Elijah

=== Miracle of the ravens ===
[[File:Lanfranco Elie nourri par le corbeau.jpg|thumb|left|''Elijah fed by the ravens'', by [[Giovanni Lanfranco]], [[Musée des beaux-arts de Marseille]]]]

That ravens fed Elijah by the brook [[Chorath]] has been questioned. The Hebrew text at 1 Kings 17:4–6 uses the word {{lang|he|עֹרְבִים}} ''`ōrvīm'', which means ''ravens'', but with a different vocalization might equally mean ''Arabs''. The [[Septuagint]] has {{lang|grc|κορακες}}, ''ravens'', and other traditional translations followed.

Alternatives have been proposed for many years; for example [[Adam Clarke]] (d. 1832) treated it as a discussion already of long standing.<ref>[[Adam Clarke|Clarke, Adam]]. The Holy Bible ... with a Commentary and Critical Notes, Volume II, London 1836</ref> Objections to the traditional translation are that ravens are ritually unclean<ref>see {{Bibleverse||Leviticus|11:13–17|HE}}</ref> as well as physically dirty; it is difficult to imagine any method of delivery of the food which is not disgusting. The parallelism with the incident that follows, where Elijah is fed by the widow, also suggests a human, if mildly improbable, agent.

Prof. John Gray chooses ''Arabs'', saying "We adopt this reading solely because of its congruity with the sequel, where Elijah is fed by an alien Phoenician woman."<ref>Gray, John. Old Testament Library, I & II Kings, SCM Press, London, 1964</ref> His translation of the verses in question is:

<blockquote>And the word of YHWH came to Elijah saying, Go hence and turn eastward and hide thyself in the Wadi Chorath east of the Jordan, and it shall be that thou shalt drink of the wadi, and I have commanded the Arabs to feed thee there. And he went and did according to the word of YHWH and went and dwelt in the Wadi Chorath east of the Jordan. And the Arabs brought him bread in the morning and flesh in the evening and he would drink of the wadi.</blockquote>