1 Kings 14:3

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

¹At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill, ²and Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please arise, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people. ³Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the boy."⁴Jeroboam's wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah's house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age. ⁵But the LORD had said to Ahijah, "Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised." ⁶So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And take: 1 Kings 13:7, 1 Samuel 9:7, 1 Samuel 9:8, 2 Kings 4:42, 2 Kings 5:5, 2 Kings 5:15, 2 Kings 8:7-9

with thee: Heb. in thine hand

cracknels: or, cakes, Nikkoodim, spotted, or perforated cakes; either, as some suppose, thin cakes pierced through with holes, the same as is called Jews' bread to the present day, and used by them at the passover; or, as Mr. Harmer imagines, cakes spotted with seeds, as with sesamum, Roman coriander, etc., such as he proves from Rauwolff, Russell, and Hanway, are still used in the East. This was certainly not a present that proclaimed royalty; but it does not appear to have been, in the estimation of the East, a present only fit for a country woman to have made, as Bp. Patrick supposes: for D'Arvieux informs us, that when he waited on an Arab emir, his mother and sisters sent him a present of pastry, honey, and fresh butter, with a bason of sweetmeats of Damascus.

cruse: or, bottle

he shall tell: 2 Kings 1:2, 2 Kings 8:8, Luke 7:2, Luke 7:3, John 4:47, John 4:48, John 11:3

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 28:8 - disguised 1 Kings 14:12 - when thy feet Jeremiah 21:2 - Inquire Daniel 4:18 - but

Cross-References

Genesis 19:24
Then the LORD rained down brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah-from the LORD out of the heavens.

Numbers 34:12
Then the border will go down along the Jordan and end at the Salt Sea. This will be your land, defined by its borders on all sides."

Deuteronomy 3:17
The Jordan River in the Arabah bordered it from Chinnereth to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) with the slopes of Pisgah to the east.

Joshua 3:16
the flowing water stood still. It backed up as far upstream as Adam, a city in the area of Zarethan, while the water flowing toward the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

Psalms 107:34
and fruitful land into fields of salt, because of the wickedness of its dwellers.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him,.... It being usual to carry a present to a prophet when he was inquired of on any account, see 1 Samuel 9:7 and this being a plain present, and of such things as the country afforded, she might be taken for a plain countrywoman, and not for such a personage as she was: the ten loaves could not be large for a woman to carry, most probably made of wheat; the cracknels, according to the Greek version in Drusius, were for the prophet's children; they very likely were spiced, or were sweetened with honey, and might be somewhat like our simnels; they seem to have their name in Hebrew from having points and pricks in them for the sake of ornament; such as Plautus h calls "scribilitae", because as Turnebus i says, they were marked and pricked, and seemed as if they were written:

he shall tell thee what shall become of the child; whether it should live or die, for that was all he wanted to know; he did not desire to know what should be done to the child for its recovery, nor to request the prophet's prayers for it.

h Prolog. Poenulo, ver. 43. i Adversar. l. 23. c. 10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See the marginal reference The presents here were selected for the purpose of deception, being such as a poor country person would have been likely to bring. Jeroboam counted also on Ahijah’s blindness 1 Kings 14:4 as favoring his plan of deception (compare Genesis 27:1, Genesis 27:22).

Cracknels - See the margin. The Hebrew word is thought to mean a kind of cake which crumbled easily.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 14:3. Ten loaves — Probably common or household bread.

Cracknels — נקדים nikkuddim, spotted, or perforated bread; thin cakes, pierced through with many holes, the same as is called Jews' bread to the present day, and used by them at the passover. It was customary to give presents to all great personages; and no person consulted a prophet without bringing something in his hand.