SEV Biblia, Chapter 17:12
Y ella respondió: Vive el SEÑOR Dios tuyo, que no tengo pan cocido; que solamente un puñado de harina tengo en la tinaja, y un poco de aceite en una vasija; y ahora recogía dos leños, para entrar y aderezarlo para mí y para mi hijo, y que lo comamos, y después nos muramos.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:12
Verse 12. A handful of meal in a barrel] The word dk cad is to be understood as implying an earthen jar; not a wooden vessel, or barrel of any kind. In the East they preserve their corn and meal in such vessels; without which precaution the insects would destroy them. Travellers in Asiatic countries abound with observations of this kind. The word cruse, tjpx tsappachath, says Jarchi, signifies what in our tongue is expressed by bouteille, a bottle. Jarchi was a French rabbin.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. And she said, as the Lord thy God liveth , etc.] Which shows her to be a good woman, swearing by the living God, and him only, and that she took Elijah to be a good man, and a prophet of the Lord: I have not a cake ; greater or less, not a morsel of bread in the house: but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse ; these separate and unmixed, and not made into a cake, and dressed as she intended to do with them: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks ; or a few, which would be sufficient to bake such a quantity as her meal and oil would make; she speaks by the figure “meiosis”, which expresses less than what is meant, as Ben Melech observes: that I may go in and dress it for me, and my son, that we may eat it, and die ; having nothing more left, and no expectation of any elsewhere, and the famine strong in the land; so that she could look for nothing but death after this was eaten.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 8-16 - Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, and some, it is likely, would have bidden him welcome to their houses; yet he is sen to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city and so becomes the first prophet of the Gentiles. Jezebel was Elijah' greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless was her malice, God wil find a hiding-place for him even in her own country. The perso appointed to entertain Elijah is not one of the rich or great men of Sidon; but a poor widow woman, in want, and desolate, is made both able and willing to sustain him. It is God's way, and it is his glory, to make use of, and put honour upon, the weak and foolish things of the world. O woman, great was thy faith; one has not found the like, no no in Israel. She took the prophet's word, that she should not lose by it Those who can venture upon the promise of God, will make no difficult to expose and empty themselves in his service, by giving him his par first. Surely the increase of this widow's faith, so as to enable he thus readily to deny herself, and to depend upon the Divine promise was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace, as the increase of he meal and oil in the kingdom of providence. Happy are all who can thus against hope, believe and obey in hope. One poor meal's meat this poor widow gave the prophet; in recompence of it, she and her son did ea above two years, in a time of famine. To have food from God's specia favour, and in such good company as Elijah, made it more than doubl sweet. It is promised to those who trust in God, that they shall not be ashamed in evil time; in days of famine they shall be satisfied.
Original Hebrew
ותאמר 559 חי 2416 יהוה 3068 אלהיך 430 אם 518 ישׁ 3426 לי מעוג 4580 כי 3588 אם 518 מלא 4393 כף 3709 קמח 7058 בכד 3537 ומעט 4592 שׁמן 8081 בצפחת 6835 והנני 2005 מקשׁשׁת 7197 שׁנים 8147 עצים 6086 ובאתי 935 ועשׂיתיהו 6213 לי ולבני 1121 ואכלנהו 398 ומתנו׃ 4191
