1 Kings 19:18

Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel,.... From perishing by the sword of either of them: all the knees which have not bowed to Baal; that is, had not worshipped him, which was signified by

And it shall come to pass, that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay: and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay. No JFB commentary on these verses.

I have left, or, I have reserved to myself; I have by my grace kept from the common contagion; therefore thou art mistaken to think that thou art left alone, or that the people are universally corrupted. Or, I will reserve, from the slaughters last mentioned, and from Jezebel’ s rage. Seven thousand; either definitely so many; or rather, indefinitely, for many thousands; the number of seven being oft used for a great number, as . For it is altogether improbable that all the Israelites except seven thousand did worship Baal; except Baal be here synecdochically put for all their idols, and the calves among others. All the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him, i.e. all those who have not worshipped Baal, nor professed reverence or subjection to him; which idolaters did to their idols, by bowing the knee, ; compare , and by kissing them, or by kissing their hand with their mouth before them, and in respect to them; of which mention is made both in Scripture, as ,27 Hosea 13:2; compare , and in Pliny, Apuleius, and other profane authors. And God chooseth these expressions here, to teach men that it is not sufficient to deny inward veneration of mind and heart to idols, unless they do also forbear all outward significations of worship or reverence to them; and that he will own none for his people that do otherwise.

1 Kings 19:18 Yet I have left [me] seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.Ver. 18. Yet I have left me seven thousand.] See on 1 Kings 19:14. By this, as by a bookcase, saith one, doth the apostle prove that God had not cast off all the Israelites in his time. According to the fashion of the wealthy, saith another, God pleaseth himself in hidden treasures. It is enough that his own eyes behold his riches. Which have not bowed their knees.] There are thought to be no fewer than twenty thousand Protestants in Seville itself, a chief city of Spain. Yea, even in Italy, the nest of Antichrist, there are full four thousand professed Protestants. And every mouth which hath not kissed him.] With a kiss of homage, as Psalms 2:12. Cicero telleth of the image of Hercules, whose chin was much worn with the kisses of those that adored him. So are many marble pictures and crosses in Popish churches, by the devouter sex especially. Sandys’ s Relation.

(18) I have left.—It should be “I leave, or “will leave,” through all this vengeance, the seven thousand faithful; like the faithful remnant sealed in the visions of Ezekiel and St. John in the day of God’s judgment (Ezekiel 9:4-6; Revelation 7:3-8). Kissed him.—(See Job 31:26-27; Hosea 13:2.) The passage is vividly descriptive of the worshipper on the first approach bowing the knee, on nearer access kissing the image, or the altar, or the threshold of the temple.

Verse 18. Seven thousand in Israel] That is, many thousands; for seven is a number of perfection, as we have often seen: so, The barren has borne seven - has had a numerous off-spring; Gold seven times purified-purified till all the dross is perfectly separated from it. The court and multitudes of the people had gone after Baal; but perhaps the majority of the common people still worshipped in secret the God of their fathers. Every mouth which hath not kissed him.] Idolaters often kissed their hand in honour of their idols; and hence the origin of adoration - bringing the hand to the mouth after touching the idol, if it were within reach; and if not, kissing the right hand in token of respect and subjection. The word is compounded of ad, to, and os, oris, the mouth. Dextera manu deum contingentes, ori admovebant: "Touching the god with their right hand, they applied it to their mouth." So kissing the hand, and adoration, mean the same thing - thus Pliny, Inter adorandum, dexteram ad osculum referimus, totum corpus circumagimus: Nat. Hist. lib. xxviii., cap. 2. - "In the act of adoration we kiss the right hand, and turn about the whole body." Cicero mentions a statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which were considerably worn by the frequent kissing of his worshippers: Ut rictus ejus, et mentum paulo sit attritius, quod in precibus et gratulationibus, non solum id venerari, sed etiam osculari solent. - Orat. in VERREM. I have seen several instances of this, especially in the paintings of old saints: the lips and mouth of beautiful paintings literally worn away by the unmerciful osculations of devotees.

18. Yet I have left me] R.V. (and margin of A. V.) Yet will I leave me. And this is not only required by the Hebrew words, but for a true conception of the sense of the passage. Elijah had been witness of God’s might and power to execute judgement, in the wind, the earthquake, and the fire, and subsequently of the true presence of God in the still small voice which spake of mercy. He is now sent to make known who the ordained ministers of vengeance shall be, Hazael and Jehu being the embodiment of what was portrayed in the elemental fury which had passed before him. But after all came the voice which bare witness of Jehovah’s presence, and this Elijah is now told shall be made known hereafter in the multitude of those who, after all trials, shall still remain faithful. The LXX. renders ‘and thou shalt leave in Israel, &c.’ seven thousand in Israel] Used for an indefinite number. On this use of ‘seven’ cf. above 1 Kings 18:43. Also Proverbs 24:16; Matthew 18:21-22. The total was small compared with the whole people of Israel, but they were God’s ‘holy remnant,’ the seed of a purified congregation of the future. hath not kissed him] That such was the nature of some part of the worship offered to false gods we can see from Hosea 13:2, ‘Let the men that sacrifice kiss the calves.’ Probably the Latin adoro is etymologically connected with this. For kissing as an act of religious homage, see also Psalms 2:12.

Yet I have left me ... - Rather, as in the margin. “Seven thousand” faithful Israelites shall survive all the persecutions of Ahab and Jezebel, and carry down the worship of Yahweh to another generation.

18. I have left me seven thousand — Better, as in the margin, I will leave seven thousand in Israel. That is, in the judgments that are to come by the hand of the ministers I have named, all Israel shall not be cut off.