Spoke 17: 1Kings 17 and Malachi 4

Spoke 17: 1Kings 17 and Malachi 4


Elijah was known in Malachi and the New Testament times to turn the hearts of the father to the children and the children to their fathers. John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah/Elias and fulfilled his role. However Elijah will return in the future to fulfill his calling once again.


[Malachi 4:6 KJV]
And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

[Luke 1:17 KJV]
And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

How was it interpreted that Elijah was meant to fulfill this role? Could it be that the city where he came from, Tishbeh, comes from the word repent/return (shub)? It certainly is close to the next Hebrew word in the phrase Towshab. 

1Kings 17 - Listen

1

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitantsof Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel   liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dewnor rain these years, but according to my word.

21

And he stretched himself upon the child three times,and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into himagain. *

22

And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soulof the child came into him again, and he revived. *

Malachi 1 - Listen

4

Whereas Edom saith, We are impoverished, but we will return and build the desolate places; thus saiththe LORD of hosts, They shall build, but I will throw down; and they shall call them, The border of wickedness, and, The people against whom the LORD   hath indignation for ever.

שוב  ישב  שבת  שבה

There appears to be a slight to strong kinship between the meanings of the four root forms שוב (shub), ישב (yashab), שבת (shabbat) and שבה (shaba). And their forms are so adjacent that the effects of conjugation and grammatical constructions sometimes obscure the exact origin of derived words or names. Roots and meanings of words in narrative text can usually be estimated by their contexts, but even when these are clear, the interpreter should always keep an eye on the other roots and keep an open mind for alternative translations.


http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Tishbite.html#.W7_Nepd95uM


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Perhaps what is identical between Elijah's conflict with Ahab and Elijah's ministry in Malachi is repentance. Ahab means father's brother. But could it also mean brother to the father? Could this be that Ahab repented and his heart was turned to the Father (1Kings 21) therefore becoming the Father's brother?

1Kings 17 - Listen

1

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

13

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

15

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

16

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.

18

And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? *

21

And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. *

22

And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. *

23

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

24

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

Malachi 4 - Listen

5

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

6

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

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God said he would smite the earth with a cuse and he sent no rain in Elijah's days:

1Kings 17 - Listen

4

And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

7

And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

9

Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

18

And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? *

Malachi 4 - Listen

4

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

6

And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

Comparing 1Kings 17 with Malachi the 17th Book of the 2nd Cycle

1Kings 17 - Listen 1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word. 2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there. 5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook. 7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful * of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die. 13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. 17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? * 19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again. * 22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. * 23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth. 24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.

Malachi 4 - Listen 1 For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. 2 But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall. 3 And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the LORD of hosts. 4 Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. 5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD: 6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.