1 Kings 2:1-4, 10-12
#326 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time)
When the time of David’s death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the Lord may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12
This passage from the First Book of Kings provides a description of the succession of the Hebrew Monarchy from David to his son Solomon. We note David’s final instructions to Solomon include the strict stipulation that he keep all of the “statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees” of the Law of Moses. This statement should not be viewed as a contradiction to the promise that David’s line shall be perpetual (see 1 Samuel 7:14ff).
The concluding verses establish the length of King David’s reign and the validity of the succession of the office to his son. It is clear from the language used that there should be no doubt as to Solomon’s right to assume his father’s position as king. Later, the author describes how those who sought to deny succession within the monarchy were removed.
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1 Kings 3:4-13
#328 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time)
Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,
because that was the most renowned high place.
Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,
because he behaved faithfully toward you,
with justice and an upright heart;
and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,
seating a son of his on his throne.
O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant,
king to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this–
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right–
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:4-13
As Solomon assumes his role as king, he seems to begin by contravening what was said in Deuteronomy 12:2-3, by going to one of the pagan “high places” to offer sacrifice. However, in these early days of the monarchy, they seem to have attained Hebrew significance as well (see 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 21:29). Solomon offers a sacrifice in the hopes that his prayer may be heard. The answer to his prayer comes in a dream, a means frequently depicted in the Old Testament whereby God has an exchange with his servants (see also Genesis 20:3, Genesis 28:12, Judges 7:13ff, Job 4:13, Zachariah, Joel and Daniel).
Because he asks for wisdom to guide his people as God would intend, the Lord not only imparts the wisdom he asks for, but also those normal desires, wealth and success, which he did not. Solomon is clearly beloved of God.
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1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
#109A Solemnities A Context (17th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
King Solomon is in the process of uniting the kingdom of Israel’s worship with the construction of the temple. It is still unfinished when this dream occurs. Solomon has just offered a huge holocaust (“a thousand holocausts”) and in response God offers to grant him a request. Because Solomon, in humility, asks for “understanding” rather than a selfish boon, God grants him wisdom, a wise and understanding heart.
"Solomon’s request is an anticipation of the proper order which, according to Christ’s teaching, should be present in prayer of petition: 'The one Master and Lord teaches us how and in what order we ought to pray to God for the things we want; since we indicate and express our desires and petitions in, prayer, then we pray properly and well when the order of our petitions matches the right order of desires. True charity teaches us that we ought to dedicate ourselves and all our desires to God; God, the supreme Good, deserves the highest form of love. And God cannot be loved from the heart, exclusively, if his honor and glory are not valued above all other things and creatures; all good things, those we have and those we do not possess, all things that are called good, must be subordinated to the supreme Good from whom they derive their goodness' ('Roman Catechism', 4, 10, 1)." [11]
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1 Kings 3:11-14
#725 Commons Context (Common of Doctors of the Church)
#882 Mass for Various Needs (II. For Public Needs, 13. For the Country or a City or For Those Who Serve in Public Office or For the Congress or For the President or For the Progress of Peoples, 5.)
The LORD said to Solomon:
"Because you have asked for this not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.
And if you follow me by keeping my statutes and commandments,
as your father David did,
I will give you a long life."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:11-14
Solomon has just offered a huge holocaust (“…a thousand holocausts”) and in response God offers to grant him a request. Because Solomon, in humility, asks for “understanding” rather than a selfish boon, God grants him an understanding heart. Solomon is also granted long life if he follows God’s commandments as King David had done.
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1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
#329 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13
In the previous two chapters of the First Book of Kings (6 & 7) Solomon constructs his great temple to the Lord. “The transfer of the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed temple building, and the oracle of God's acceptance, and his act of possession, constituted the temple's solemn dedication, and made of it the abiding dwelling of God among his people for which David had hoped (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). The concurrence of the feast of Booths marks an appropriate transition of God's dwelling among nomadic tribes to his permanent abode among a settled people.”[2]
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580; 1 Kgs 8:10-12 697
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1 Kings 8:1,3-7,9-11
#23O-1 BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Temple of the Lord 23)
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the Israelites,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD'S covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD'S glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:1,3-7,9-11
In the previous two chapters of the First Book of Kings (6 & 7) Solomon constructs his great temple to the Lord. “The transfer of the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed temple building, and the oracle of God's acceptance, and his act of possession, constituted the temple's solemn dedication, and made of it the abiding dwelling of God among his people for which David had hoped (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). The concurrence of the feast of Booths marks an appropriate transition of God's dwelling among nomadic tribes to his permanent abode among a settled people.”[2]
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580; 1 Kgs 8:10-12 697
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1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
#330 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
#701 Commons Context (The Common of the Anniversary of the Dedication of a Church)
In those days:
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven, he said,
"LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you
in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
"Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of yonr servant,
0 LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant
and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30
King Solomon concludes the dedication of the temple with theological wisdom. He tells the priests and people who believed that God had come to reside “completely and solely present” in the temple that this was not so. Rather he says that God was omnipresent. “’Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!’” He continues his prayer of intercession asking that God hear the prayers of the people offered there, and grant them mercy as they repent and atone for their sins.
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 8:41-43
#87C Solemnities C Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
In those days, Solomon prayed in the temple, saying,
"To the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel,
but comes from a distant land to honor you
-since they will learn of your great name
and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-,
when he comes and prays toward this temple,
listen from your heavenly dwelling.
Do all that foreigner asks of you,
that all the peoples of the earth may know your name,
may fear you as do your people Israel,
and may acknowledge that this temple which I have built
is dedicated to your honor."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:41-43
This passage is set within the context of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. It is found within the second of three discourses, a prayer focusing on the foreigner. In this case, it is not the resident alien referred to in Numbers 15:14ff, rather it is directed at non-Jews who are attracted to Israel’s God (e.g. Naaman, the Syrian in 2 Kings 5:1ff). The inclusive spirit of the prayer is typical of the period of exile and the period immediately following. This invitation to foreigners is perhaps the first proselytizing seen from those returning from exile.
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 8:55-61
#943 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 26. In Thanksgiving to God, First Option)
King Solomon stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel,
saying in a loud voice:
"Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel,
just as he promised.
Not a single word has gone unfulfilled
of the entire generous promise he made through his servant Moses.
May the LORD, our God, be with us as he was with our fathers
and may he not forsake us nor cast us off.
May he draw our hearts to himself,
that we may follow him in everything
and keep the commands, statutes, and ordinances
which he enjoined on our fathers.
May this prayer I have offered to the LORD, our God,
be present to him day and night,
that he may uphold the cause of his servant and of his people Israel
as each day requires,
that all the peoples of the earth may know the LORD is God
and there is no other.
You must be wholly devoted to the LORD, our God,
observing his statutes and keeping his commandments, as on this day."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:55-61
This passage is set within the context of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. We note the change from his previous kneeling attitude in humility, he stands invoking a blessing on the people. The king concludes his prayer with the third and final discourse, a prayer, recalling God's love for his people and the fulfillment of his promises. Speaking to those returning from exile, Solomon commands his people to "...be wholly devoted to the LORD, our God".
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 10:1-10
#331 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)-
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
“The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king.
“Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice.”
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 10:1-10
This selection documents the visit of the queen of Sheba. (Queen of Sheba: women rulers among the Arabs are recorded in eighth-century-B.C. Assyrian inscriptions. Sheba was for centuries the leading principality in what is now the Yemen. [4]) What is important in this encounter is the queen’s profession that it is God, the Lord God served by Solomon, that has graced him with wisdom, wealth, and greatness. The queen states clearly that God has favored Israel, thus reinforcing the notion of Israel’s chosen status.
"This visit stayed in Israel's memory as a symbol of what would happen some time in the future when the messianic king would appear (cf. Psalm 72:10, 15) and when Jerusalem, revived by God, would recover its place among the nations (cf. Isaiah 45:14; 60:6-7)." [10]
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1 Kings 11:4-13
#332 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: “Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:4-13
At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, he had promised God that he would be faithful to the Law of Moses as his father, King David, had been (1 Kings 3:1-15). In reply to that promise, God had promised him all prosperity and peace. In this passage we see the consequences of his failure, by falling into idolatry. All Solomon had worked for will be taken from his son execpt a small portion left because of God's promise to David that his kingdom would last (2 Samuel 7:16).
“The glorious rise of Solomon, his piety and wisdom, administrative skill and wealth, the extension of his kingdom, his prestige among neighboring rulers, his reign of peace, above all his friendship with God-these are now eclipsed by his sins of intermarriage with great numbers of pagan wives and the consequent forbidden worship of their gods (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5). His construction of temples in their honor merited the punishment of loss of a united kingdom to his posterity, and the opposition of adversaries to himself (1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23-37).” [5]
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1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
#333 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19
This selection from the First Book of Kings describes how the Kingdom of Israel, united under King David, was broken apart. God had spoken to Solomon warning him not to worship foreign gods (see 1 Kings 11:4-13). As this installment begins, Jeroboam is chosen through the court prophet Ahijah to take a majority of the people (ten of the twelve tribes) as their leader. This leaves only one tribe and the city of Jerusalem to Solomon, and that small portion only out of respect for his father, King David.
With this action and the subsequent efforts on the part of Jeroboam to make sure the kingdom cannot be reunited around centralized worship in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 12:26-32), Solomon is reduced to governing only a fraction of his former kingdom. The reading concludes taking a verse from the next chapter of the book, summarizing the dissolution of the united Kingdom of David, and stipulating that it remained divided “to this day.”
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1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
#334 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
Jeroboam thought to himself:
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of Judah,
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan.
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in Bethel and in Dan.
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah,
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built.
Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this,
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam
for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs12:26-32; 13:33-34
Following the breakup of the Davidic kingdom under Solomon’s rule, Jeroboam, fearing for his own life, tries to insure that the kingdom will not be reunited. To insure the people do not reunite, he creates graven images and temples other than the temple in Jerusalem. He violates Mosaic Law on numerous points. Because he is unrepentant and has led many to sin against God, he and his line are doomed to be wiped out.
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1 Kings 17:1-6
#359 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The Lord then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the Lord had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:1-6
This passage begins the section from 1 Kings called “Stories of the Prophets.” “Elijah the Tishbite: one of the most important figures in Old Testament history. As his name indicates ("Yahweh is my God"), Elijah was the successful leader in the struggle to preserve the knowledge and worship of Yahweh against the encroaching worship of Baal introduced into Israel by Jezebel, the Tyrian wife of Ahab.“[6]
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1 Kings 17:7-16
#360 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry,
because no rain had fallen in the land.
So the Lord said to Elijah:
“Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.
I have designated a widow there to provide for you.”
He left and went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the Lord, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked;
there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the Lord, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:7-16
Earlier (in vv.1-7) Elijah following Yahweh’s instruction challenges the priests of Baal, who was in this instance claims to be the god of storms, fertility present in the dew and rain. Elijah prophesied a drought saying, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.” [12] The story of Elijah and the miracle of the widow and her son establishes Elijah as a man from God, a prophet. He is able to demonstrate God’s plan: “For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” God provides for Elijah in his need once more.
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 17:10-16
#155B Solemnities B Context (32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
"Please bring along a bit of bread."
She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die."
Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
'The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:10-16
The story of Elijah and the miracle of the widow and her son establishes Elijah as a man from God, a prophet (The importance of this confirmation cannot be underestimated; see also 1 Kings 17:24). As we see much later in the miracle of the Transfiguration of Jesus (see Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28–36 and the reference in 2 Peter 1:16–18), he becomes the symbol of all of the great Hebrew prophets. He is able to demonstrate God’s plan “For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” God again provides for Elijah in his need.
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 17:17-24
#90C Solemnities C Context (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow.
The son of the mistress of the house fell sick,
and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing.
So she said to Elijah,
“Why have you done this to me, O man of God?
Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt
and to kill my son?”
Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room
where he was staying, and put him on his bed.
Elijah called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying
by killing her son?”
Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times
and called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
let the life breath return to the body of this child.”
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house
from the upper room and gave him to his mother.
Elijah said to her, “See! Your son is alive.”
The woman replied to Elijah,
“Now indeed I know that you are a man of God.
The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:17-24
The story of the raising of the widow of Zarephath’s son stands as a second major proof of Elijah’s status as a great prophet (the first being the rescue of this same widow and her son from famine by causing their food to be extended (1 Kings 17:10-16), parallel to the miracle of the loaves). When the widow’s son dies, she believes it is a punishment from God, as these types of events were understood at the time. She blames the presence of Elijah, focusing attention on the presence of the Prophet.
Elijah takes this opportunity to demonstrate God’s mercy and consolation. He prays three times over the boy, the first of his prayers to God (CCC 2583). We note the significance of this numeric reference, which according to Hebrew numerology would have indicated his most earnest prayer to the Father. In response to this prayer, God restores life to the boy. For her part the widow provides validation to Elijah saying: “Now indeed I know that you are a man of God. The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 18:20-39
#361 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Ahab sent to all the children of Israel
and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.
Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
“How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.”
The people, however, did not answer him.
So Elijah said to the people,
“I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,
and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
Give us two young bulls.
Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire.
I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,
but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.
The God who answers with fire is God.”
All the people answered, “Agreed!”
Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,
“Choose one young bull and prepare it first,
for there are more of you.
Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.”
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it
and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,
“Answer us, Baal!”
But there was no sound, and no one answering.
And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:
“Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,
or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,
as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice.
But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.”
When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD
that had been destroyed.
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, “Your name shall be Israel.”
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
“Fill four jars with water,” he said,
“and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.”
“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water.
At the time for offering sacrifice,
the prophet Elijah came forward and said,
“LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses.”
The LORD’s fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
“The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 18:20-39
This story from the “Elijah Cycle” of 1 Kings describes Elijah returning to Israel to confront the people who had fallen into Baal worship. He proposes a challenge between the false god and the Lord. The actions of the priests of Baal, the dancing, shouting, and cutting themselves as part of their prayer ritual are validated by other ancient Near-Eastern texts as being part of Baal worship.
There is some symbolic language used in describing the preparation of the altar by Elijah. Specifically, the use of the number three as the altar is drenched in water indicating it was completely drenched. The result of the test was predictable. God answers Elijah and the people come back to authentic worship of God.
CCC: 1 Kgs 18:20-39 2583; 1 Kgs 18:26-29 2766; 1 Kgs 18:38-39 696; 1 Kgs 18:39 2582
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1 Kings 18:41-46
#362 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,
for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
So Ahab went up to eat and drink,
while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel,
crouched down to the earth,
and put his head between his knees.
“Climb up and look out to sea,” he directed his servant,
who went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.”
Seven times he said, “Go, look again!”
And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab,
‘Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.’”
In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,
and a heavy rain fell.
Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.
But the hand of the Lord was on Elijah,
who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab
as far as the approaches to Jezreel.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 18:41-46
Elijah the Prophet tells King Ahab that the three year drought is about to end (“Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain”). He positions himself upon the top of Mt. Carmel in order to see the first signs of rain, and then assumes a position of humble prayer. In the fullness of time (symbolized by the servant’s “seventh” report), his prophecy is fulfilled, and under the impulse of God he runs ahead of the king’s chariot as a sign of his prophetic prowess.
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1 Kings 19:1-8
#790 Ritual Mass Context (V. For the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying, 1. Anointing of the Sick, 1.)
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done-
that he had put all the prophets to the sword.
Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said,
"May the gods do thus and so to me
if by this time tomorrow
I have not done with your life what was done to each of them."
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life,
going to Beer-sheba of Judah.
He left his servant there and went a day's journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death:
"This is enough,O LORD'
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat,
else the journey will be too long for you!"
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:1-8
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life. Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. Christians see in this offering a parallel to the Eucharist offered to us by Christ; a meal which strengthens the faithful for the journey to which they are called.
The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
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1 Kings 19:4-9a, 11-15a
#536A Propers of Saints Context (St. Katherine Drexel [USA] Mar 3)
#326 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time)
When the time of David’s death drew near,
he gave these instructions to his son Solomon:
“I am going the way of all flesh.
Take courage and be a man.
Keep the mandate of the Lord, your God, following his ways
and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees
as they are written in the law of Moses,
that you may succeed in whatever you do,
wherever you turn, and the Lord may fulfill
the promise he made on my behalf when he said,
‘If your sons so conduct themselves
that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart
and with their whole soul,
you shall always have someone of your line
on the throne of Israel.’”
David rested with his ancestors and was buried in the City of David.
The length of David’s reign over Israel was forty years:
he reigned seven years in Hebron
and thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
Solomon was seated on the throne of his father David,
with his sovereignty firmly established.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 2:1-4, 10-12
This passage from the First Book of Kings provides a description of the succession of the Hebrew Monarchy from David to his son Solomon. We note David’s final instructions to Solomon include the strict stipulation that he keep all of the “statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees” of the Law of Moses. This statement should not be viewed as a contradiction to the promise that David’s line shall be perpetual (see 1 Samuel 7:14ff).
The concluding verses establish the length of King David’s reign and the validity of the succession of the office to his son. It is clear from the language used that there should be no doubt as to Solomon’s right to assume his father’s position as king. Later, the author describes how those who sought to deny succession within the monarchy were removed.
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1 Kings 3:4-13
#328 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 4th Week in Ordinary Time)
Solomon went to Gibeon to sacrifice there,
because that was the most renowned high place.
Upon its altar Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings.
In Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“You have shown great favor to your servant, my father David,
because he behaved faithfully toward you,
with justice and an upright heart;
and you have continued this great favor toward him, even today,
seating a son of his on his throne.
O LORD, my God, you have made me, your servant,
king to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The LORD was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him: “Because you have asked for this–
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right–
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:4-13
As Solomon assumes his role as king, he seems to begin by contravening what was said in Deuteronomy 12:2-3, by going to one of the pagan “high places” to offer sacrifice. However, in these early days of the monarchy, they seem to have attained Hebrew significance as well (see 1 Chronicles 16:39, 1 Chronicles 21:29). Solomon offers a sacrifice in the hopes that his prayer may be heard. The answer to his prayer comes in a dream, a means frequently depicted in the Old Testament whereby God has an exchange with his servants (see also Genesis 20:3, Genesis 28:12, Judges 7:13ff, Job 4:13, Zachariah, Joel and Daniel).
Because he asks for wisdom to guide his people as God would intend, the Lord not only imparts the wisdom he asks for, but also those normal desires, wealth and success, which he did not. Solomon is clearly beloved of God.
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1 Kings 3:5, 7-12
#109A Solemnities A Context (17th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
The Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream at night.
God said, “Ask something of me and I will give it to you.”
Solomon answered:
“O Lord, my God, you have made me, your servant, king
to succeed my father David;
but I am a mere youth, not knowing at all how to act.
I serve you in the midst of the people whom you have chosen,
a people so vast that it cannot be numbered or counted.
Give your servant, therefore, an understanding heart
to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.
For who is able to govern this vast people of yours?”
The Lord was pleased that Solomon made this request.
So God said to him:
“Because you have asked for this—
not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches,
nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right—
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:5, 7-12
King Solomon is in the process of uniting the kingdom of Israel’s worship with the construction of the temple. It is still unfinished when this dream occurs. Solomon has just offered a huge holocaust (“a thousand holocausts”) and in response God offers to grant him a request. Because Solomon, in humility, asks for “understanding” rather than a selfish boon, God grants him wisdom, a wise and understanding heart.
"Solomon’s request is an anticipation of the proper order which, according to Christ’s teaching, should be present in prayer of petition: 'The one Master and Lord teaches us how and in what order we ought to pray to God for the things we want; since we indicate and express our desires and petitions in, prayer, then we pray properly and well when the order of our petitions matches the right order of desires. True charity teaches us that we ought to dedicate ourselves and all our desires to God; God, the supreme Good, deserves the highest form of love. And God cannot be loved from the heart, exclusively, if his honor and glory are not valued above all other things and creatures; all good things, those we have and those we do not possess, all things that are called good, must be subordinated to the supreme Good from whom they derive their goodness' ('Roman Catechism', 4, 10, 1)." [11]
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1 Kings 3:11-14
#725 Commons Context (Common of Doctors of the Church)
#882 Mass for Various Needs (II. For Public Needs, 13. For the Country or a City or For Those Who Serve in Public Office or For the Congress or For the President or For the Progress of Peoples, 5.)
The LORD said to Solomon:
"Because you have asked for this not for a long life for yourself,
nor for riches, nor for the life of your enemies,
but for understanding so that you may know what is right
I do as you requested.
I give you a heart so wise and understanding
that there has never been anyone like you up to now,
and after you there will come no one to equal you.
In addition, I give you what you have not asked for,
such riches and glory that among kings there is not your like.
And if you follow me by keeping my statutes and commandments,
as your father David did,
I will give you a long life."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 3:11-14
Solomon has just offered a huge holocaust (“…a thousand holocausts”) and in response God offers to grant him a request. Because Solomon, in humility, asks for “understanding” rather than a selfish boon, God grants him an understanding heart. Solomon is also granted long life if he follows God’s commandments as King David had done.
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1 Kings 8:1-7, 9-13
#329 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the children of Israel,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD’s covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
All the people of Israel assembled before King Solomon
during the festival in the month of Ethanim (the seventh month).
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the children of Israel
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD’s glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
Then Solomon said, “The LORD intends to dwell in the dark cloud;
I have truly built you a princely house,
a dwelling where you may abide forever.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:1-7, 9-13
In the previous two chapters of the First Book of Kings (6 & 7) Solomon constructs his great temple to the Lord. “The transfer of the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed temple building, and the oracle of God's acceptance, and his act of possession, constituted the temple's solemn dedication, and made of it the abiding dwelling of God among his people for which David had hoped (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). The concurrence of the feast of Booths marks an appropriate transition of God's dwelling among nomadic tribes to his permanent abode among a settled people.”[2]
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580; 1 Kgs 8:10-12 697
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1 Kings 8:1,3-7,9-11
#23O-1 BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Temple of the Lord 23)
The elders of Israel and all the leaders of the tribes,
the princes in the ancestral houses of the Israelites,
came to King Solomon in Jerusalem,
to bring up the ark of the LORD'S covenant
from the City of David, which is Zion.
When all the elders of Israel had arrived,
the priests took up the ark;
they carried the ark of the LORD
and the meeting tent with all the sacred vessels
that were in the tent.
(The priests and Levites carried them.)
King Solomon and the entire community of Israel
present for the occasion
sacrificed before the ark sheep and oxen
too many to number or count.
The priests brought the ark of the covenant of the LORD
to its place beneath the wings of the cherubim in the sanctuary,
the holy of holies of the temple.
The cherubim had their wings spread out over the place of the ark,
sheltering the ark and its poles from above.
There was nothing in the ark but the two stone tablets
which Moses had put there at Horeb,
when the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites
at their departure from the land of Egypt.
When the priests left the holy place,
the cloud filled the temple of the LORD
so that the priests could no longer minister because of the cloud,
since the LORD'S glory had filled the temple of the LORD.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:1,3-7,9-11
In the previous two chapters of the First Book of Kings (6 & 7) Solomon constructs his great temple to the Lord. “The transfer of the ark of the covenant into the newly constructed temple building, and the oracle of God's acceptance, and his act of possession, constituted the temple's solemn dedication, and made of it the abiding dwelling of God among his people for which David had hoped (2 Samuel 6:12-15; 2 Samuel 7:1-3). The concurrence of the feast of Booths marks an appropriate transition of God's dwelling among nomadic tribes to his permanent abode among a settled people.”[2]
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580; 1 Kgs 8:10-12 697
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1 Kings 8:22-23, 27-30
#330 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
#701 Commons Context (The Common of the Anniversary of the Dedication of a Church)
In those days:
Solomon stood before the altar of the LORD
in the presence of the whole community of Israel,
and stretching forth his hands toward heaven, he said,
"LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you
in heaven above or on earth below;
you keep your covenant of mercy with your servants
who are faithful to you with their whole heart.
"Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth?
If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you,
how much less this temple which I have built!
Look kindly on the prayer and petition of yonr servant,
0 LORD, my God,
and listen to the cry of supplication I, your servant,
utter before you this day.
May your eyes watch night and day over this temple,
the place where you have decreed you shall be honored;
may you heed the prayer which I, your servant, offer in this place.
Listen to the petitions of your servant
and of your people Israel
which they offer in this place.
Listen from your heavenly dwelling and grant pardon."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:22-23, 27-30
King Solomon concludes the dedication of the temple with theological wisdom. He tells the priests and people who believed that God had come to reside “completely and solely present” in the temple that this was not so. Rather he says that God was omnipresent. “’Can it indeed be that God dwells on earth? If the heavens and the highest heavens cannot contain you, how much less this temple which I have built!’” He continues his prayer of intercession asking that God hear the prayers of the people offered there, and grant them mercy as they repent and atone for their sins.
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 8:41-43
#87C Solemnities C Context (9th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
In those days, Solomon prayed in the temple, saying,
"To the foreigner, who is not of your people Israel,
but comes from a distant land to honor you
-since they will learn of your great name
and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-,
when he comes and prays toward this temple,
listen from your heavenly dwelling.
Do all that foreigner asks of you,
that all the peoples of the earth may know your name,
may fear you as do your people Israel,
and may acknowledge that this temple which I have built
is dedicated to your honor."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:41-43
This passage is set within the context of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. It is found within the second of three discourses, a prayer focusing on the foreigner. In this case, it is not the resident alien referred to in Numbers 15:14ff, rather it is directed at non-Jews who are attracted to Israel’s God (e.g. Naaman, the Syrian in 2 Kings 5:1ff). The inclusive spirit of the prayer is typical of the period of exile and the period immediately following. This invitation to foreigners is perhaps the first proselytizing seen from those returning from exile.
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 8:55-61
#943 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 26. In Thanksgiving to God, First Option)
King Solomon stood and blessed the whole congregation of Israel,
saying in a loud voice:
"Blessed be the LORD who has given rest to his people Israel,
just as he promised.
Not a single word has gone unfulfilled
of the entire generous promise he made through his servant Moses.
May the LORD, our God, be with us as he was with our fathers
and may he not forsake us nor cast us off.
May he draw our hearts to himself,
that we may follow him in everything
and keep the commands, statutes, and ordinances
which he enjoined on our fathers.
May this prayer I have offered to the LORD, our God,
be present to him day and night,
that he may uphold the cause of his servant and of his people Israel
as each day requires,
that all the peoples of the earth may know the LORD is God
and there is no other.
You must be wholly devoted to the LORD, our God,
observing his statutes and keeping his commandments, as on this day."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 8:55-61
This passage is set within the context of Solomon’s dedication of the temple. We note the change from his previous kneeling attitude in humility, he stands invoking a blessing on the people. The king concludes his prayer with the third and final discourse, a prayer, recalling God's love for his people and the fulfillment of his promises. Speaking to those returning from exile, Solomon commands his people to "...be wholly devoted to the LORD, our God".
CCC: 1 Kgs 8:10-61 2580
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1 Kings 10:1-10
#331 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)-
The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon’s fame,
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon’s great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
“The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true,” she told the king.
“Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice.”
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 10:1-10
This selection documents the visit of the queen of Sheba. (Queen of Sheba: women rulers among the Arabs are recorded in eighth-century-B.C. Assyrian inscriptions. Sheba was for centuries the leading principality in what is now the Yemen. [4]) What is important in this encounter is the queen’s profession that it is God, the Lord God served by Solomon, that has graced him with wisdom, wealth, and greatness. The queen states clearly that God has favored Israel, thus reinforcing the notion of Israel’s chosen status.
"This visit stayed in Israel's memory as a symbol of what would happen some time in the future when the messianic king would appear (cf. Psalm 72:10, 15) and when Jerusalem, revived by God, would recover its place among the nations (cf. Isaiah 45:14; 60:6-7)." [10]
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1 Kings 11:4-13
#332 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: “Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:4-13
At the beginning of Solomon’s reign, he had promised God that he would be faithful to the Law of Moses as his father, King David, had been (1 Kings 3:1-15). In reply to that promise, God had promised him all prosperity and peace. In this passage we see the consequences of his failure, by falling into idolatry. All Solomon had worked for will be taken from his son execpt a small portion left because of God's promise to David that his kingdom would last (2 Samuel 7:16).
“The glorious rise of Solomon, his piety and wisdom, administrative skill and wealth, the extension of his kingdom, his prestige among neighboring rulers, his reign of peace, above all his friendship with God-these are now eclipsed by his sins of intermarriage with great numbers of pagan wives and the consequent forbidden worship of their gods (Exodus 34:11-16; Deuteronomy 7:1-5). His construction of temples in their honor merited the punishment of loss of a united kingdom to his posterity, and the opposition of adversaries to himself (1 Kings 11:14; 1 Kings 11:23-37).” [5]
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1 Kings 11:29-32; 12:19
#333 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
Jeroboam left Jerusalem,
and the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road.
The two were alone in the area,
and the prophet was wearing a new cloak.
Ahijah took off his new cloak,
tore it into twelve pieces, and said to Jeroboam:
“Take ten pieces for yourself;
the LORD, the God of Israel, says:
‘I will tear away the kingdom from Solomon’s grasp
and will give you ten of the tribes.
One tribe shall remain to him for the sake of David my servant,
and of Jerusalem,
the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.’”
Israel went into rebellion against David’s house to this day.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 11:29-32; 12:19
This selection from the First Book of Kings describes how the Kingdom of Israel, united under King David, was broken apart. God had spoken to Solomon warning him not to worship foreign gods (see 1 Kings 11:4-13). As this installment begins, Jeroboam is chosen through the court prophet Ahijah to take a majority of the people (ten of the twelve tribes) as their leader. This leaves only one tribe and the city of Jerusalem to Solomon, and that small portion only out of respect for his father, King David.
With this action and the subsequent efforts on the part of Jeroboam to make sure the kingdom cannot be reunited around centralized worship in Jerusalem (see 1 Kings 12:26-32), Solomon is reduced to governing only a fraction of his former kingdom. The reading concludes taking a verse from the next chapter of the book, summarizing the dissolution of the united Kingdom of David, and stipulating that it remained divided “to this day.”
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1 Kings 12:26-32; 13:33-34
#334 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 5th Week in Ordinary Time)
Jeroboam thought to himself:
“The kingdom will return to David’s house.
If now this people go up to offer sacrifices
in the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem,
the hearts of this people will return to their master,
Rehoboam, king of Judah,
and they will kill me.”
After taking counsel, the king made two calves of gold
and said to the people:
“You have been going up to Jerusalem long enough.
Here is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”
And he put one in Bethel, the other in Dan.
This led to sin, because the people frequented those calves
in Bethel and in Dan.
He also built temples on the high places
and made priests from among the people who were not Levites.
Jeroboam established a feast in the eighth month
on the fifteenth day of the month
to duplicate in Bethel the pilgrimage feast of Judah,
with sacrifices to the calves he had made;
and he stationed in Bethel priests of the high places he had built.
Jeroboam did not give up his evil ways after this,
but again made priests for the high places
from among the common people.
Whoever desired it was consecrated
and became a priest of the high places.
This was a sin on the part of the house of Jeroboam
for which it was to be cut off and destroyed from the earth.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs12:26-32; 13:33-34
Following the breakup of the Davidic kingdom under Solomon’s rule, Jeroboam, fearing for his own life, tries to insure that the kingdom will not be reunited. To insure the people do not reunite, he creates graven images and temples other than the temple in Jerusalem. He violates Mosaic Law on numerous points. Because he is unrepentant and has led many to sin against God, he and his line are doomed to be wiped out.
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1 Kings 17:1-6
#359 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab:
“As the Lord, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve,
during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.”
The Lord then said to Elijah:
“Leave here, go east
and hide in the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
You shall drink of the stream,
and I have commanded ravens to feed you there.”
So he left and did as the Lord had commanded.
He went and remained by the Wadi Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning,
and bread and meat in the evening,
and he drank from the stream.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:1-6
This passage begins the section from 1 Kings called “Stories of the Prophets.” “Elijah the Tishbite: one of the most important figures in Old Testament history. As his name indicates ("Yahweh is my God"), Elijah was the successful leader in the struggle to preserve the knowledge and worship of Yahweh against the encroaching worship of Baal introduced into Israel by Jezebel, the Tyrian wife of Ahab.“[6]
“Ahab with his Phoenician inlaws may believe all their myths about Baal and may participate with fervor in his rites, but he is no living God in the sense that Yahweh is. Can he truly guarantee fertility? Can he give life the way Yahweh does? As Yahweh’s minister, Elijah delivers a challenge, actually framed as a threat, to the effect that Yahweh, and he alone, can withhold the water on which all growing things depend, and will bring it back again only when he tells his prophet to say so.” [14]
1 Kings 17:7-16
#360 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
The brook near where Elijah was hiding ran dry,
because no rain had fallen in the land.
So the Lord said to Elijah:
“Move on to Zarephath of Sidon and stay there.
I have designated a widow there to provide for you.”
He left and went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
“Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink.”
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
“Please bring along a bit of bread.”
She answered, “As the Lord, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked;
there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the Lord, the God of Israel, says,
‘The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’”
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and Elijah and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the Lord had foretold through Elijah.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:7-16
Earlier (in vv.1-7) Elijah following Yahweh’s instruction challenges the priests of Baal, who was in this instance claims to be the god of storms, fertility present in the dew and rain. Elijah prophesied a drought saying, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, during these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word.” [12] The story of Elijah and the miracle of the widow and her son establishes Elijah as a man from God, a prophet. He is able to demonstrate God’s plan: “For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” God provides for Elijah in his need once more.
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 17:10-16
#155B Solemnities B Context (32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
In those days, Elijah the prophet went to Zarephath.
As he arrived at the entrance of the city,
a widow was gathering sticks there; he called out to her,
"Please bring me a small cupful of water to drink."
She left to get it, and he called out after her,
"Please bring along a bit of bread."
She answered, "As the LORD, your God, lives,
I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar
and a little oil in my jug.
Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks,
to go in and prepare something for myself and my son;
when we have eaten it, we shall die."
Elijah said to her, "Do not be afraid.
Go and do as you propose.
But first make me a little cake and bring it to me.
Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son.
For the LORD, the God of Israel, says,
'The jar of flour shall not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'"
She left and did as Elijah had said.
She was able to eat for a year, and he and her son as well;
the jar of flour did not go empty,
nor the jug of oil run dry,
as the LORD had foretold through Elijah.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:10-16
The story of Elijah and the miracle of the widow and her son establishes Elijah as a man from God, a prophet (The importance of this confirmation cannot be underestimated; see also 1 Kings 17:24). As we see much later in the miracle of the Transfiguration of Jesus (see Matthew 17:1–9, Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28–36 and the reference in 2 Peter 1:16–18), he becomes the symbol of all of the great Hebrew prophets. He is able to demonstrate God’s plan “For the Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” God again provides for Elijah in his need.
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 17:17-24
#90C Solemnities C Context (10th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
Elijah went to Zarephath of Sidon to the house of a widow.
The son of the mistress of the house fell sick,
and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing.
So she said to Elijah,
“Why have you done this to me, O man of God?
Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt
and to kill my son?”
Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.”
Taking him from her lap, he carried the son to the upper room
where he was staying, and put him on his bed.
Elijah called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying
by killing her son?”
Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times
and called out to the LORD:
“O LORD, my God,
let the life breath return to the body of this child.”
The LORD heard the prayer of Elijah;
the life breath returned to the child’s body and he revived.
Taking the child, Elijah brought him down into the house
from the upper room and gave him to his mother.
Elijah said to her, “See! Your son is alive.”
The woman replied to Elijah,
“Now indeed I know that you are a man of God.
The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 17:17-24
The story of the raising of the widow of Zarephath’s son stands as a second major proof of Elijah’s status as a great prophet (the first being the rescue of this same widow and her son from famine by causing their food to be extended (1 Kings 17:10-16), parallel to the miracle of the loaves). When the widow’s son dies, she believes it is a punishment from God, as these types of events were understood at the time. She blames the presence of Elijah, focusing attention on the presence of the Prophet.
Elijah takes this opportunity to demonstrate God’s mercy and consolation. He prays three times over the boy, the first of his prayers to God (CCC 2583). We note the significance of this numeric reference, which according to Hebrew numerology would have indicated his most earnest prayer to the Father. In response to this prayer, God restores life to the boy. For her part the widow provides validation to Elijah saying: “Now indeed I know that you are a man of God. The word of the LORD comes truly from your mouth.”
CCC: 1 Kgs 17:7-24 2583
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1 Kings 18:20-39
#361 Weekday Year II Context (Wednesday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Ahab sent to all the children of Israel
and had the prophets assemble on Mount Carmel.
Elijah appealed to all the people and said,
“How long will you straddle the issue?
If the LORD is God, follow him; if Baal, follow him.”
The people, however, did not answer him.
So Elijah said to the people,
“I am the only surviving prophet of the LORD,
and there are four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal.
Give us two young bulls.
Let them choose one, cut it into pieces, and place it on the wood,
but start no fire.
I shall prepare the other and place it on the wood,
but shall start no fire.
You shall call on your gods, and I will call on the LORD.
The God who answers with fire is God.”
All the people answered, “Agreed!”
Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal,
“Choose one young bull and prepare it first,
for there are more of you.
Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.”
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it
and called on Baal from morning to noon, saying,
“Answer us, Baal!”
But there was no sound, and no one answering.
And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.
When it was noon, Elijah taunted them:
“Call louder, for he is a god and may be meditating,
or may have retired, or may be on a journey.
Perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.”
They called out louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears,
as was their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Noon passed and they remained in a prophetic state
until the time for offering sacrifice.
But there was not a sound;
no one answered, and no one was listening.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.”
When the people had done so, he repaired the altar of the LORD
that had been destroyed.
He took twelve stones, for the number of tribes of the sons of Jacob,
to whom the LORD had said, “Your name shall be Israel.”
He built an altar in honor of the LORD with the stones,
and made a trench around the altar
large enough for two measures of grain.
When he had arranged the wood,
he cut up the young bull and laid it on the wood.
“Fill four jars with water,” he said,
“and pour it over the burnt offering and over the wood.”
“Do it again,” he said, and they did it again.
“Do it a third time,” he said,
and they did it a third time.
The water flowed around the altar,
and the trench was filled with the water.
At the time for offering sacrifice,
the prophet Elijah came forward and said,
“LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel,
let it be known this day that you are God in Israel
and that I am your servant
and have done all these things by your command.
Answer me, LORD!
Answer me, that this people may know that you, LORD, are God
and that you have brought them back to their senses.”
The LORD’s fire came down
and consumed the burnt offering, wood, stones, and dust,
and it lapped up the water in the trench.
Seeing this, all the people fell prostrate and said,
“The LORD is God! The LORD is God!”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 18:20-39
This story from the “Elijah Cycle” of 1 Kings describes Elijah returning to Israel to confront the people who had fallen into Baal worship. He proposes a challenge between the false god and the Lord. The actions of the priests of Baal, the dancing, shouting, and cutting themselves as part of their prayer ritual are validated by other ancient Near-Eastern texts as being part of Baal worship.
There is some symbolic language used in describing the preparation of the altar by Elijah. Specifically, the use of the number three as the altar is drenched in water indicating it was completely drenched. The result of the test was predictable. God answers Elijah and the people come back to authentic worship of God.
CCC: 1 Kgs 18:20-39 2583; 1 Kgs 18:26-29 2766; 1 Kgs 18:38-39 696; 1 Kgs 18:39 2582
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1 Kings 18:41-46
#362 Weekday Year II Context (Thursday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,
for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”
So Ahab went up to eat and drink,
while Elijah climbed to the top of Carmel,
crouched down to the earth,
and put his head between his knees.
“Climb up and look out to sea,” he directed his servant,
who went up and looked, but reported, “There is nothing.”
Seven times he said, “Go, look again!”
And the seventh time the youth reported,
“There is a cloud as small as a man’s hand rising from the sea.”
Elijah said, “Go and say to Ahab,
‘Harness up and leave the mountain before the rain stops you.’”
In a trice the sky grew dark with clouds and wind,
and a heavy rain fell.
Ahab mounted his chariot and made for Jezreel.
But the hand of the Lord was on Elijah,
who girded up his clothing and ran before Ahab
as far as the approaches to Jezreel.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 18:41-46
Elijah the Prophet tells King Ahab that the three year drought is about to end (“Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain”). He positions himself upon the top of Mt. Carmel in order to see the first signs of rain, and then assumes a position of humble prayer. In the fullness of time (symbolized by the servant’s “seventh” report), his prophecy is fulfilled, and under the impulse of God he runs ahead of the king’s chariot as a sign of his prophetic prowess.
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1 Kings 19:1-8
#790 Ritual Mass Context (V. For the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying, 1. Anointing of the Sick, 1.)
Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done-
that he had put all the prophets to the sword.
Jezebel then sent a messenger to Elijah and said,
"May the gods do thus and so to me
if by this time tomorrow
I have not done with your life what was done to each of them."
Elijah was afraid and fled for his life,
going to Beer-sheba of Judah.
He left his servant there and went a day's journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death:
"This is enough,O LORD'
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered, "Get up and eat,
else the journey will be too long for you!"
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:1-8
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life. Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. Christians see in this offering a parallel to the Eucharist offered to us by Christ; a meal which strengthens the faithful for the journey to which they are called.
The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
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1 Kings 19:4-9a, 11-15a
#536A Propers of Saints Context (St. Katherine Drexel [USA] Mar 3)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 3.)
#852 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 7. For Religious Profession, First Option)
Elijah went a day's journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
"This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
There he came to a cave, where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
"Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by."
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD--
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"
He replied, "I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life."
The LORD said to him,
"Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:4-9a, 11-15a
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life. Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
Unsuccessful in bringing the people back to authentic worship of God, Elijah the Prophet flees to the same holy mountain where Moses was given the Law.
“Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).”[3]
Following God’s revelation, Elijah is sent toward Damascus where he will be instrumental in bringing Israel back to the God by appointing (anointing) new leaders, including his own successor Elisha.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
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1 Kings 19:4-8
#116B Solemnities B Context (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
#785 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 2. Institution of Acolytes, 5.)
#796 Ritual Mass Context (V. For the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying, 2. Viaticum, First Option)
#976 Votive Mass Context (The Most Holy Eucharist, 6.)
Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:4-8
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel, who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal, and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God, and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life.
Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
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1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
#363 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the Lord came to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord;
the Lord will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the Lord —
but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”
He replied, “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars,
and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
The Lord said to him,
“Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus.
When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram.
Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel,
and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”
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Commentary on 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
Unsuccessful in bringing the people back to authentic worship of God, Elijah the Prophet flees to the same holy mountain where Moses was given the Law.
“Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).”[7]
Following God’s revelation, Elijah is sent toward Damascus, where he will be instrumental in bringing Israel back to the worship of God by appointing (anointing) new leaders, including his own successor Elisha.
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:16 436
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1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
#115A Solemnities A Context (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the Lord said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord;
the Lord will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the Lord —
but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
Jezebel has challenged (“Where is the Prince?” against his name “Yahweh is my God.” 1 Kings 19:1-8) [13] Elijah and he has fled to Mt. Horeb. This passage describes God’s response to Elijah’s need for divine presence. “Compare these divine manifestations to Elijah with those to Moses (Exodus 19:1-23; 33:21-23; 34:5) on the same Mount Horeb (Sinai) (Deuteronomy 4:10-15). Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).” [1]
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kgs 19:5 332
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21
#99C Solemnities C Context (13th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 3.)
#852 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 7. For Religious Profession, First Option)
Elijah went a day's journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
"This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers."
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
He looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
"Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!"
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
There he came to a cave, where he took shelter.
Then the LORD said to him,
"Go outside and stand on the mountain before the LORD;
the LORD will be passing by."
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the LORD--
but the LORD was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the LORD was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the LORD was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, "Elijah, why are you here?"
He replied, "I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars, and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life."
The LORD said to him,
"Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus."
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:4-9a, 11-15a
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life. Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
Unsuccessful in bringing the people back to authentic worship of God, Elijah the Prophet flees to the same holy mountain where Moses was given the Law.
“Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).”[3]
Following God’s revelation, Elijah is sent toward Damascus where he will be instrumental in bringing Israel back to the God by appointing (anointing) new leaders, including his own successor Elisha.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:4-8
#116B Solemnities B Context (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time B)
#785 Ritual Mass Context (IV. For the Conferral of Ministries, 2. Institution of Acolytes, 5.)
#796 Ritual Mass Context (V. For the Pastoral Care of the Sick and Dying, 2. Viaticum, First Option)
#976 Votive Mass Context (The Most Holy Eucharist, 6.)
Elijah went a day’s journey into the desert,
until he came to a broom tree and sat beneath it.
He prayed for death saying:
“This is enough, O LORD!
Take my life, for I am no better than my fathers.”
He lay down and fell asleep under the broom tree,
but then an angel touched him and ordered him to get up and eat.
Elijah looked and there at his head was a hearth cake
and a jug of water.
After he ate and drank, he lay down again,
but the angel of the LORD came back a second time,
touched him, and ordered,
“Get up and eat, else the journey will be too long for you!”
He got up, ate, and drank;
then strengthened by that food,
he walked forty days and forty nights to the mountain of God, Horeb.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:4-8
This episode from the tale of Elijah finds the prophet fleeing from Jezebel, who was the ruler of Beer-sheba. Elijah, in order to demonstrate the superiority of God over the false god Baal, had defeated and slain the priests of Baal, and was under sentence of death (see 1 Kings 19:2). He flees into the desert believing he had failed God, and, in frustration, gives up, asking God to take his life.
Exhausted he falls asleep under the broom tree (really more of a desert shrub than a tree but often used by Bedouins for protection from the wind). The Lord sends a messenger to him and commands him to eat the bread he offered and drink the water he provided. The messenger then leads Elijah to “the mountain of God, Horeb.” There is great symbolism in leading Elijah to that place. It is considered to be the same mountain upon which Moses received the Law (referred to by a different name as Mount Sinai). His forty days and forty nights journey represents a spiritual journey as well as distance.
CCC: 1 Kg 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kg 19:5 332
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
#363 Weekday Year II Context (Friday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave, where he took shelter.
But the word of the Lord came to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord;
the Lord will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the Lord —
but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
A voice said to him, “Elijah, why are you here?”
He replied, “I have been most zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts.
But the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant,
torn down your altars,
and put your prophets to the sword.
I alone am left, and they seek to take my life.”
The Lord said to him,
“Go, take the road back to the desert near Damascus.
When you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king of Aram.
Then you shall anoint Jehu, son of Nimshi, as king of Israel,
and Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kings 19:9a, 11-16
Unsuccessful in bringing the people back to authentic worship of God, Elijah the Prophet flees to the same holy mountain where Moses was given the Law.
“Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).”[7]
Following God’s revelation, Elijah is sent toward Damascus, where he will be instrumental in bringing Israel back to the worship of God by appointing (anointing) new leaders, including his own successor Elisha.
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:16 436
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
#115A Solemnities A Context (19th Sunday in Ordinary Time A)
At the mountain of God, Horeb,
Elijah came to a cave where he took shelter.
Then the Lord said to him,
“Go outside and stand on the mountain before the Lord;
the Lord will be passing by.”
A strong and heavy wind was rending the mountains
and crushing rocks before the Lord —
but the Lord was not in the wind.
After the wind there was an earthquake—
but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
After the earthquake there was fire—
but the Lord was not in the fire.
After the fire there was a tiny whispering sound.
When he heard this,
Elijah hid his face in his cloak
and went and stood at the entrance of the cave.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:9a, 11-13a
Jezebel has challenged (“Where is the Prince?” against his name “Yahweh is my God.” 1 Kings 19:1-8) [13] Elijah and he has fled to Mt. Horeb. This passage describes God’s response to Elijah’s need for divine presence. “Compare these divine manifestations to Elijah with those to Moses (Exodus 19:1-23; 33:21-23; 34:5) on the same Mount Horeb (Sinai) (Deuteronomy 4:10-15). Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, fire (Exodus 19:18-19), herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and bespeaks the spirituality of God. It was fitting that Elijah, whose mission it was to re-establish the covenant and restore the pure faith, should have returned to Horeb where the covenant was revealed to Moses and through him to the Israelite people (Exodus 3:1-4, 17; 33:18-34:9). Moses and Elijah appeared with Christ at the time of his transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-9; Mark 9:1-7; Luke 9:28-36).” [1]
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:1-14 2583; 1 Kgs 19:5 332
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21
#99C Solemnities C Context (13th Sunday in Ordinary Time C)
#510C Propers of Saints Context (St. Andre Bessette, Religious [US] (Jan 6) Author Selection
#679A Propers of Saints Context ( St. Rose Philippine Duchesne [US] (Nov 18) Author Selection
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 4.)
#857 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 8. For Vocations to Holy Orders or Religious Life, 4.)
The LORD said to Elijah:
“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”
Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21
Elijah’s time is coming to an end, and God instructs him to select his successor, Elisha. In response to God’s instruction, Elijah travels to a region near Damascus, and finds Elisha plowing a field using the symbolic twelve oxen (for the twelve tribes of Israel). “Elijah's act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha expressed the divine call to share the prophetic mission. Elisha's prompt response through destruction of his plow and the oxen is an example of total obedience and detachment from his former manner of living in order to promote the glory of God.” [3]
"Elisha's response to Elijah's call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apostles respond to Christ (cf. Matthew 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone responds when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving everything. But the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijah's, as can be seen from the Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says, 'I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home,' replies, 'No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God' (Luke 9:61-62)."[9]
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:16 436
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:19-21
#364 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:19-21
In response to God’s instruction, Elijah travels to a region near Damascus and finds his successor Elisha plowing a field using the symbolic twelve oxen (for the twelve tribes of Israel). “Elijah's act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha expressed the divine call to share the prophetic mission. Elisha's prompt response through destruction of his plow and oxen is an example of total obedience and detachment from his former manner of living in order to promote the glory of God.”[8]
We note the similarity in the later response of Peter, James, and John to Jesus' summons in the Gospels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 21:1-16
#365 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time)
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.”
Naboth answered him, “The Lord forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage.”
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
“I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
“Why are you so angry that you will not eat?”
He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’
But he refused to let me have his vineyard.”
His wife Jezebel said to him,
“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
“Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death.”
His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
“Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
“Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 21:1-16
The story of the murder of Naboth by Jezebel is within the "Elijah Cycle" of this historical book. In this part of the story, we are given some insights into ancient Hebrew tradition. First, Naboth did not refuse to sell his vineyard because the price was not fair. Rather, he would not sell it because of the tradition of retaining ancestral inheritance. Even the king could not command its sale.
In Jezebel’s treachery we see first that proclaiming a fast would have been done to atone for sin. In this case, there was some negative event, thought to be brought on by a violation of God’s law. Placing Naboth “at the head of the people” would have identified him as the one to whom this sin was attributed. Then having two dishonest witnesses (recall Mosaic Law requires two witnesses (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6) accuse him of blasphemy would have cost Naboth his life. Apparently, as a result of this type of death, the condemned person's property was forfeit to the crown.
CCC: 1 Kgs 21:1-9 2538; 1 Kgs 21:8 1295
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1 Kings 21:17-29
#366 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time)
After the death of Naboth the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite:
“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He will be in the vineyard of Naboth,
of which he has come to take possession.
This is what you shall tell him,
‘The Lord says: After murdering, do you also take possession?
For this, the Lord says:
In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the Lord’s sight,
I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you
and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line,
whether slave or freeman, in Israel.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”
(Against Jezebel, too, the Lord declared,
“The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”
“When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city,
dogs will devour him;
when one of them dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour him.” Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil
in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab,
urged on by his wife Jezebel.
He became completely abominable by following idols,
just as the Amorites had done,
whom the Lord drove out before the children of Israel.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments
and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh.
He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.
Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 21:17-29
Following Jezebel’s successful plot to murder Naboth and seize his vineyard, Elijah is sent by God to pronounce judgment. He comes to Ahab who is found taking possession of the spoils of the plot, and Elijah, speaking for God, promises him the same punishment as that given to the families of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 14:9-11) and Baasha (1 Kings 16:2-4).
It appears that the punishment promised includes that given for the sin of Idolatry (“He became completely abominable by following idols”). The punishment for Ahab may also have had its roots earlier in 1 Kings 20:35-42. Jezebel for her part does not escape God’s notice, although the fulfillment of this sentence does not take place until 2 Kings 9:30-37. It is also clear that following stoning, the bodies of those killed are left for the animals. There will be no posterity for those so shunned.
When Ahab demonstrates true repentance, the Lord relents, postponing the judgment and leveling it against his sons. This too finds fulfillment later in 2 Kings 9:7-10.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:11-13
[2] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 8:6-9
[3] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:16ff
[4] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 10:1
[5] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 11:1, 3, 7
[6] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 17; 1
[7] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:12
[8} See NAB Footnote on 1 Kings 19:19ff
[9] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 500
[10] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 457
[11] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 426-27
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
#811 Ritual Mass Context (VIII. For the Consecration of Virgins and Religious Profession, 4.)
#857 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 8. For Vocations to Holy Orders or Religious Life, 4.)
The LORD said to Elijah:
“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah,
as prophet to succeed you.”
Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat.
Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:16b, 19-21
Elijah’s time is coming to an end, and God instructs him to select his successor, Elisha. In response to God’s instruction, Elijah travels to a region near Damascus, and finds Elisha plowing a field using the symbolic twelve oxen (for the twelve tribes of Israel). “Elijah's act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha expressed the divine call to share the prophetic mission. Elisha's prompt response through destruction of his plow and the oxen is an example of total obedience and detachment from his former manner of living in order to promote the glory of God.” [3]
"Elisha's response to Elijah's call is quite exemplary: he leaves everything behind and puts himself at the disposal of the prophet. That will be how the apostles respond to Christ (cf. Matthew 4:20, 22; etc.), and it should be how anyone responds when the Lord calls him or her to a mission which involves leaving everything. But the call issued by Jesus is more pressing than Elijah's, as can be seen from the Gospel passage where Jesus, in response to someone who says, 'I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home,' replies, 'No one who puts his hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God' (Luke 9:61-62)."[9]
CCC: 1 Kgs 19:16 436
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 19:19-21
#364 Weekday Year II Context (Saturday of the 10th Week in Ordinary Time)
Elijah set out, and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat,
as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen;
he was following the twelfth.
Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him.
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said,
“Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye,
and I will follow you.”
Elijah answered, “Go back!
Have I done anything to you?”
Elisha left him and, taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them;
he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh,
and gave it to his people to eat. Then he left and followed Elijah as his attendant.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on 1 Kgs 19:19-21
In response to God’s instruction, Elijah travels to a region near Damascus and finds his successor Elisha plowing a field using the symbolic twelve oxen (for the twelve tribes of Israel). “Elijah's act of throwing his mantle over the shoulders of Elisha expressed the divine call to share the prophetic mission. Elisha's prompt response through destruction of his plow and oxen is an example of total obedience and detachment from his former manner of living in order to promote the glory of God.”[8]
We note the similarity in the later response of Peter, James, and John to Jesus' summons in the Gospels.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Kings 21:1-16
#365 Weekday Year II Context (Monday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time)
Naboth the Jezreelite had a vineyard in Jezreel
next to the palace of Ahab, king of Samaria.
Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard to be my vegetable garden,
since it is close by, next to my house.
I will give you a better vineyard in exchange, or,
if you prefer, I will give you its value in money.”
Naboth answered him, “The Lord forbid
that I should give you my ancestral heritage.”
Ahab went home disturbed and angry at the answer
Naboth the Jezreelite had made to him:
“I will not give you my ancestral heritage.”
Lying down on his bed, he turned away from food and would not eat.
His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him,
“Why are you so angry that you will not eat?”
He answered her, “Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite
and said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard, or,
if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.’
But he refused to let me have his vineyard.”
His wife Jezebel said to him,
“A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed!
Get up.
Eat and be cheerful.
I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name and,
having sealed them with his seal,
sent them to the elders and to the nobles
who lived in the same city with Naboth.
This is what she wrote in the letters:
“Proclaim a fast and set Naboth at the head of the people.
Next, get two scoundrels to face him
and accuse him of having cursed God and king.
Then take him out and stone him to death.”
His fellow citizens—the elders and nobles who dwelt in his city—
did as Jezebel had ordered them in writing,
through the letters she had sent them.
They proclaimed a fast and placed Naboth at the head of the people.
Two scoundrels came in and confronted him with the accusation,
“Naboth has cursed God and king.” And they led him out of the city and stoned him to death.
Then they sent the information to Jezebel
that Naboth had been stoned to death.
When Jezebel learned that Naboth had been stoned to death,
she said to Ahab,
“Go on, take possession of the vineyard
of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you,
because Naboth is not alive, but dead.”
On hearing that Naboth was dead, Ahab started off on his way
down to the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite, to take possession of it.
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 21:1-16
The story of the murder of Naboth by Jezebel is within the "Elijah Cycle" of this historical book. In this part of the story, we are given some insights into ancient Hebrew tradition. First, Naboth did not refuse to sell his vineyard because the price was not fair. Rather, he would not sell it because of the tradition of retaining ancestral inheritance. Even the king could not command its sale.
In Jezebel’s treachery we see first that proclaiming a fast would have been done to atone for sin. In this case, there was some negative event, thought to be brought on by a violation of God’s law. Placing Naboth “at the head of the people” would have identified him as the one to whom this sin was attributed. Then having two dishonest witnesses (recall Mosaic Law requires two witnesses (Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 17:6) accuse him of blasphemy would have cost Naboth his life. Apparently, as a result of this type of death, the condemned person's property was forfeit to the crown.
CCC: 1 Kgs 21:1-9 2538; 1 Kgs 21:8 1295
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1 Kings 21:17-29
#366 Weekday Year II Context (Tuesday of the 11th Week in Ordinary Time)
After the death of Naboth the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite:
“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He will be in the vineyard of Naboth,
of which he has come to take possession.
This is what you shall tell him,
‘The Lord says: After murdering, do you also take possession?
For this, the Lord says:
In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the Lord’s sight,
I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you
and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line,
whether slave or freeman, in Israel.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”
(Against Jezebel, too, the Lord declared,
“The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”
“When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city,
dogs will devour him;
when one of them dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour him.” Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil
in the sight of the Lord as did Ahab,
urged on by his wife Jezebel.
He became completely abominable by following idols,
just as the Amorites had done,
whom the Lord drove out before the children of Israel.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments
and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh.
He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.
Then the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.”
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Commentary on 1 Kgs 21:17-29
Following Jezebel’s successful plot to murder Naboth and seize his vineyard, Elijah is sent by God to pronounce judgment. He comes to Ahab who is found taking possession of the spoils of the plot, and Elijah, speaking for God, promises him the same punishment as that given to the families of Jeroboam I (1 Kings 14:9-11) and Baasha (1 Kings 16:2-4).
It appears that the punishment promised includes that given for the sin of Idolatry (“He became completely abominable by following idols”). The punishment for Ahab may also have had its roots earlier in 1 Kings 20:35-42. Jezebel for her part does not escape God’s notice, although the fulfillment of this sentence does not take place until 2 Kings 9:30-37. It is also clear that following stoning, the bodies of those killed are left for the animals. There will be no posterity for those so shunned.
When Ahab demonstrates true repentance, the Lord relents, postponing the judgment and leveling it against his sons. This too finds fulfillment later in 2 Kings 9:7-10.
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[1] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:11-13
[2] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 8:6-9
[3] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:16ff
[4] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 10:1
[5] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 11:1, 3, 7
[6] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 17; 1
[7] See NAB footnote on 1 Kings 19:12
[8} See NAB Footnote on 1 Kings 19:19ff
[9] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 500
[10] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, p. 457
[11] The Navarre Bible: “Joshua-Kings”, Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2003, pp. 426-27
[12] The
Word Biblical Commentary, 1 Kings, Volume 12, © 2004 by Thomas Nelson, Inc., p. 216
[13] Simon J. DeVries, 1 Kings, 2nd ed., vol. 12, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Inc, 2003), 235.
[14] Simon J. DeVries, 1 Kings, 2nd ed., vol. 12, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Inc, 2003), 218.
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