Lexical Summary retseph: Live coal, burning coal Original Word: רצֶף Strong's Exhaustive Concordance coal For resheph; a red-hot stone (for baking) -- coal. see HEBREW resheph NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originsee ritspah. Topical Lexicon Meaning and Basic Sense The term denotes the heated stones or coals customarily employed in ancient Near Eastern hearths and fire-pits for preparing simple bread cakes. More than mere fuel, these stones formed a primitive “oven,” retaining and radiating heat evenly across the dough placed upon them. Biblical Occurrence 1 Kings 19:6 provides the sole appearance: “He looked around, and there by his head was a cake baked over hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again”. The context is Elijah’s flight from Jezebel and his collapse beneath the broom tree. An angel rouses the exhausted prophet and points him to bread and water set upon the רצֶף. Historical Background and Domestic Usage 1. Nomadic and rural households throughout the Levant heated flat stones in open fires. When the embers were raked aside, dough was slapped directly onto the hot surface, yielding a thin cake (cf. Genesis 18:6; Judges 6:19). Theological and Ministry Implications Provision: In the wilderness narrative the hot stones symbolize Yahweh’s intimate care. As He once sent manna (Exodus 16:4) and quail (Numbers 11:31), so now He employs humbler means—a single heated stone—to feed His servant. Restoration: Elijah’s ministry had reached emotional and physical collapse (1 Kings 19:4). The freshly baked cake and water precede the divine whisper at Horeb (1 Kings 19:12), illustrating that spiritual renewal is not divorced from bodily restoration. Commission: Only after eating a second time on the heated stones’ fare does Elijah travel “on the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God” (1 Kings 19:8). The sustaining meal directly fuels renewed obedience. Messianic Foreshadowing and Gospel Connections Bread: Jesus identifies Himself as “the bread of life” (John 6:35). The hot-stone cake anticipates the greater provision of Christ, whose body is given that His people might live. Stones and temptation: When Satan urged Jesus to turn stones into bread (Matthew 4:3), the memory of Yahweh’s authentic provision to Elijah underlines the impropriety of self-serving miracles. The Lord refuses to meet a legitimate hunger in an illegitimate way, contrasting Elijah’s divinely supplied bread. Coals of cleansing: A related noun is used for the live coal that purges Isaiah’s lips (Isaiah 6:6). Both scenes—Elijah and Isaiah—combine heated stones with prophetic commissioning, pointing to the purifying and empowering grace necessary for ministry. Practical Application for Believers 1. Dependence: God’s servants may trust Him for tangible needs even in bleak settings. Related Words and Themes • Heat and purification (Psalm 12:6; Malachi 3:2–3) In its lone biblical appearance, רצֶף quietly anchors a narrative of divine care that bridges physical sustenance and prophetic calling, encouraging every generation to trust the Lord who still feeds, renews, and sends. Forms and Transliterations רְצָפִ֖ים רצפים rə·ṣā·p̄îm rəṣāp̄îm retzaFimLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 1 Kings 19:6 HEB: מְרַאֲשֹׁתָ֛יו עֻגַ֥ת רְצָפִ֖ים וְצַפַּ֣חַת מָ֑יִם KJV: and, behold, [there was] a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse INT: his head A bread the coals jar of water 1 Occurrence |
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