The Brook Cherith was where the prophet Elijah hid and was fed by ravens during a drought in Israel.
Also known as Kerith
The Brook Cherith is mentioned in the story of the prophet Elijah during the reign of King Ahab of Israel (1Ki.17.3-5). After Elijah declared a drought in the land as a judgment from God, the Lord instructed him to hide by the Brook Cherith, east of the Jordan River. God promised to provide for Elijah there, using ravens to bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and the brook as his source of water.
Elijah obeyed and stayed by the Brook Cherith until it dried up due to the prolonged drought. The exact location of the brook is uncertain, but it was likely one of the many wadis or seasonal streams that flowed into the Jordan River from the mountains of Gilead.
This event demonstrates God's faithfulness in providing for His servant during a time of hardship and judgment. It also highlights Elijah's obedience and trust in God's direction and provision. The Brook Cherith served as a place of refuge and sustenance for Elijah, preparing him for his subsequent confrontations with Ahab and the prophets of Baal.
Approximate location: 32.309, 35.560 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
A cutting; separation; a gorge, a torrent-bed or winter-stream, a “brook,” in whose banks the prophet Elijah hid himself during the early part of the three years’ drought (1 Kings 17:3, 5). It has by some been identified as the Wady el-Kelt behind Jericho, which is formed by the junction of many streams flowing from the mountains west of Jericho. It is dry in summer. Travellers have described it as one of the wildest ravines of this wild region, and peculiarly fitted to afford a secure asylum to the persecuted. But if the prophet’s interview with Ahab was in Samaria, and he thence journeyed toward the east, it is probable that he crossed Jordan and found refuge in some of the ravines of Gilead. The “brook” is said to have been “before Jordan,” which probably means that it opened toward that river, into which it flowed. This description would apply to the east as well as to the west of Jordan. Thus Elijah’s hiding-place may have been the Jermuk, in the territory of the half-tribe of Manasseh.
cutting; piercing; slaying
CHE'RITH (gorge), THE BROOK, a brook or torrent "before Jordan" where the prophet Elijah was hid. 1 Kgs 17:5. Its location is much disputed. Robinson and several others identify it with Wady Kelt, a swift, brawling stream, 20 yards wide and feet deep, running into the Jordan from the west, a little south of Jericho. Some identify it with Wady Fusail, a little farther north, and yet others think it was some stream on the other, or eastern, side of the Jordan.
CHE'RITH (gorge), THE BROOK, a brook or torrent "before Jordan" where the prophet Elijah was hid. 1 Kgs 17:5. Its location is much disputed. Robinson and several others identify it with Wady Kelt, a swift, brawling stream, 20 yards wide and feet deep, running into the Jordan from the west, a little south of Jericho. Some identify it with Wady Fusail, a little farther north, and yet others think it was some stream on the other, or eastern, side of the Jordan.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
2 verses in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H3747
“Leave here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.
So Elijah did what the LORD had told him, and he went and lived by the Brook of Cherith, east of the Jordan.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.