1 Kings 19:15

And the Lord said unto him, go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus,.... He is bid to go back the way he came, through the wilderness of Arabia, which was part of his way to Damascus,

And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice. No JFB commentary on these verses.

Return on thy way, by which thou camest; for so in part lay the way from Horeb to Damascus. Anoint Hazael to be king over Syria: anoint; either, first, Figuratively, i.e. appoint or declare him king; which was done, ; for this word is oft used of them who were never anointed with oil, 41:1 . Or, secondly, Properly; which might be done, though it be not related. Again, anoint, either by thyself, or by another; for so he anointed Jehu by Elisha, ,6.

1 Kings 19:15 And the LORD said unto him, Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus: and when thou comest, anoint Hazael [to be] king over Syria:Ver. 15. To the wilderness of Damascus.] Where it is probable that Elijah with his own hand anointed Hazael, and afterwards Jehu and Elisha, though these unctions might be reiterated at the time of their accomplishment.

(15) Go, return.—The charge conveys indirectly a double rebuke. His cry of disappointment, “Lord . . . I am not better than my fathers,” implying that he stood out beyond all others, to meet the stern requirements of the time, is met by the charge to delegate the task of vengeance for God to others; the complaint, “I, even I alone, am left,” by the revelation of the faithful remnant—the seven thousand who had not bowed to Baal—unknown to him, perhaps to one another, but known and loved by God.

Verse 15. To the wilderness of Damascus] He does not desire him to take a road by which he might be likely to meet Jezebel, or any other of his enemies. Anoint Hazael] For what reason the Lord was about to make all these revolutions, we are told in 1Kg 19:17. God was about to bring his judgments upon the land, and especially on the house of Ahab. This he exterminated by means of Jehu; and Jehu himself was a scourge of the Lord to the people. Hazael also grievously afflicted Israel; see the accomplishment of these purposes, 2 Kings 8, and 9.

15. Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus] It seems from what follows that the margin of the R.V. gives the truer sense, viz. ‘by the wilderness to Damascus.’ Elijah was to go back through the wilderness, the way by which he had come to Horeb, and we see that he came first to Abel-meholah, which was on the west of the Jordan, not far from Bethshean (see note above on 1 Kings 4:12). Thus he was sent by God’s encouragement, and with His protection, through the land of Israel from which he had fled. anoint Hazael to be king over Syria] So far as the Scripture record goes we have no notice that Elijah performed this command in its literal sense, Hazael being subsequently informed by Elisha (2 Kings 8:13) that the Lord had made known that he should become king over Israel, though even then he was not anointed. We must interpret the meaning of the command in accordance with the prophet’s action, judging that he understood what was intended by the words. The word ‘anoint’ is used concerning Jehu and Elisha as well as Hazael; and we know that Elijah did not anoint Elisha, though he could easily have done so, but only made known, by the act of casting his prophetic mantle upon him, that he was called to that office. In the same way then we may understand the rest of the divine order. Elijah was to receive assurance for himself, and to make known that assurance to others, as he found occasion, that God was still ruling Israel both from without and from within, and would call to the throne of Syria one who should execute His judgements upon His rebellious people, and to the throne of Israel one who should destroy Baal and his worship out of the land. We shall not err, it seems, if we suppose that the knowledge, which Elisha had (2 Kings 8:13) when he says ‘The Lord hath shewed me that thou shalt be king over Syria,’ was derived from Elijah’s communication, as also the instruction which led him, at a future day (2 Kings 9:1-2), to send one of the sons of the prophets to Ramoth-Gilead to anoint Jehu. Hence ‘anoint’ in the text becomes equivalent to ‘point them out as the anointed ones.’ On Hazael’s wars at a subsequent time with Israel and Judah, see 2 Kings 8:28-29. He subsequently invaded the territory of Israel and especially overran the district East of Jordan (2 Kings 10:32-33), and held Israel in subjection ‘all the days of Jehoahaz’ (2 Kings 13:3; 2 Kings 13:22). Through him, we are told, ‘the Lord began to cut Israel short’ (2 Kings 10:32), and there are many indications that this king was for Israel, the rod of God’s anger, a divinely appointed minister of His judgements. For ‘anoint’ the R.V. reads thou shalt anoint, a change required by the Hebrew which is not an imperative.

The answer is not a justification of the ways of God, nor a direct reproof of the prophet’s weakness and despondency, nor an explanation or application of what Elijah had seen.

15. Return on thy way — Go forth into the fields of labour where my Spirit shall hereafter lead thee, and let my Spirit, not thy frail judgment, guide thee.