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1 Kings 17

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And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the Lord God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

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And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

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Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

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And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

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So he went and did according unto the word of the Lord: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

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And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.

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And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.

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And the word of the Lord came unto him, saying,

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Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

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So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.

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And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

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And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.

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And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.

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For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.

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And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

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And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah.

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And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him.

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And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

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And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed.

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And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son?

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And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, I pray thee, let this child’s soul come into him again.

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And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.

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And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

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And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in thy mouth is truth.

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1 Kings 17

The account of Elijah's emergence as a prophet and his conflict with Ahab over the worship of Baal establishes the prophetic struggle against idolatry as the central theme of the northern kingdom's subsequent history and introduces Elijah as the prophet who will stand against Ahab's apostasy. The chapter opens with Elijah's dramatic declaration to Ahab: 'As YHWH, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word.' Elijah then flees to the Wadi Cherith east of the Jordan, where he is sustained by YHWH through the agency of ravens. When the Wadi Cherith dries up, YHWH directs Elijah to go to Zarephath in Phoenicia, where he will be sustained by a widow; the irony of the prophet of YHWH finding refuge in the land of Baal-worship establishes the universality of YHWH's power. The chapter records Elijah's healing of the widow's son, who falls ill and dies, and Elijah's restoration of the child to life through his prayer. The widow's declaration—'Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of YHWH in your mouth is truth'—suggests that even a Phoenician woman can recognize the truth of YHWH's power. The theological significance lies in the establishment of Elijah as the prophet through whom YHWH will contest Ahab's apostasy.

1 Kings 17:5

And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook — God sustains Elijah supernaturally through the ravens. The phrase demonstrates divine faithfulness to His prophet even as famine grips the land.

1 Kings 17:2

And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan — The LORD commands Elijah to hide by the brook Cherith during the famine. The phrase marks Elijah's direct communion with God. The brook Cherith provides water and sustenance during the drought.

1 Kings 17:3

And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there — God provides supernatural provision: ravens will bring Elijah bread and meat. The phrase shows divine orchestration of creation. The ravens become instruments of God's provision.

1 Kings 17:4

So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan — Elijah obeys the divine command. His faith enables him to trust God's provision in wilderness isolation.

1 Kings 17:1

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word — Elijah (My God is Yahweh) emerges as God's prophet against Ahab. The oath formula invokes Elijah's standing before the divine throne. His declaration of drought demonstrates prophetic authority over natural phenomena—judgment implemented through divine word.

1 Kings 17:6

And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land — After sustaining Elijah through the initial drought period, the brook itself dries. The phrase shows that even God's supernatural provision operates within the natural consequences of drought. Elijah must move forward in faith.

1 Kings 17:7

And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee — God redirects Elijah to Zarephath (in Phoenician territory). The phrase shows God's comprehensive orchestration: He has prepared a Gentile widow to care for His Hebrew prophet.

1 Kings 17:8

So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink — Elijah encounters a widow gathering sticks for fuel. His request for water initiates a dialogue that will transform both lives.

1 Kings 17:9

And as she was going to fetch it, he said unto her, I pray thee, bring me also a morsel of bread in thy hand — Elijah asks for bread as well. His request tests the widow's hospitality and begins to reveal her faith.

1 Kings 17:10

And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die — The widow reveals her destitution: she has only meal and oil sufficient for one final meal. Her invocation of the covenant God despite Phoenician paganism shows she acknowledges His reality. Her honesty about dire circumstances establishes the precondition for miracle.

1 Kings 17:11

And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son — Elijah asks her to prioritize feeding him before feeding herself and her son. His request constitutes a test of faith: will she trust God even as she faces starvation?

1 Kings 17:12

For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth — Elijah's promise is categorical: God will sustain her meal and oil supplies until rain returns. This invokes divine promise that supersedes the laws of consumption.

1 Kings 17:13

And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days — The widow obeys Elijah's word and experiences the miracle. The phrase shows her faith enactment. The continued provision demonstrates the continuing miracle through "many days."

1 Kings 17:14

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah — The narrator confirms the miracle's continuation. The phrase emphasizes the supernatural sustenance of finite resources through divine word.

1 Kings 17:15

And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him — The widow's son dies during the drought. This introduction of a new crisis tests both the widow's and Elijah's faith in God's promises.

1 Kings 17:16

And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son? — The widow interprets her son's death as divine punishment for sin triggered by Elijah's presence. She perceives Elijah's presence as bringing judgment rather than blessing.

1 Kings 17:17

And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed — Elijah takes the dead child to his upper chamber. His action suggests he intends to pray for resurrection rather than accept death as final.

1 Kings 17:18

And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? — Elijah's prayer appeals to God's justice. The prayer seeks divine intervention to reverse death.

1 Kings 17:19

And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again — Elijah stretches himself on the child three times—a ritual act seeking transfer of life force or prophetic intercession. His plea seeks resurrection.

1 Kings 17:20

And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived — The child is restored to life. God's responsiveness to the prophet's intercession is affirmed. The resurrection marks divine power over death itself.

1 Kings 17:21

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth — Elijah brings the living child downstairs and returns him to his mother. This act of restoration becomes proof of Elijah's prophetic authenticity.

1 Kings 17:22

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth — The widow's faith is vindicated. The phrase shows her transformation from doubt to faith. The resurrection of her son became irrefutable proof of Elijah's communion with the living God.

1 Kings 17:23

And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth — Elijah descends from the upper room with the resurrected child and returns him to his mother. The phrase 'thy son liveth' (חַי בְנְךָ) is the ultimate word of restoration. This moment proves the superiority of YHWH's power over death itself. The widow's faith is vindicated: the God of Israel grants life itself.

1 Kings 17:24

And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth — The widow's faith reaches completion: she recognizes Elijah as a true prophet of YHWH and confesses God's word as truth. The phrase marks a full conversion: from idolatry's paralysis to faith in the living God. This private resurrection at Zarephath foreshadows the greater resurrection promised to Israel—a people dead in covenant violation will be revived through YHWH's word.