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Sunday, July 20th, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

1 Kings 17:4

and it shall be that, of the torrent, shalt thou drink, - and, the ravens, have I commanded to sustain thee, there.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Blessing;   Cherith;   Elijah;   Minister, Christian;   Raven;   Readings, Select;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Birds;   Children;   Direction, Divine;   Divine;   Guidance, Divine;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Ravens;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Famine;   Raven, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Cherith;   Elijah;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Raven;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Achan;   Raven;   Shalman;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Birds;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Haggai;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Raven;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Raven;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Bird;   Raven;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ravels;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   Raven;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
You are to drink from the wadi. I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there.”
Hebrew Names Version
It shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
King James Version
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
English Standard Version
You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
New Century Version
You may drink from the stream, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there."
New English Translation
Drink from the stream; I have already told the ravens to bring you food there."
Amplified Bible
"You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there [with food]."
New American Standard Bible
"And it shall be that you will drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide food for you there."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And thou shalt drinke of the riuer: and I haue comanded the rauens to feede thee there.
Legacy Standard Bible
And it will be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to sustain you there."
Contemporary English Version
You can drink water from the creek, and eat the food I've told the ravens to bring you."
Complete Jewish Bible
You are to drink from the stream, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there."
Darby Translation
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the torrent; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
Easy-to-Read Version
You can get your water from that stream, and I have commanded ravens to bring food to you there."
George Lamsa Translation
And you shall drink from the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
Good News Translation
The brook will supply you with water to drink, and I have commanded ravens to bring you food there."
Lexham English Bible
It shall be that you shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the crows to sustain you there."
Literal Translation
And it shall be, you shall drink of the torrent; and I shall command the ravens to feed you there.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and thou shalt drynke of the ryuer: and I haue commaunded the rauens, that they shal fede the there.
American Standard Version
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
Bible in Basic English
The water of the stream will be your drink, and by my orders the ravens will give you food there.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thou shalt drinke of the ryuer, and I haue commaunded the rauens to feede thee there.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.'
King James Version (1611)
And it shall bee, that thou shalt drinke of the brooke, and I haue commanded the rauens to feed thee there.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it shall be that thou shalt drink water of the brook, and I will charge the ravens to feed thee there.
English Revised Version
And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
Berean Standard Bible
And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and there thou schalt drynke of the stronde; and Y comaundide to crowis, that thei feede thee there.
Young's Literal Translation
and it hath been, from the brook thou dost drink, and the ravens I have commanded to sustain thee there.'
Update Bible Version
And it shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
Webster's Bible Translation
And it shall be, [that] thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
World English Bible
It shall be, that you shall drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.
New King James Version
And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
New Living Translation
Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food."
New Life Bible
You will drink from the river. And I have told the ravens to bring food to you there."
New Revised Standard
You shall drink from the wadi, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
Douay-Rheims Bible
And there thou shalt drink of the torrent: and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
Revised Standard Version
You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"It shall be that you will drink of the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to provide for you there."

Contextual Overview

1 Then said Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, unto Ahab, By the life of Yahweh, God of Israel, before whom I stand, there shall not, these two years, be either dew or rain, - save at the bidding of my word. 2 Then came the word of Yahweh unto him, saying: 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, - and hide thyself in the ravine of Cherith, which faceth the Jordan; 4 and it shall be that, of the torrent, shalt thou drink, - and, the ravens, have I commanded to sustain thee, there. 5 So he went and did, according to the word of Yahweh, - yea he went and dwelt in the ravine of Cherith, which faceth the Jordan. 6 And, the ravens, used to bring him bread and flesh, in the morning, and bread and flesh, in the evening, - and, of the torrent, used he to drink. 7 But it came to pass, at the end of certain days, that the torrent dried up, - because there had been no rain in the land.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I have commanded: 1 Kings 17:9, 1 Kings 19:5-8, Numbers 20:8, Job 34:29, Job 38:8-13, Job 38:41, Psalms 33:8, Psalms 33:9, Psalms 147:9, Amos 9:3, Amos 9:4, Matthew 4:4, Matthew 4:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 8:7 - a raven Leviticus 11:15 - General 1 Kings 13:28 - the lion had 1 Kings 17:14 - The barrel of meal Jeremiah 37:21 - and that Matthew 6:34 - for Matthew 17:27 - and take Revelation 2:20 - that woman

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
That I may make thee into a great nation, And bless thee and make great thy name, And become thou a blessing;
Genesis 13:16
and I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth, - so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, thy seed also, may be numbered.
Genesis 16:10
And the messenger of Yahweh said to her, I will, greatly multiply, thy seed - so that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Genesis 17:1
And it came to pass that, when Abram was ninety and nine years old, Yahweh appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I, am GOD Almighty, - Walk, thou before me and become thou blameless:
Genesis 17:11
So shall ye be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, - So shall it become a sign of a covenant, betwixt me and you.
Genesis 17:18
And Abraham said unto God, - Oh that, Ishmael, might live before thee!
Genesis 22:17
That I will, richly bless, thee, and, abundantly multiply, thy seed, as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is on the lip of the sea, - that thy seed may take possession of the gate of his foes:
Genesis 32:12
But, thou thyself, saidst, - I wilt deal well with thee. So will I make thy seed as the sand of the sea, which is not to be counted, for multitude.
Genesis 35:11
And God said to him - I, am GOD Almighty! Be fruitful and multiply, A nation, and a multitude of nations shall spring from thee, - And, kings, from thy loins, shall come forth;
Genesis 48:19
And his father refused, and said - I know - my son, I know! He also, shall become a people, and he also, shall become great, - but nevertheless, his younger brother, shall become greater than he, and his seed, shall become a filling up of the nations.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook,.... The water of that was to be his drink:

and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there; whereby he should be provided with food to eat; by whom are meant not angels in the form of ravens, as some; nor, as others, Arabians, for there were none of that people near him; nor, as others, merchants, the word being sometimes used of them, for this was not a likely method for privacy; nor, as others, the inhabitants of a place called Oreb, or Orbo; so the Arabic version calls them Orabimi; but we read of no such place near Jordan; the Jews s speak of a city of this name near Bethshean, from whence these Orebim came; and some of them t think they had their name from Oreb, in Judges 7:25 it seems better to interpret them of ravens, as we do, these creatures delighting to be in solitary places, in valleys, and by brooks; nor need it be any objection that they were unclean creatures by the law, since Elijah did not feed upon them, but was fed by them; and supposing any uncleanness by touch, the ceremonial law might be dispensed with in an extraordinary case, as it sometimes was; though it is very remarkable that such creatures should be employed in this way, which are birds of prey, seize on anything they can, live on carrion, and neglect their own young, and yet feed a prophet of the Lord; which shows the power and providence of God in it. Something like this Jerom u relates, of a raven bringing a whole loaf of bread, and laying it before the saints, Paulus and Antonius.

s Bereshit Rabba, sect. 33. fol. 29. 1. t T. Bab. Cholin. fol. 5. 1. Menasseh Ben Israel Conciliat. in Lev. quaest. 3. u In Vita Paul Erem. fol. 82. C.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The ravens - This is the translation of most of the ancient versions; others, omitting the points, which are generally allowed to have no authority, read “Arabians;” others, retaining the present pointing, translate either “merchants” (compare the original of Ezekiel 27:9, Ezekiel 27:27), or “Orbites.” Jerome took it in this last sense, and so does the Arabic Version.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 17:4. I have commanded the ravens to feed thee — Thou shalt not lack the necessaries of life; thou shalt be supplied by an especial providence. See more on this subject at the end of the chapter. 1 Kings 17:24.


 
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