Elijah's abrupt introduction without genealogy or credentials mirrors his prophetic style—he appears suddenly to deliver God's judgment, then vanishes just as mysteriously into divine protection.
1 Kings 17
Elijah's Drought Prophecy and Hiding
1Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
2Then the LORD’s word came to him, saying,
3“Go away from here, turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is before the Jordan.
4You shall drink from the brook. I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
5So he went and did according to the LORD’s word, for he went and lived by the brook Cherith that is before the Jordan.
6The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
7After a while, the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land.
Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath
8The LORD’s word came to him, saying,
9“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”
10So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”
11As she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.”
12She said, “As the LORD your God lives, I don’t have anything baked, but only a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
13Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go and do as you have said; but make me a little cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward make some for you and for your son.
14For the LORD, the God of Israel, says, ‘The jar of meal will not run out, and the jar of oil will not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain on the earth.’”
15She went and did according to the saying of Elijah; and she, he, and her household ate many days.
16The jar of meal didn’t run out and the jar of oil didn’t fail, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by Elijah.
Elijah Raises the Widow's Son
17After these things, the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, became sick; and his sickness was so severe that there was no breath left in him.
18She said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, you man of God? You have come to me to bring my sin to memory, and to kill my son!”
19He said to her, “Give me your son.” He took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into the room where he stayed, and laid him on his own bed.
20He cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”
21He stretched himself on the child three times, and cried to the LORD and said, “LORD my God, please let this child’s soul come into him again.”
22The LORD listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
23Elijah took the child and brought him down out of the room into the house, and delivered him to his mother; and Elijah said, “Behold, your son lives.”
24The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the LORD’s word in your mouth is truth.”
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Theme
Elijah the Tishbite emerges as God's prophet, boldly announcing a drought to King Ahab as divine judgment. God miraculously sustains Elijah first through ravens at the brook Cherith, then through a poor widow in Zarephath whose meal and oil never run out. When the widow's son dies, Elijah raises him back to life through fervent prayer, demonstrating God's power over death itself and establishing his prophetic authority.
Context
This chapter introduces Elijah's ministry during the reign of the wicked King Ahab, setting up the dramatic confrontation with Baal worship that will follow.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-7 Elijah's Drought Prophecy and Hiding Elijah announces drought to Ahab and is sustained by ravens at brook Cherith until it dries up
- 8-16 Provision Through the Widow of Zarephath God sends Elijah to a Gentile widow whose meal and oil miraculously sustain them all
- 17-24 Elijah Raises the Widow's Son When the widow's son dies, Elijah prays and God restores the child to life
Elijah's Drought Prophecy and Hiding
17:1–17:7 narrative narration solemn
Elijah prophesies a drought to King Ahab as divine judgment, then obeys God's command to hide by the brook Cherith where ravens miraculously provide for him. The passage demonstrates God's judgment on Israel's idolatry and His faithful provision for His prophet.
person_contrast
Elijah's abrupt introduction without genealogy or credentials mirrors his prophetic style—he appears suddenly to deliver God's judgment, then vanishes just as mysteriously into divine protection.
Elijah and the Widow of Zarephath
17:8–17:16 narrative narration hopeful
God directs Elijah to a widow in Zarephath who, despite her poverty and fear of starvation, obeys Elijah's request and experiences the miracle of inexhaustible meal and oil. The story illustrates God's provision through unlikely sources and the faith required to trust in divine promises during desperate circumstances.
person_contrast
Elijah, who typically delivers divine judgment and prophecy, here becomes the recipient of miraculous provision through a destitute Gentile widow's sacrificial obedience.
Elijah Raises the Widow's Son
17:17–17:24 narrative narration triumphant
When the widow's son dies, Elijah prays earnestly and God raises the child from the dead, demonstrating divine power over death. This miracle confirms Elijah's prophetic authority and leads the widow to fully recognize him as a true man of God whose words carry divine truth.
person_contrast
Elijah, who typically delivers divine oracles and confronts kings, here performs his only recorded resurrection miracle, marking a rare shift from prophetic proclamation to life-giving intervention.
Insights
Elijah, who typically delivers divine judgment and prophecy, here becomes the recipient of miraculous provision through a destitute Gentile widow's sacrificial obedience.
Elijah, who typically delivers divine oracles and confronts kings, here performs his only recorded resurrection miracle, marking a rare shift from prophetic proclamation to life-giving intervention.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
1 Kings 17:1 1 reference
1 Kings 17:6 4 references
Lexicals 4
Exodus 16:8 Lexical
Moses said, “Now the LORD will give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you, because the…
Exodus 16:12 Lexical
“I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At evening you shall eat meat, and in th…
Deuteronomy 16:4 Lexical
No yeast shall be seen with you in all your borders seven days; neither shall any of the meat, which you sacrifice the f…
2 Chronicles 13:11 Lexical
They burn to the LORD every morning and every evening burnt offerings and sweet incense. They also set the show bread in…
1 Kings 17:11 2 references
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