Lexical Summary akilah: Food, meal, eating Original Word: אֲכִילָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance meat Feminine from 'akal; something eatable, i.e. Food -- meat. see HEBREW 'akal NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom akal Definition an eating, a meal NASB Translation food (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs אֲכִילָה noun feminine an eating, a meal 1 Kings 19:8 (on form see BaNB 136). Topical Lexicon Biblical Usageאֲכִילָה appears only once in the Old Testament at 1 Kings 19:8. There it denotes the “food” that the angel of the LORD provides for Elijah. Though singular in occurrence, the term embodies a recurring biblical motif: God’s provision of sustenance that enables His servants to fulfill their calling. Context of 1 Kings 19 After the victory on Mount Carmel and the subsequent threat from Jezebel, Elijah flees in exhaustion and despair. An angel twice awakens him, commanding him to eat and drink. Scripture records: “So he got up and ate and drank. And strengthened by that food, he walked forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). The divine meal not only restores Elijah physically but empowers a journey reminiscent of Israel’s wilderness wanderings and Moses’ ascent of Sinai. Theological Themes 1. Divine Provision and Sufficiency The singular mention underscores that one act of divine provision can supply every need. Elijah’s forty-day strength mirrors Israel’s forty years of manna and Jesus’ forty days in the wilderness (Matthew 4:2). 2. Wilderness as Formation Horeb is a place of covenant revelation. Elijah’s trek, fueled by אֲכִילָה, leads to renewed commissioning (1 Kings 19:15–18). Physical nourishment becomes the gateway to spiritual clarity. 3. Word and Bread The episode illustrates the principle articulated in Deuteronomy 8:3 and echoed by Christ (Matthew 4:4): true life depends on what proceeds from God. The bread given by the angel foreshadows the greater bread from heaven (John 6:35). Historical Insights Jewish tradition viewed the angelic meal as a token of the messianic age, when God feeds His people directly. Early Christian writers drew Eucharistic parallels, seeing Elijah’s journey to Horeb as a type of the Church’s pilgrimage sustained by the body of Christ. Practical Ministry Applications • Spiritual leaders often face burnout after significant victories; God’s first remedy is rest and nourishment before further instruction. Related Scriptures Exodus 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:3; Psalm 78:24–25; Matthew 4:4; John 6:31–35; Acts 27:34. Christological Foreshadow Elijah’s אֲכִילָה reveals a pattern fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who offers Himself as the bread that grants life and empowers the believer’s pilgrimage toward the ultimate meeting place with God. Forms and Transliterations הָאֲכִילָ֣ה האכילה hā’ăḵîlāh hā·’ă·ḵî·lāh haachiLahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 19:8 HEB: וַיֵּ֜לֶךְ בְּכֹ֣חַ ׀ הָאֲכִילָ֣ה הַהִ֗יא אַרְבָּעִ֥ים NAS: in the strength of that food forty KJV: in the strength of that meat forty INT: and went the strength food he forty 1 Occurrence |
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