it (the bull) kept slipping away from them, so that it would not draw near to idolatry, and it fled to take refuge under the wings of Elijah. He said to it: Go, for through the two of you the Omnipresent will be sanctified (Numbers Rabbah 23:9, Yalkut Shimoni here, remez 214):
"And they leaped about the altar that he made." Targum Yonatan renders: 'And they acted like madmen,' meaning they were dancing in their customary manner around their altars.
"And they leaped." Like "and they stepped."
Radak
"Who gave them." The explanation is that He gave them by speaking to them, saying, "Choose for yourselves one bull, and make it the first." Or, the explanation of "who gave them" is that Ahab gave them, as Elijah said, "Let them give us two bulls," and Ahab gave them to them. And there are words in the Aggadah that are distant from reason: for when they chose the one bull and came to take it, they could not move it from its place until Elijah said to it, "Go with them." The bull said to Elijah, "My companion and I came from the same womb, and we grew up in the same manger. He went up for the portion of God, and the Name of God will be sanctified upon him. And I went up for the portion of Baal, to anger my Creator." Elijah said to him, "Go with them. Just as the Name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is sanctified through this one that is with me, so too it will be sanctified through you." The bull said to him, "And is this your advice to me? I will not move from my place until you hand me over into their hands." Hence it is said, "Who gave them into their hands."
"And they leaped upon the altar which he made." Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated: "And they acted madly around the altar that he made." And its plain sense: they made themselves like lame people and people in pain, going back and forth upon the altar. And the phrase "which he made" is to be understood in a general sense, like "which they made," meaning: which Israel made.
Ralbag
"And they leaped upon the altar." This means that they went back and forth near the altar which Ahab had made at the time when they called upon Baal.
"And they cut themselves." This means: they slashed their flesh with swords and spears until the blood poured out upon them.
Metzudat David
That was given them. Our Sages of blessed memory said (Numbers Rabbah 23:9): after they chose the bull, he did not desire to go after them, until Elijah gave it into their hands.
And they limped. They hopped upon the altar that Ahab made or another; and this hopping was the way of their service.
Metzudat Zion
Vifashchu. And they hopped:
Malbim
The questions: Why does it say, "which he gave them," when they themselves had chosen it? And why did they hop around the altar? And it should have said, "which they made," in the plural.
"And they took..." that which He gave them: According to the simple meaning, since the bulls were not equal, as it is stated, "two bulls" [for we have already explained (in the book HaTorah VeHaMitzvah, Acharei Mot, section 17) that "shnei" indicates equality, whereas "shnayim" indicates that they are unequal], and one was inferior and one was choice, and He said, "Choose," it is as if He gave them the choice one. And our Sages of blessed memory interpreted that they were unable to move the bull from its place until Elijah gave it to them in his hands. "And they called until noon": Baal was the worship of the sun, and its power was from morning until noon, when the sun is in its strength. "And there was no voice": that is to say, the sign that their sacrifice would be accepted would be either through the voice of prophecy, or through a matter of fire, as it is stated, "He who answers by fire." For they asked regarding the fire, and if fire had descended, they would have been answered regarding their question. And neither of these occurred. "And they limped": According to the simple meaning, Elijah also immediately built an altar. And they, seeing that they were not answered, thought that through Elijah's altar, which stood beside theirs, their worship was ruined. And they limped upon the altar that Elijah had made, to destroy it and nullify it; and this is what it states subsequently, "and he repaired the altar of the Lord that was ruined."
And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said: ‘Cry aloud; for he is a god; either he is musing, or he is gone aside, or he is in a journey, or perhaps he sleeps, and must be awaked.’
verse value 3455
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "and·either" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·voice·great" (בְקוֹל־גָּדוֹל֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 47: at·them, perhaps. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·mocked" (וַיְהַתֵּ֧ל), "in·voice·great" (בְקוֹל־גָּדוֹל֙), "for·God" (כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֣ים). The root כי appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "for·God" (root כי, 94x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Rashi
"For he is a god." (Targum:) "For you say he is a god."
"For he is in conversation, or he is pursuing." Perhaps he now has a matter to discuss with his advisors, or perhaps he is now pursuing and chasing in battle:
"Or he is on a journey." [Meaning:] to the privy:
Radak
"Elijah mocked them." The tav has its dagesh according to its rule, while the rest [of its occurrences elsewhere] are without dagesh (rafeh). The meaning is that he ridiculed them and said to them in a mocking manner: "Cry out with a loud voice."
“Ki siach ve-khi sig.” “Siach” means that he has conversation and words with others and does not turn to you. And the meaning of “sig” is that its root is נשג (n-s-g), from “haseg”/“tasig” (to overtake); and its pattern is like [the word] “sio,” in the phrase “though his loftiness mount up to the heavens,” whose root is נשא (n-s-a, to lift). Likewise, “sig” has the root נשג. Its meaning is: or he has enemies, and he pursues after them to overtake them. And Jonathan [ben Uzziel] translated it: “ishtadaf,” “ishtadeif” [he is occupied/detained].
And was it his custom to go? Or did he go on his way to attend to one of his affairs?
Perhaps he is asleep. Or perhaps he is asleep and does not hear you, and if you call out in a loud voice, he will awaken; and if he is on his way, he will hear you when you call out in a loud voice.
And he awoke. With the yod of the imperfect prefixes (aleph-yod-tav-nun) alone, and the yod of the root is hidden.
Metzudat David
For he is a god. He said in a manner of teasing: is he not a god? And he is able to answer when he hears. But still he has not heard; for with whom is he speaking now? Or he is occupied with insights and pondering wisdoms. And since he is occupied with some matter, his sense of hearing is somewhat cancelled. Or perhaps he is on a journey; and from the distance of the place he will not hear. And for this reason they called him in a loud voice; and then, with all his occupation, he will be aroused. And even if he is on a journey far away, he will hear in a loud voice.
Perhaps he is sleeping. Or perhaps he is sleeping; and when you call in a loud voice he will awake from his sleep.
Metzudat Zion
Viyahital. He mocked; like (Genesis 31:7) 'your father deceived me' (u'avichan hitlal bi):
Sheyach. A matter of speech; like (Psalms 69:13) 'they will speak against me' (yishichu bi):
Sheig. I mean: the attaining of wisdom:
Malbim
"And it came to pass at noon" — at that time their hope was uprooted, at the time of the sun's strength. He acted mockingly and derisively, saying words contrary to his intent: "Call out with a loud voice." Behold, it is a necessary condition of divinity that it is not confined to a place—indeed, it is inconceivable that it should be otherwise—so [if] they need to call out with a loud voice, it would not be because He is distant in place, nor because there is in Him any concealment, weariness, or lack of knowledge. And he said, since your God has bodily attributes, it is possible that He also has attributes of the speaking soul that can be preoccupied, either because He is speaking and conversing about another matter, as it says, "for He is talking," or because of thought, that He is thinking and pondering about another matter, as it says, "for He is musing," or that He has the deficiencies of the vital soul that moves from place to place, as it says, "and He is walking," or that He has the attributes of the vegetative soul and its deficiencies, which is sleep, whose origin is in plants and from them it was implanted in man because he possesses the vegetative power. The mockery was in that he reversed the order of his words. For if he had been speaking with them not in jest, it should have been said in the opposite order: "for He is sleeping," or "He is walking," or "He is talking," which is the order of the levels from below to above. And he intended to belittle their worship, that it is not God, and he lowered Him down to the deficiency of the vegetative soul, and said accordingly, "Call out with a loud voice, perhaps He will wake from His sleep."
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
verse value 3023
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "voice" (בְּק֣וֹל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·cut·themselves" (וַיִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙, 7 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·cut·themselves" (וַיִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙), "as·their·judgment" (כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֔ם), "in·the·swords" (בַּחֲרָב֖וֹת). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·them" (root על, 127x in I Kings); "and·they·called" (root קרא, 47x in I Kings); "great" (root גדול, 23x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·spears', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַֽיִּקְרְאוּ֙ [and·they·called] (323) + בְּק֣וֹל [voice] (138) + גָּד֔וֹל [great] (43) + וַיִּתְגֹּֽדְדוּ֙ [and·cut·themselves] (433) + כְּמִשְׁפָּטָ֔ם [as·their·judgment] (489) + בַּחֲרָב֖וֹת [in·the·swords] (618) + וּבָרְמָחִ֑ים [and·in·the·spears] (306) + עַד־שְׁפׇךְ־דָּ֖ם [until·blood·gushed] (518) + עֲלֵיהֶֽם [upon·them] (155) = 3023.
Rashi
"And they gashed themselves." This is the language of scratching with a tool, and such was their custom:
Radak
And they cut themselves. Like "You shall not cut yourselves," the matter is of scratching the flesh.
As their judgment. So was their judgment at times, in order to show the people that then He would answer them and accept their prayer, or that the cutting off was from the judgments of the service.
Metzudat David
And they called in a loud voice. They listened to Elijah's words, although he said in teasing and mockery.
And they gashed themselves. They cut their flesh with swords until their blood flowed, as was their custom to serve [Baal] in this manner.
Metzudat Zion
Vityagudu. A matter of lacerating the flesh; like (Deuteronomy 14:1) 'you shall not make gashes upon yourselves' (lo titgadu):
Kimishpatam. According to their custom:
B'chervot. From the language of sword:
Malbim
And they cried out with a loud voice, so that their god, who was far from them, might hear; and they gashed themselves, perhaps he was asleep and would feel the pain of the spear's piercing of his prophets.
And it was so, when midday was past, that they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening offering; but their was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.
verse value 2730
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 54 letters. Verse gematria: 2730 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "until" (עַ֖ד, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·they·prophesied" (וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֔וּ, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "when·passing" (כַּעֲבֹ֣ר), "the·noon" (הַֽצׇּהֳרַ֔יִם), "and·they·prophesied" (וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֔וּ). The root אין appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "the·offering·up·of" (root עלה, 60x in I Kings); "and·nothing·voice" (root אין, 25x in I Kings). First appearance of the root נבא ("and·they·prophesied") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'gift', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + כַּעֲבֹ֣ר [when·passing] (292) + הַֽצׇּהֳרַ֔יִם [the·noon] (350) + וַיִּֽתְנַבְּא֔וּ [and·they·prophesied] (475) + עַ֖ד [until] (74) + לַעֲל֣וֹת [the·offering·up·of] (536) + הַמִּנְחָ֑ה [gift] (108) + וְאֵֽין־ק֥וֹל [and·nothing·voice] (203) + וְאֵין־עֹנֶ֖ה [and·no·one·answering] (192) + וְאֵ֥ין [and·nothing] (67) + קָֽשֶׁב [attentiveness] (402) = 2730.
Rashi
And they prophesied. (Targum:) "And they acted like madmen":
Radak
And they prophesied. They spoke words of mockery, which was their custom to say before Baal; and its Targum is: "ve'ishtatiu" [and they acted madly].
“Until the time of the evening offering.” Until the time of the sacrifice of the evening meal-offering.
"And there was no one to heed." For if they had had someone attentive, he would have answered them — "heed," as in "he hearkened, [with] heed, much heed" [Isaiah 21:7].
Ralbag
"And they prophesied until the time of the offering of the afternoon sacrifice." This means that they spoke these words and things like them.
"And there is no voice, and there is no answer, and there is no regard." This means that no voice came from Baal, nor did he answer them with any voice to fulfill their request, nor did anything emanate from him to clarify that there is one who heeds their voice.
"And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down." The meaning is that through this action, he brought healing to the broken-down altar of the Lord in Israel, for until then they had not been sacrificing to the Blessed One, but only to idolatry. Or perhaps there was an altar built for the Lord there, since it was a private altar (a bamah of an individual), and they had destroyed it due to idolatrous worship; and at that time they destroyed all the altars that were there for the sake of the Lord as it says, "Your altars they have broken down."
Metzudat David
And they prophesied. They made themselves as though speaking in prophecy that the fire will descend; and they did not cease from prophesying until the coming of the time of the evening offering -- it is the tamid of between the evenings. For then they became weary and prophesied no more.
And there is no voice. But there is no voice, etc.
And no one hearkens. Meaning: and this is because there is no one who hearkens to them; for he is not a god.
Metzudat Zion
Vitanavu. They behaved as though prophesying:
Keshav. Listening; like (Isaiah 21:7) 'and he listened intently' (v'hikshiv keshav):
Malbim
And it came to pass when the sun was past its zenith, at which time they knew that the sun had moved backward and they would not achieve their desired outcome, they prophesied false prophecies, saying: Why did He not heed their sacrifice? And they prophesied from this that their God was angry with His worshippers and the like, and there was no voice as mentioned above, and there was no listening, for the people did not heed their false prophecy.
And Elijah said to all the people: ‘Come near to me’; and all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of Hashem that was thrown down.
verse value 2448
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֖ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 2448 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "draw·near" (גְּשׁ֣וּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·people" (לְכׇל־הָעָם֙, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "draw·near" (גְּשׁ֣וּ), "and·approached" (וַיִּגְּשׁ֥וּ), "and·repaired" (וַיְרַפֵּ֛א). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "to·me" (root אל, 102x in I Kings). First appearance of the root הרס ("the·torn-down") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֨אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלִיָּ֤הוּ [Elijah] (52) + לְכׇל־הָעָם֙ [to·all·the·people] (195) + גְּשׁ֣וּ [draw·near] (309) + אֵלַ֔י [to·me] (41) + וַיִּגְּשׁ֥וּ [and·approached] (325) + כׇל־הָעָ֖ם [all·the·people] (165) + אֵלָ֑יו [to·him] (47) + וַיְרַפֵּ֛א [and·repaired] (297) + אֶת־מִזְבַּ֥ח [the·altar·of] (458) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + הֶהָרֽוּס [the·torn-down] (276) = 2448.
Rashi
And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been ruined. He built an altar, and he reminded Israel so that the altar of the Lord would rise to their hearts and be familiar on their lips, for it had been ruined and demolished, and its name and mention had ceased from the mouths of all the Ten Tribes. Thus I heard its plain meaning, and I also heard its homiletical interpretation: that Saul built an altar on Mount Carmel. This is what it says (1 Samuel 15:12): “Saul came to Carmel,” and behold, he was setting up for himself a monument; and further on (Genesis 33:20) it says: “And he set up there an altar.” And the kings of Israel demolished all the altars and high places in their land that had been made for the sake of Heaven. And Elijah rebuilt this altar of Saul, which had been ruined.
Radak
"And He healed." [This is] by way of metaphor: he used the language of healing to denote the rebuilding of a ruined structure. Similarly, "for healing/mending had come upon the wall of Jerusalem," and likewise, "and Joab kept alive/preserved the rest of the city."
‘The altar of the Lord, which was in ruins.’ He stated that there had previously been an altar there, built for the sake of the Lord. And it was said in midrashic exposition that this altar was built by Saul; this is what is meant by the verse, ‘And behold, he has set up a monument for himself’ (1 Samuel 15:12), and this altar was in ruins because the worshippers of Baal demolished all the altars that had been built for the sake of the Lord during the time when private altars were permitted. Now, from the time that Jeroboam made the calves, he prohibited offering sacrifices anywhere else except either in Bethel or in Dan, and they demolished the altars, as Elijah said, ‘They have torn down Your altars’ (1 Kings 19:10). And Elijah built an altar and offered upon it during the time when private altars were forbidden, for a temporary necessity. And there are those who explain, ‘And he repaired the altar of the Lord, which was in ruins,’ to mean that through the miracle performed by his hand, the children of Israel returned in repentance and offered sacrifices on the altar of the Lord, which had been in ruins and which had been withheld from them.
Metzudat David
Come near to me. To see that there is no cunning in the matter.
And he repaired. This is used by way of metaphor, to express the language of healing regarding the repair of a ruined building. And so it is said (Nehemiah 4:1): 'for healing had come to the wall of Jerusalem.' And 'arukhah' (healing) is also related to the notion of healing [and our Sages of blessed memory said that this altar was built by Saul, and was destroyed by the worshippers of Baal].
Metzudat Zion
Haharos. A matter of breaking and shattering:
Malbim
(30–31) The Questions: From where do we find a ruined altar there? Why does it say, "which the LORD had said to him, 'Israel shall be your name'"?
"And he said" — behold, it had become clear to them that there is no substance in Baal, and now he said that they should approach him. "And he repaired" — I have already written that Elijah made an altar to the LORD immediately, and the prophets of Baal tore it down; and now he repaired it, to restore it to its former state.
And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of Hashem came, saying: ‘Israel shall be your name.’
verse value 4571
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁר֩, 3 letters) and the longest is "sons·of·Jacob" (בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֑ב, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "as·number·of" (כְּמִסְפַּ֖ר), "sons·of·Jacob" (בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֑ב). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'sons·of·Jacob', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Rashi
"Which was the word of the Lord unto him, saying, 'Israel shall be thy name.'" Why is this stated here? Because on the day that the Divine Presence was revealed to Jacob at Bethel and He called him Israel, on that very day He said to him: "A nation and a company of nations shall be from thee." Your descendants are destined to gather together like the other nations, and to build an altar to offer sacrifices upon it during the time when the high places are forbidden, and I shall be appeased by this matter. Genesis Rabbah 82:5.
Radak
As the number of the tribes of the children of Jacob. That the merit of the tribes would be effective in this matter, and God would answer his prayer; or, to show them that the twelve tribes of the children of Jacob ought to be united and cleave to God, to offer upon one altar, unlike what they were doing at that time, for the two tribes were offering a burnt offering on the altar of God, while the rest were [offering] on the altar of Baal. Therefore, he built the altar before their eyes from twelve stones. And the meaning of “for the word of God came to him, saying, ‘Israel shall be your name’” is that at Bethel, where our father Jacob built an altar to God, it is stated there, “Israel shall be your name,” in order to magnify the name of his seed if they would cleave to Him, for “Israel” is a name denoting dominion, as it is said, “For you have striven with God and with men.” And whereas at the place where our father Jacob built an altar to God, and it was said to him there, “Your name shall be Israel,” they [the Israelites] made the calf and built there an altar to Baal. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: “Why is it stated here, ‘Israel shall be your name’?” Because on the day that the Divine Presence was revealed to Jacob at Bethel, and He called him Israel, on that very day He said to him, “A nation and a congregation of nations shall come from you.” Your children are destined to assemble like the other nations, to build an altar and to burn incense upon it during the time when the use of high places is forbidden, and I will be appeased by this matter.
Metzudat David
Israel shall be your name. On account that it is said (Genesis 32:28): 'for you have striven with God and with men and have prevailed.' And as though he gives a reason for why he took twelve stones; and he said: since they are in the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and to mention the merit of Israel their father, that he too, like him, will overcome other gods and the men of the prophets of Baal.
Malbim
"And he took" — [the text] recounts in detail how he repaired the altar: that he took twelve stones. And lest we err and think that the number twelve corresponded to the twelve constellations, since the worshippers of the constellations also used the number twelve, it is therefore explained that his intention with this number was in accordance with the number of the tribes of the children of Jacob, concerning whom the word of the LORD had come to him, that he would be above the constellations and rule even over the angels; and it was from this aspect that it was said to him, "Israel shall be your name," for they are elevated above the constellations.
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Hashem; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
verse value 3279
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "in·name·of" (בְּשֵׁ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·stones" (אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֛ים, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·built" (וַיִּבְנֶ֧ה), "the·stones" (אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֛ים), "channel" (תְּעָלָ֗ה). The root מזבח appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "as·house·of" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "and·did" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיִּבְנֶ֧ה [and·he·built] (73) + אֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֛ים [the·stones] (509) + מִזְבֵּ֖חַ [altar] (57) + בְּשֵׁ֣ם [in·name·of] (342) + יְהֹוָ֑ה [Hashem] (26) + וַיַּ֣עַשׂ [and·did] (386) + תְּעָלָ֗ה [channel] (505) + כְּבֵית֙ [as·house·of] (432) + סָאתַ֣יִם [two·seahs] (511) + זֶ֔רַע [seed] (277) + סָבִ֖יב [around] (74) + לַמִּזְבֵּֽחַ [for·the·altar] (87) = 3279.
Rashi
"A trench [Heb. te'alah]." 'Fossado' in the vernacular [Old French]:
Like a courtyard of two se'ah. Its area was two se'ah, one hundred by fifty, like the courtyard of the Tabernacle:
Radak
"And He made a trench." He dug a trench around the altar so that the waters would flow in it, and the width of the trench is equal to the space required for sowing two se'ah, which measures fifty cubits by fifty cubits.
Metzudat David
And he made a trench. He made a ditch around the altar, in the measure of the place of sowing two seahs of seed; so that the waters would go in it to increase the miracle; as is said in the matter.
Metzudat Zion
Ta'ala. A trench; likewise (Isaiah 7:3) 'the conduit of the pool' (ta'alat ha'breicha):
Malbim
"And he built" — it is stated explicitly that he built it for the sake of the LORD, to sanctify it with the sanctity of an altar. "And he made a trench" — this was in order to perform a miracle with water. And it was the size of two se'ahs [of sown seed], which is the measure of the courtyard of the Tabernacle, for this is the boundary that the LORD set, that the sanctity should spread around the altar.
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood.
verse value 2753
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "and·put" (וַיָּ֖שֶׂם, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·wood" (אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·he·arrayed" (וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ), "the·wood" (אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים), "and·cut·up" (וַיְנַתַּח֙). 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon·the·wood" (root על, 127x in I Kings); "and·put" (root שום, 26x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·wood', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַֽיַּעֲרֹ֖ךְ [and·he·arrayed] (306) + אֶת־הָעֵצִ֑ים [the·wood] (616) + וַיְנַתַּח֙ [and·cut·up] (474) + אֶת־הַפָּ֔ר [the·bullock] (686) + וַיָּ֖שֶׂם [and·put] (356) + עַל־הָעֵצִֽים [upon·the·wood] (315) = 2753.
And he said: ‘Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.’ And he said: ‘Do it the second time’; and they did it the second time. And he said: ‘Do it the third time’; and they did it the third time.
verse value 4049
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "water" (מַ֔יִם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·on·the·wood" (וְעַל־הָעֵצִ֑ים, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said, and·said. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "jars" (כַדִּים֙), "and·pour" (וְיִֽצְק֥וּ), "on·the·burnt-offering" (עַל־הָעֹלָ֖ה). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "repeat" (root שנה, 72x in I Kings); "on·the·burnt-offering" (root עלה, 60x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·on·the·wood', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + מִלְא֨וּ [fill] (77) + אַרְבָּעָ֤ה [four] (278) + כַדִּים֙ [jars] (74) + מַ֔יִם [water] (90) + וְיִֽצְק֥וּ [and·pour] (212) + עַל־הָעֹלָ֖ה [on·the·burnt-offering] (210) + וְעַל־הָעֵצִ֑ים [and·on·the·wood] (321) + וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שְׁנוּ֙ [repeat] (356) + וַיִּשְׁנ֔וּ [and·they·repeated] (372) + וַיֹּ֥אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שַׁלֵּ֖שׁוּ [do·a·third·time] (636) + וַיְשַׁלֵּֽשׁוּ [and·they·did·a·third·time] (652) = 4049.
Rashi
Jars of water. To magnify the miracle:
And they poured. Elisha poured [water] on his hands, and his fingers became like springs, and the trench was filled. This is what is stated (2 Kings 3:11): "Here is Elisha, the son of Shaphat, who poured water on the hands of Elijah," and a miracle was performed with water through his hands; it is fitting that the miracle with water be performed through his hands (Eliyahu Rabbah, Chapter 17):
Radak
"Fill four vessels with water." This statement serves to magnify the miracle, so that the fire would consume the water rather than being extinguished by it, even though it licked up the water. He commanded them to provide twelve vessels of water, for he told them "do it a second time" and "do it a third time", and three times four is twelve vessels of water, corresponding to the twelve stones representing the tribes of the children of Israel. And the reason he did not command them to place all twelve vessels of water at once, but rather in three installments, was to correspond to the three patriarchs, who are three, as he prayed to God and said, "God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel."
"Vayyitzku" (and they poured). This is a complete imperative, and the first radical of the verb is drawn out by the accent, as in "draw and take for yourselves sheep" [Exodus 12:21]. And in the Midrash: Elisha poured water upon the hands of Elijah, and a miracle occurred, and his ten fingers became like fountains, and the trench was filled with water, as it is stated: "and they poured" — that is [as is written], "who poured water upon the hands of Elijah" [II Kings 3:11].
Ralbag
“And he dug a trench.” It was an excavation, and he made it as large as two se’ah of seed, just as was the case with the courtyard of the Tabernacle, which was also the size of two se’ah of seed. Now, to magnify the miracle, Elijah desired that the water there should increase over the burnt offering and over the wood. And indeed, Elijah did this on his own, relying on the certainty that God, blessed be He, would perform the miracle through him, just as He did through the son of the Zarephite woman, as it is stated: “He upholds the word of His servant, and the counsel of His messengers He fulfills.” Or perhaps, God, blessed be He, commanded him to do this in order to remove Israel from the great sin in which they were involved.
Metzudat David
And they poured. And they spilled. And so they did and spilled; and although it was not mentioned, it is understood by itself.
A second time. They spilled a second time; and they spilled a second time.
A third time. They spilled a third time, etc.
Malbim
And he said, "Fill four jars with water" — now, it was necessary to bring down the abundance of rain from the upper source, for it is known that four living creatures bear the upper and lower chariot, through which the abundance passes; and correspondingly, he filled four jars to bring down the abundance from the four corners of the upper earth that is in the World of Emanation to the World of the Throne. And he said, "Do it a second time" — to empty the abundance from the four bearers of the Throne into the World of the Angels. And he said, "Do it a third time" — to bring down the water from the four living creatures that Ezekiel saw in the lower, angelic chariot, to the wheels, which is the lower world.
And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.
verse value 1449
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "and·also" (וְגַ֥ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·trench" (אֶת־הַתְּעָלָ֖ה, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·trench" (אֶת־הַתְּעָלָ֖ה), "filled·with·water" (מִלֵּא־מָֽיִם). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·flowed" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "for·the·altar" (root מזבח, 35x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'for·the·altar', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּלְכ֣וּ [and·flowed] (72) + הַמַּ֔יִם [water] (95) + סָבִ֖יב [around] (74) + לַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ [for·the·altar] (87) + וְגַ֥ם [and·also] (49) + אֶת־הַתְּעָלָ֖ה [the·trench] (911) + מִלֵּא־מָֽיִם [filled·with·water] (161) = 1449.
Radak
"And the waters went round about the altar." The waters that were poured out upon the burnt-offering and upon the wood went round about the altar, because in the middle of the altar were the wood and the burnt-offering.
"Filled with water." Elijah commanded [them] to fill [the trench] with water, or perhaps he himself filled it; and this water was in addition to [besides] the twelve jars.
Metzudat David
Around the altar. For when the water was poured upon the burnt offering that was on the altar, the water flowed down over the whole altar, around the place of the wood-arrangement [the layered wood upon the altar].
Filled. Or Elijah himself, or by his command, they filled also the trench.
And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening offering, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said: ‘O Hashem, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel, and that I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word.
verse value 5818
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 120 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֗ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "and·it·was" (וַיְהִ֣י, 4 letters) and the longest is "all·the·words" (כׇּל־הַדְּבָרִ֖ים, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "Abraham" (אַבְרָהָם֙), "Isaac" (יִצְחָ֣ק), "let·it·be·known" (יִוָּדַ֗ע). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Your·servant', dividing the verse into phrases of 19 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And in Your word I have done." This refers to the fact that I offered a sacrifice on the high place [bamah], at a time when the use of high places was forbidden.
Radak
"At the time of the afternoon offering." The letter "bet" (in "be'alot") is interpreted to mean "at the time of" the evening offering.
"And with Your words" (uvidvarekha). It is written with a yod [plural] and read without a yod [singular]; the meaning is one, only that the written form [with the yod] is plural and the read form [without the yod] is singular. And the sense of "and with Your word" is so that they should not say, "I did all that I did from my own mind, and what I do at all times — these matters of miracles — are matters of sorcery or divination." But if You answer me with fire that descends from heaven, they will know that all I do, I do by Your will and in my trust in You, and they will know that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant — not like the calves that they worship. And in the words of our Sages, may their memory be blessed: "and with Your word I have done [this]" — so that they should not say Elijah is offering on a high place (bamah) at a time when high places were forbidden. "And with Your word I have done [it]" means "with Your speech I have done [it]."
Ralbag
“And at Your word I have done all these things.” This means: “By Your commission and by Your command,” for it appears that He commanded him regarding this matter, as we have mentioned. And even if we assume that He did not command him regarding this matter, it is possible to say that he did this through His word, because He told him to appear before Ahab and to bring rain upon the face of the earth. But it would not have been fitting to bring rain upon the face of the earth while they were still persisting in their wickedness, for then the benefit of withholding the rain—which was the very reason for it—would be lost, namely, that they might return from their evil ways. But if the matter had been so, one would say that this occurrence was a coincidence, not caused by their sin. Therefore, it was necessary that He first do what would serve as a cause to bring them back to good, to the extent possible, and then they would recognize that their sins were the cause of the withholding of the rains.
Metzudat David
At the time of the offering of the oblation. At the time of bringing the evening offering; it is the tamid of between the evenings.
And he came near. To the Lord to pray.
Today shall it be known. Meaning: when the fire descends, today it shall be known, etc.
In Israel. Meaning: You cause Your Shechinah to rest in Israel.
And I am Your servant. And with this miracle being through my hand, all will know that I am Your servant, a true prophet to the Lord; and they will believe in me forever when I prophesy to them.
And by Your word , etc. Meaning: it is proper that You do for me this miracle; for surely all these matters that I did to increase the miracle -- surely all my thoughts are for the sake that they keep Your word; and not for my sake did I do them.
Malbim
"O LORD, God of Abraham," — from the time that Your Presence dwelled among Israel, "today let it be known," — namely: 1. That Your divinity still watches over Israel and dwells among them, even in the midst of their impurity; 2. That I am Your servant; 3. That all this I have done by Your word, to offer on the high place and to bring down the fire.
Hear me, O Hashem, hear me, that this people may know that You, Hashem, are God, for You did turn their heart backward.’
verse value 3188
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "the·people" (הָעָ֣ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 180: answer·me, answer·me. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·let·them·know" (וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙), "You·turned" (הֲסִבֹּ֥תָ), "their·heart" (אֶת־לִבָּ֖ם). The root ענה appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings); "the·people" (root עם, 95x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'God', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words. Full calculation: עֲנֵ֤נִי [answer·me] (180) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + עֲנֵ֔נִי [answer·me] (180) + וְיֵֽדְעוּ֙ [and·let·them·know] (96) + הָעָ֣ם [the·people] (115) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + כִּֽי־אַתָּ֥ה [that·you] (436) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + הָאֱלֹהִ֑ים [God] (91) + וְאַתָּ֛ה [and·you] (412) + הֲסִבֹּ֥תָ [You·turned] (467) + אֶת־לִבָּ֖ם [their·heart] (473) + אֲחֹרַנִּֽית [backwards] (669) = 3188.
Rashi
"Answer me, O Lord, answer me." [The first] 'answer me' [means] with fire; (and with water) [the second] 'answer me' [means] with rain — so did Targum Jonathan render it. But our Rabbis said (Berakhot 9b): [both mean] 'answer me with fire' — so that they would not say these were an act of sorcery.
"And this people shall know that You are the Lord" etc. And when You send me to announce to them in the future, they will believe in me if You answer me today.
"And you have turned away their heart." You gave them room to stray from after You, and it was in Your power to prepare their hearts toward You (ibid. 31b). And in the Midrash Aggadah (Numbers Rabbah 18:12): "If You will not answer me, then I too will be a denier and say, 'You have turned away their heart.'" And so Moses said (Numbers 16:29): "If these men die the death of all men," then I too will be a denier and say, "The Lord did not send me to speak the Torah and the commandments." And so Micaiah said (below 22:28): "If you indeed return in peace, the Lord has not spoken by me."
Radak
"Answer me, O Lord, answer me." The repetition is to strengthen [the request], as is so in every place where it has no other reason. Likewise, "God, God, the LORD; God, God, the LORD" [Joshua 22:22]. And it is the way of every one who prays to repeat his words and to say them three times, like "O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken" [Daniel 9:19] and the like. And Targum [Yonatan] renders: "Accept my prayer, O Lord, with fire; accept my prayer, O Lord, with rain" — that is to say, he included in his prayer now, as well, the matter of the rain that he was destined to pray for on that same day. And our Sages, may their memory be blessed, said: "Answer me, O Lord" — with fire; "answer me" — so that they should not say these are acts of sorcery. And further, in the Midrash, in their words: "answer me" — for my merit; "answer me" — for the merit of my disciples.
And this people shall know that You are the LORD, the God. And when You send me in the future to herald [the redemption], they will believe me, if You answer me today.
"And You have turned their heart backward." The Gaon Rabbi Saadia explained: "Their heart, which was backward, You shall turn it toward You now, if You answer me." And there are those who explain: "their heart backward" [turned away] from belief in the Baal, and they will know that their idol [libation] is false. And it can be said: "If You answer me, they will know that You alone are God." And You, who have not shown them until now a clear miracle by which they would recognize that You are God, it seems as though You have turned their heart backward. And in the midrashic interpretation: "If You do not answer me, even I will be a denier and say that You have turned their heart backward." And so Moses said: "If these die like the death of all men... [then] the LORD has not sent me" [Numbers 16:29]. And so Michayahu [ben Yimlah] said: "If You return at all in peace, the LORD has not spoken by me" [I Kings 22:28]. And furthermore, they expounded: "You have turned their heart backward," meaning it was incumbent upon You to prepare their hearts for good. But it is not fitting to rely on this interpretation, for free choice was given to human beings, as it is written: "Behold, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil" [Deuteronomy 30:15]; a person chooses whatever he desires. And our Sages of blessed memory also said: "Everything is in the hands of Heaven, except for the fear of Heaven." And the great sage Maimonides, of blessed memory, explained it according to its plain sense: You withheld repentance from them because of the abundance of their sins, so that they would receive their punishment, along the lines of "And the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart" [Exodus 9:12], and "For the LORD your God had hardened his spirit and toughened his heart" [Deuteronomy 2:30], and the like. And Targum Yonatan renders: "and this people shall know, when You perform for them a miracle," etc. — as above.
Ralbag
And this nation shall know that You, the Lord, are God. They shall recognize thereby that You, the Lord, are God alone, and that what sometimes appeared to them to be Baal answering their supplications, this was not from Baal, but those actions came from You. And it is as if You turned their hearts backward by causing those actions to emanate from You, for they thought that they occurred due to the agency of Baal. The parable is this: Their belief was that when they served Baal, the land would yield its produce. Now, when the land yielded its produce—which was actually bestowed by God—they were strengthened in their belief in Baal, calculating that this had come from Him.
Metzudat David
Answer me, O Lord. In bringing down the fire.
And You have turned , etc. Past in place of future. And he means: with this miracle You will turn their heart toward You; which until now was backward, turning away from You.
Malbim
The Questions: What is the meaning of "And they shall know that the LORD is God," which appears to be redundant with what is stated, "Today let it be known that You are God in Israel"? And [what is the meaning of] what is stated, "And You have turned their heart backward"?
"Answer me" — in such a manner that all will know that the LORD is God. For even though they will grasp that You are God among them and I am Your servant, they still will not know that the God of Israel is the One Existing Being, Whose existence is necessary, Who brings every existent into being and sustains all of reality — for they might err and think that His power is a force received from a higher cause. And this is why it says, "Answer me," in such a manner that they will know that the LORD is God. And this is what our Sages of blessed memory said: Why did he say "Answer me" twice? "Answer me," that fire may descend, and "answer me," that they not say it is an act of sorcery — that is, so that they will not say that the descent of the fire was by the power of one of the lower ministers, [namely] the minister of Israel. Therefore he filled the trench with water, for sorcery is tested by water, as our Sages of blessed memory stated. "And You have turned [their hearts backward]" — he states the reason that Israel errs and fails to grasp Your divinity: it is because You created man in such a way that he cannot attain knowledge of anything from the prior to the subsequent by intellectual proof, but only from the subsequent to the prior, from the effect to the cause; and therefore he is prone to error and mistake in speculative matters. See my commentary on Isaiah (chapter 41, verse 23).
Then the fire of Hashem fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
verse value 5283
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "and·she·fell" (וַתִּפֹּ֣ל, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·stones" (וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים, 9 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "the·fire·of·Hashem" (אֵשׁ־יְהֹוָ֗ה), "and·the·wood" (וְאֶת־הָֽעֵצִ֔ים), "and·the·stones" (וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·fire·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "the·burnt-offering" (root עלה, 60x in I Kings); "and·ate" (root אכל, 36x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·dust', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. 6 of the verse's 10 words begin with the letter ו. Full calculation: וַתִּפֹּ֣ל [and·she·fell] (516) + אֵשׁ־יְהֹוָ֗ה [the·fire·of·Hashem] (327) + וַתֹּ֤אכַל [and·ate] (457) + אֶת־הָעֹלָה֙ [the·burnt-offering] (511) + וְאֶת־הָֽעֵצִ֔ים [and·the·wood] (622) + וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים [and·the·stones] (515) + וְאֶת־הֶֽעָפָ֑ר [and·the·dust] (762) + וְאֶת־הַמַּ֥יִם [and·the·water] (502) + אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָ֖ה [that·in·the·trench] (1008) + לִחֵֽכָה [licked·up] (63) = 5283.
Radak
"[And it] licked it up." It dried them until no moisture remained in the trench.
Metzudat Zion
L'chacha. A matter of licking; like (Isaiah 49:23) 'and lick the dust of your feet' (u'afar raglacha yilchaku); I mean: it consumed everything, like licking with the tongue:
Malbim
And it consumed first the burnt offering, which is the principal element, for its sake the fire descended; and afterwards the wood, which serves to prepare the sacrifice; and afterwards the stones; and afterwards the waters.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said: ‘Hashem, He is God; Hashem, He is God.’
verse value 1320
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 53 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "He" (ה֣וּא, 3 letters) and the longest is "on·their·faces" (עַל־פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: God, God. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·fell" (וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ). The root יהוה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·they·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "God" (root אלהים, 99x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'on·their·faces', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיַּרְא֙ [and·saw] (217) + כׇּל־הָעָ֔ם [all·the·people] (165) + וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ [and·they·fell] (132) + עַל־פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם [on·their·faces] (285) + וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ [and·they·said] (263) + יְהֹוָה֙ [Hashem] (26) + ה֣וּא [He] (12) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + ה֥וּא [He] (12) + הָאֱלֹהִֽים [God] (91) = 1320.
Rashi
"The Lord is God." And not Baal is God.
Radak
"The Lord is God." The repetition serves to strengthen their faith in their hearts; thus they said and taught: "The Lord is God."
Metzudat David
And they fell on their faces. To bow down to the Lord.
The Lord, He is God , etc. The repetition came to strengthen.
Malbim
The questions: Why did the verse repeat "The Lord is God"?
And they said, "The LORD..." The first statement is an affirmative proposition that the LORD is God, which was known to them from the descent of the fire; and the second is a negative proposition that only the LORD is God and none other, which was known to them from what they saw, namely, that the Baal was nothing but an idol.
And Elijah said to them: ‘Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape.’ And they took them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.
verse value 4725
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "there" (שָֽׁם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·prophets·of" (אֶת־נְבִיאֵ֣י, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 52: Elijah, Elijah. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "catch" (תִּפְשׂ֣וּ), "the·prophets·of" (אֶת־נְבִיאֵ֣י), "do·not·escape" (אַל־יִמָּלֵ֥ט). The root אליהו appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "do·not·escape" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "man" (root איש, 79x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·they·caught·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
“And he slaughtered them there.” He commanded that they be slaughtered because the hand of all the people was with him, as they saw this great miracle.
Ralbag
And Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon and slaughtered them there. It is possible that he commanded the people to slaughter them there, and it is also possible that he himself slaughtered them in his zeal for God, blessed be He, just as Samuel killed Agag with his own hand, and Pinchas killed Zimri and Cozbi with his own hand in his zeal for God, blessed be He,; and this is the more fitting explanation.
Metzudat Zion
Tifoshu. They seized them so that they would not flee:
Cross-references: Genesis 22:10; Judges 4:7; I Kings 19:1
And Elijah said to Ahab: ‘Get you up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’
verse value 1833
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. Verse gematria: 1833 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "go·up" (עֲלֵ֖ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֤אמֶר, 5 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·drink" (וּשְׁתֵ֑ה), "for·voice" (כִּי־ק֖וֹל), "multitude·of" (הֲמ֥וֹן). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "go·up" (root עלה, 60x in I Kings); "to·Ahab" (root אחאב, 49x in I Kings). First appearance of the root המון ("multitude·of") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֤אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלִיָּ֙הוּ֙ [Elijah] (52) + לְאַחְאָ֔ב [to·Ahab] (42) + עֲלֵ֖ה [go·up] (105) + אֱכֹ֣ל [eat] (51) + וּשְׁתֵ֑ה [and·drink] (711) + כִּי־ק֖וֹל [for·voice] (166) + הֲמ֥וֹן [multitude·of] (101) + הַגָּֽשֶׁם [rain] (348) = 1833.
Radak
“Go up, eat and drink.” It appears that he was fasting to withhold the rains, and Elijah told him to eat and drink, for now the rain would fall. The meaning of what he said to him, “Go up,” is: “Go up onto the chariot,” for the path from Mount Carmel to Jezreel is a descent, not an ascent, as it is written, “Go down,” and likewise it says in the verse, “in the valley of Jezreel, in the army of Jezreel.” It seems that the place of the valley is so, but the interpretation is: “Go up onto the chariot.” Or its meaning is that he should ascend from the wadi, in which they had slaughtered the false prophets, and he said that he should ascend from the wadi and go to the valley, to his tent which they had pitched there, and that he should eat and drink, not that he should yet go to Jezreel.
"For the sound of the multitude of rain." And yet it had not yet rained; rather, its meaning is: "For now you shall hear the sound of the multitude of rain," because Elijah trusted in God that He would give the rain, as He had said to him, "And I will give rain upon the face of the earth." Furthermore, because he had killed the worshippers of Baal and abolished idolatry.
Ralbag
“Go up, eat and drink, for the sound of the abundance of rain is heard.” This means that before you finish eating and drinking, you will hear the sound of the abundance of rain. And indeed, he told him to go up because that city, which was adjacent to Mount Carmel, was higher than the place where Elijah and Israel were. And Elijah trusted in God that He would do this, or he knew this through prophecy.
Metzudat David
Go up, eat and drink. As though saying: since they all returned and said 'the Lord, He is God' -- for this reason go up from now and eat your bread in joy and drink your wine with a good heart; for behold, the sound of the roar of the rain will be heard.
Malbim
The questions: Why did he say to him, "Eat and drink"? And how could he say, "For the voice of the multitude of the rain," when there was no sign of rain at all, as is stated subsequently?
And he said, "Behold, he has already accomplished what he needed to accomplish: (1) that Israel returned and acknowledged the true God; (2) that he slaughtered the prophets of Baal who were leading the people astray. And apparently, even Ahab inclined after Elijah at this time, upon seeing the work of the LORD, for it was awesome — for otherwise he would not have allowed him to kill his prophets. Therefore he said to him, 'Eat and drink,' for on that day they had certainly decreed a fast, as was their custom at a time when they would pray during a drought [for rain]. He said that he should eat and drink, for [there is] the sound of the abundance of rain — meaning that this sound, heard amid what Israel cried out, 'The LORD is God,' and amid the outcry of the sinners being slaughtered, was itself the sound of the abundant rain that descended in answer to this sound. And in truth, by law, if rain falls after midday one must complete the fast, and at that time it was indeed after midday; but Elijah made known that from the moment they began heeding the prophet's words and gathered, the sound of the abundant rain was heard, as though the rain had fallen before midday, in which case there is no need to complete the fast."
So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees.
verse value 3658
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 62 letters. The shortest word is "went·up" (עָלָ֨ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·drink" (וְלִשְׁתּ֑וֹת, 6 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·to·drink" (וְלִשְׁתּ֑וֹת), "and·Elijah" (וְאֵ֨לִיָּ֜הוּ), "to·top" (אֶל־רֹ֤אשׁ). The root עלה appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·top" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "between" (root בין, 107x in I Kings); "his·face" (root פנים, 95x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·to·drink', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 10 words. Full calculation: וַיַּעֲלֶ֥ה [and·he·went·up] (121) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + לֶאֱכֹ֣ל [to·eat] (81) + וְלִשְׁתּ֑וֹת [and·to·drink] (1142) + וְאֵ֨לִיָּ֜הוּ [and·Elijah] (58) + עָלָ֨ה [went·up] (105) + אֶל־רֹ֤אשׁ [to·top] (532) + הַכַּרְמֶל֙ [the·Carmel] (295) + וַיִּגְהַ֣ר [and·bent] (224) + אַ֔רְצָה [land] (296) + וַיָּ֥שֶׂם [and·put] (356) + פָּנָ֖יו [his·face] (146) + בֵּ֥ין [between] (62) + בִּרְכָּֽו [his·knees] (228) = 3658.
Rashi
And he bowed down to the earth. (Targum:) And he bowed down to the earth, to pray for rain.
Radak
"And Ahab went up to eat and to drink." He mounted his chariot to go to Jezreel to eat and to drink. But when he saw that Elijah had gone up to the top of Mount Carmel to pray, he waited for him and did not go until he would see what would happen. And according to our other explanation, he went up from the brook to the tent to eat and to drink, and Elijah went up from there to the top of Mount Carmel.
"And he bowed himself to the earth." As its Targum [renders it]: "And he prostrated himself," [indicating] that he threw himself before the Lord concerning the rain, to hasten its giving, while Ahab was still there.
"And he put his face between his knees." The word for "knees" (the plural) is written defectively, lacking the yod. And what is meant by "and he put his face between his knees" after it stated "and he bowed himself to the ground"? Initially, he prostrated himself and lay flat on the ground and prayed, and afterward he sat down and placed his face between his knees, and he did not wish to rise from his prayer yet, until he knew whether there was a sign of rain. Therefore, he said to his servant, "Look toward the sea," while he himself was still in his prayer. Or, the explanation is that "and he put his face between his knees" and "and he bowed himself to the ground" means that he did not pray with his hands and feet extended, but rather he bowed toward the ground and placed his face between his knees and prayed.
Ralbag
And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel. It appeared as though he had already ascended there so that they could see from that vantage point whether clouds were rising from the west, or perhaps the air in that place was purer, and thus it was possible that his prayer would be more readily heard from that location, for due to the purity of the air, the place would be more prepared for the divine abundance to cleave to it.
"And he bowed himself down to the earth." This means that he bent his head downward in such a manner that he placed his face between his knees, and he prayed to God, blessed be He, with this humility and concealment, in order that his prayer might be heard more readily, for God, blessed be He, would hasten to bring the rain, out of His concern for the prophet, so that he would not labor in this distress.
Metzudat David
The top of Carmel. The top of Mount Carmel.
And he bowed himself to the earth. He lay flat on the ground; and after this he arose and put his face between his knees to pray for the rain. And although the Lord said to him 'and I will give rain' etc., nevertheless he prayed to hasten to give it while Ahab was still there. And since he was confident that his prayer would be accepted, he said to Ahab from the beginning that the sound of the abundance of rain.
Metzudat Zion
Viga'har. A matter of prostration; like (II Kings 4:34) 'he stretched himself upon him' (viga'har alav):
Malbim
"And he went up," for already he had believed in the matter of Elijah, that the rain would come. And Elijah went up to pray, for although the Lord had told him to give rain, this meant only that he should not withhold the natural rain; but he prayed that it should descend immediately by a miracle.
And he said to his servant: ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ And he went up, and looked, and said: ‘There is nothing.’ And he said: ‘Go again seven times.’
verse value 2784
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "go·back" (שֻׁ֖ב, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·his·servant" (אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said, and·said. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·his·servant" (אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ), "go·up·now" (עֲלֵה־נָא֙), "look" (הַבֵּ֣ט). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·his·servant" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "go·back" (root שוב, 61x in I Kings). First appearance of the root נבט ("look") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'anything', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֶֽל־נַעֲר֗וֹ [to·his·servant] (357) + עֲלֵה־נָא֙ [go·up·now] (156) + הַבֵּ֣ט [look] (16) + דֶּֽרֶךְ־יָ֔ם [way·sea] (274) + וַיַּ֙עַל֙ [and·went·up] (116) + וַיַּבֵּ֔ט [and·he·looked] (27) + וַיֹּ֖אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵ֣ין [nothing] (61) + מְא֑וּמָה [anything] (92) + וַיֹּ֕אמֶר [and·said] (257) + שֻׁ֖ב [go·back] (302) + שֶׁ֥בַע [seven] (372) + פְּעָמִֽים [times] (240) = 2784.
Rashi
"By the way of the sea." If you see a cloud rising from the sea:
Radak
Alah na. Perhaps his servant did not ascend with him to the top of the mountain, or if he did ascend with him, there was on the top of the mountain a place higher than the spot where Elijah was, and he said to him, “Look toward the sea,” which is the western side, as the Targum translates, or it means literally “sea,” since Mount Carmel is near the sea, and from the sea the clouds will rise; therefore he said to him, “Look toward the sea.”
“Return seven times.” He told him to return seven times, because he did not see any sign each time until the seventh.
Ralbag
“Ascend now, look now toward the sea.” It appears that his servant had not ascended with him, so he called to him to ascend there and look toward the sea to see if he would observe any sign indicating the descent of rain. For Elijah was not willing to remove himself from that distressing state until he saw a sign that the Lord had heard his prayer. And Elijah himself could not look in this manner. Now, Elijah was constantly praying while in this state, and when he would finish the prayer, he would call to his servant to look toward the sea to see if he observed any cloud. He would say to him, “Nothing,” until the seventh time, when he told him that he had already seen a small cloud, like the size of a man’s hand, rising from the sea. Now, Elijah needed all of this because Israel were not worthy in their own right for the Lord to bring them this good in the manner of a miracle. Were it not for the abundance of Elijah’s prayers and his distressing himself in this manner, rain would not have come to them in this way, but rather it would have come to them according to the natural order, once the withholding of rain that the Lord had brought upon them would cease. However, Elijah desired that the rain come to them immediately, so that they would recognize that their sins were causing the withholding of the rain. Therefore, the rain came immediately when they returned to the Lord.
Metzudat David
Go up, I pray. With me at first to the top of the mountain.
Look toward the sea. See to the west, if clouds are seen rising. And he himself did not desire to turn here and there, until the time his prayer was accepted.
Return seven times. Meaning: seven times he told him to return and look.
Metzudat Zion
Eyn ma'uma. Nothing:
Malbim
Behold the secret: it is known that the Upper Sea, to which all the rivers flow, has seven seas. And then the Divine Presence ascended due to the sin of the generation to the seventh firmament. Therefore, he was required to return seven times. And on the seventh time, he saw a small cloud like the palm of a man’s hand, for rain does not descend except for the sake of one man, namely Elijah. And then he knew that through him the heavens would be opened, and he informed Ahab that he should go down to his house.
And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said: ‘Behold, there arises a cloud out of the sea, as small as a man’s hand.’ And he said: ‘Go up, say to Ahab: Make ready your chariot, and get you down, that the rain stop you not.’
verse value 3891
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "going·up" (עֹלָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "at·the·seventh" (בַּשְּׁבִעִ֔ית, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "at·the·seventh" (בַּשְּׁבִעִ֔ית), "behold·cloud" (הִנֵּה־עָ֛ב), "as·palm·man" (כְּכַף־אִ֖ישׁ). The root אמר appears 3 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 90x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·sea', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Harness and go down." [Meaning:] Harness your chariots and go down from Mount Carmel to return to your house, lest the rain press upon you on the way.
Radak
"Go, say to Ahab." Perhaps the place where Ahab had gone up to eat and drink was a high place on the mountain.
"Hitch up and go down." Explanation: [it means] harness the chariot and go down to travel to Jezreel quickly, lest the rain detain you; the rain will be so heavy that you will not be able to travel on the road.
"Ya'atzorkha" – with a heh, like "ve-hayu le-ot al yadekha" ("and they shall be a sign upon your hand"), like "ha-nitzevet imkha" ("the one standing with you"), and "lo ya'anukha" ("they shall not answer you"), and their like.
Ralbag
"Harness [your chariot] and go down, lest the rain detain you." This means: if you wish that the rain not detain you here on account of spending too long harnessing the chariot, harness it at once and go down to Jezreel before the rain comes.
Metzudat David
Harness and go down. Harness the chariot and go down to your house; so that the rain not delay you. For if you delay yet, you will be detained by the rain.
Metzudat Zion
Asur. The binding of horses to the chariot:
Ya'atzaracha. He will detain you; like (Judges 13:16) 'if you detain me I will not eat' (im ta'atzarani lo ochal):
And it came to pass in a little while, that the heaven grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.
verse value 2749
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "rain" (גֶּ֣שֶׁם, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Jezreel" (יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, and·it·was. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "until·thus" (עַד־כֹּ֣ה), "and·until·thus" (וְעַד־כֹּ֗ה), "and·the·heavens" (וְהַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "Ahab" (root אחאב, 49x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'great', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֣י [and·it·was] (31) + עַד־כֹּ֣ה [until·thus] (99) + וְעַד־כֹּ֗ה [and·until·thus] (105) + וְהַשָּׁמַ֙יִם֙ [and·the·heavens] (401) + הִֽתְקַדְּרוּ֙ [grew·black] (715) + עָבִ֣ים [clouds] (122) + וְר֔וּחַ [and·wind] (220) + וַיְהִ֖י [and·it·was] (31) + גֶּ֣שֶׁם [rain] (343) + גָּד֑וֹל [great] (43) + וַיִּרְכַּ֥ב [and·He·rode] (238) + אַחְאָ֖ב [Ahab] (12) + וַיֵּ֥לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה [to·Jezreel] (323) = 2749.
Rashi
"Thus far and thus far" [i.e., meanwhile]. While the messenger was on his way, and while he was harnessing the chariot, the heavens grew dark.
Radak
"And it was, meanwhile." [This means] in the meantime — that is, while he was harnessing his chariot and descending from the place where he had eaten. And the Targum renders: "And it was, until he hastened and went down."
“The clouds grew dark, and there was wind.” They were darkened because of the clouds, and there was wind, and the wind was a sign of rain. And the Targum translates: “The clouds and the wind were concealed.”
Ralbag
"And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel." It is as if to say that while he was on his way, a great rain fell before he arrived in Jezreel.
Metzudat David
Thus far and thus far. Meanwhile; meaning: while he harnessed the chariot and went down from his place, the skies grew dark with the multitude of clouds; and the wind arose and there was rain.
And he rode. Although there was rain.
Metzudat Zion
Hatikadru. They darkened; like (Joel 2:10) 'sun and moon grew dark' (shemesh v'Yareach kidru):
And the hand of Hashem was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
verse value 2394
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 53 letters. Verse gematria: 2394 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "was" (הָֽיְתָה֙, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·the·hand·of·Hashem" (וְיַד־יְהֹוָ֗ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·hand·of·Hashem" (וְיַד־יְהֹוָ֗ה), "and·girded·up" (וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖ס), "his·loins" (מׇתְנָ֑יו). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·hand·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "to·the·entrance·of" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·loins', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְיַד־יְהֹוָ֗ה [and·the·hand·of·Hashem] (46) + הָֽיְתָה֙ [was] (420) + אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ [on·Elijah] (83) + וַיְשַׁנֵּ֖ס [and·girded·up] (426) + מׇתְנָ֑יו [his·loins] (506) + וַיָּ֙רׇץ֙ [and·ran] (306) + לִפְנֵ֣י [to·face·of] (170) + אַחְאָ֔ב [Ahab] (12) + עַד־בֹּאֲכָ֖ה [to·the·entrance·of] (102) + יִזְרְעֶֽאלָה [to·Jezreel] (323) = 2394.
Rashi
And the hand of the Lord. (Targum:) The spirit of might from before the Lord clothed himself with strength to run before the chariot with his feet, so that Ahab would not go alone, since he had honored the kingship (Mekhilta, Yalkut Shimoni, Siman 217):
"And he girded his loins." This is like "and he girded," and it has no parallel; yet it is used only to teach the language of urgency, that he hurried himself like a mighty warrior.
Radak
"And the hand of the LORD was upon Elijah." As its Targum renders it: "And a spirit of strength from before the LORD was with Elijah, and he girded his loins." For strength and might were added to him, as Ahab had already mounted his chariot, yet he went after him on foot, caught up to him, and ran ahead of him all the way to Jezreel.
And he girded his loins. Our Sages of blessed memory derived a lesson from this, saying: “May the fear of royalty always come upon you,” for Elijah, who girded his loins, ran before Ahab.
On "bo'akha" ["as you come"]. This is the way of Scripture to indicate a place, as in "until you come to Minnith" (bo'akha Minnith) and "as you go toward Assyria" (bo'akha Ashurah), and so with all of them. And the suffix kaf refers to one who knows the place.
Ralbag
“And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah.” This means that the word of the Lord had already come to him to perform this deed. That is, to gird his loins and run before Ahab, until Ahab came to Jezreel. And behold, “his loins were girded” means that he had girded his loins in a manner that would enable him to run without causing injury to his internal organs due to the intensity of the movement.
Metzudat David
And the hand of the Lord. Meaning: a spirit of valor from the Lord.
And he girded. He girded his loins, to be exceedingly zealous; and he ran on foot before Ahab's chariot, to the place where they would come to Jezreel. And he did this to show honor to the kingship.
Metzudat Zion
V'isnas. A matter of girding; it has no parallel:
Ad va'acha. Until you come; as though speaking to one who knows the place:
Malbim
"And he girded [his loins]" — for from then Ahab's heart had inclined toward Elijah, and therefore he honored him like a king, because he [Ahab] repented at that time, and he [Elijah] intended to draw him near to the service of the Lord. And what is stated, "And the hand of the Lord was upon Elijah," means strength and might to run before his chariot.
Radak
Ralbag
Metzudat David
Malbim