Cherith
כְּרַית/KEER-ith/
“cutting”
Summary
The brook east of the Jordan where Elijah hid and was miraculously fed by ravens during the early part of the three-year drought.
☩Elijah's Refuge
God commanded Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith after announcing the drought to Ahab. There he drank from the brook and was fed bread and meat by ravens morning and evening. When the brook dried up due to the drought, God sent him to the widow of Zarephath.
Key verses:1 Kings 17:3-7
☩Location
The brook Cherith flowed into the Jordan from the east, placing it in the Gilead uplands familiar to Elijah. The name means 'cutting' or 'separation,' fitting for a hiding place. Its exact location remains uncertain, though some identify it with Wadi Fasail.
Key verses:1 Kings 17:31 Kings 17:5
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Cherith," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. II (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Cherith," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. I (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.George Morrish, "Cherith," in Morrish's Concise Bible Dictionary (George Morrish, 1898).
- 4.Andrew Robert Fausset, "Cherith," in The Englishman's Critical and Expository Bible Cyclopædia (Hodder & Stoughton, 1878).