Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 17:8
And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
8-16. the word of the Lord came tohimZarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directedto go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about ninemiles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel’s impiousfather, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entranceinto the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providenceto support him, his faith was severely tested by learning from herthat her supplies were exhausted and that she was preparing her lastmeal for herself and son. The Spirit of God having prompted him toask, and her to grant, some necessary succor, she received aprophet’s reward (Mat 10:41;Mat 10:42), and for the one mealafforded to him, God, by a miraculous increase of the little stock,afforded many to her.
1Ki17:17-24. HE RAISESHER SONTO LIFE.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And the word of the Lord came unto him,…. As before, after he had been a year at the brook, and that was dried up:
saying; as follows.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| The Widow of Zarephath. | B. C. 908. |
8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 10 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. 11 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. 12 And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a 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. 13 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. 14 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. 15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 16 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.
We have here an account of the further protection Elijah was taken under, and the further provision made for him in his retirement. At destruction and famine he shall laugh that has God for his friend to guard and maintain him. The brook Cherith is dried up, but God’s care of his people, and kindness to them, never slacken, never fail, but are still the same, are still continued and drawn out to those that know him, Ps. xxxvi. 10. When the brook was dried up Jordan was not; why did not God send him thither? Surely because he would show that he has a variety of ways to provide for his people and is not tied to any one. God will now provide for him where he shall have some company and opportunity of usefulness, and not be, as he had been, buried alive. Observe,
I. The place he is sent to, to Zarephath, or Sarepta, a city of Sidon, out of the borders of the land of Israel, v. 9. Our Saviour takes notice of this as an early and ancient indication of the favour of God designed for the poor Gentiles, in the fulness of time, Luk 4:25; Luk 4:26. Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, and some, it is likely, that would have bidden him welcome to their houses; yet he is sent to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city, and so becomes (says Dr. Lightfoot) the first prophet of the Gentiles. Israel had corrupted themselves with the idolatries of the nations and become worse than they; justly therefore is the casting off of them the riches of the world. Elijah was hated and driven out by his countrymen; therefore, lo, he turns to the Gentiles, as the apostles were afterwards ordered to do, Acts xviii. 6. But why to a city of Sidon? Perhaps because the worship of Baal, which was now the crying sin of Israel, came lately thence with Jezebel, who was a Sidonian (ch. xvi. 31); therefore thither he shall go, that thence may be fetched the destroyer of that idolatry, “Even out of Sidon have I called my prophet, my reformer.” Jezebel was Elijah’s greatest enemy; yet, to show her the impotency of her malice, God will find a hiding-place for him even in her country. Christ never went among the Gentiles except once into the coast of Sidon, Matt. xv. 21.
II. The person that is appointed to entertain him, not one of the rich merchants or great men, of Sidon, not such a one as Obadiah, that was governor of Ahab’s house and fed the prophets; but a poor widow woman, destitute and desolate, is commanded (that is, is made both able and willing) to sustain him. It is God’s way, and it is his glory, to make use of the weak and foolish things of the world and put honour upon them. He is, in a special manner, the widows’ God, and feeds them, and therefore they must study what they shall render to him.
III. The provision made for him there. Providence brought the widow woman to meet him very opportunely at the gate of the city (v. 10), and, by what is here related of what passed between Elijah and her, we find,
1. Her case and character; and it appears, (1.) That she was very poor and necessitous. She had nothing to live upon but a handful of meal and a little oil, needy at the best, and now, by the general scarcity, reduced to the last extremity. When she has eaten the little she has, for aught she yet sees, she must die for want, she and her son, v. 12. She had no fuel but the sticks she gathered in the streets, and, having no servant, she must gather them herself (v. 10), being thus more in a condition to receive alms than give entertainment. To her Elijah was sent, that he might still live upon Providence as much as he did when the ravens fed him. It was in compassion to the low estate of his handmaiden that God sent the prophet to her, not to beg of her, but to board with her, and he would pay well for his table. (2.) That she was very humble and industrious. He found her gathering sticks, and preparing to bake her own bread, 1Ki 17:10; 1Ki 17:12. Her mind was brought to her condition, and she complained not of the hardship she was brought to, nor quarrelled with the divine Providence for withholding rain, but accommodated herself to it as well as she could. Such as are of this temper in a day of trouble are best prepared for honour and relief from God. (3.) That she was very charitable and generous. When this stranger desired her to go and fetch him some water to drink, she readily went, at the first word, 1Ki 17:10; 1Ki 17:11. She objected not to the present scarcity of it, nor asked him what he would give her for a draught of water (for now it was worth money), nor hinted that he was a stranger, an Israelite, with whom perhaps the Sidonians cared not for having any dealings, any more than the Samaritans, John iv. 9. She did not excuse herself on account of her weakness through famine, or the urgency of her own affairs, did not tell him she had something else to do than to go on his errands, but left off gathering the sticks for herself to fetch water for him, which perhaps she did the more willingly, being moved with the gravity of his aspect. We should be ready to do any office of kindness even to strangers; if we have not wherewith to give to the distressed, we must be the more ready to work for them. A cup of cold water, though it cost us no more than the labour of fetching, shall in no wise lose its reward. (4.) That she had a great confidence in the word of God. It was a great trial for her faith and obedience when, having gold the prophet how low her stock of meal and oil was and that she had but just enough for herself and her son, he bade her make a cake for him, and make his first, and then prepare for herself and her son. If we consider, it will appear as great a trial as could be in so small a matter. “Let the children first be served” (might she have said); “charity begins at home. I cannot be expected to give, having but little, and not knowing, when that is gone, where to obtain more.” She had much more reason than Nabal to ask, “Shall I take my meat and my oil and give it to one that I know not whence he is?” Elijah, it is true, made mention of the God of Israel (v. 14), but what was that to a Sidonian? Or if she had a veneration for the name Jehovah, and valued the God of Israel as the true God, yet what assurance had she that this stranger was his prophet or had any warrant to speak in his name? It was easy for a hungry vagrant to impose upon her. But she gets over all these objections, and obeys the precept in dependence upon the promise: She went and did according to the saying of Elijah, v. 15. O woman! great was thy faith; one has not found the like, no, not in Israel: all things considered, it exceeded that of the widow who, when she had but two mites, cast them into the treasury. She took the prophet’s word, that she should not lose by it, but it should be repaid with interest. Those that can venture upon the promise of God will make no difficulty of exposing and emptying themselves in his service, by giving him his dues out of a little and giving him his part first. Those that deal with God must deal upon trust; seek first his kingdom, and then other things shall be added. By the law, the first-fruits were God’s, the tithe was taken out first, and the heave-offering of their dough was first offered, Num 15:20; Num 15:21. But surely the increase of this widow’s faith, to such a degree as to enable her thus to deny herself and to depend upon the divine promise, was as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace as the increase of her oil was in the kingdom of providence. Happy are those who can thus, against hope, believe and obey in hope.
2. The care God took of her guest: The barrel of meal wasted not, nor did the cruse of oil fail, but still as they took from them more was added to them by the divine power, v. 16. Never did corn or olive so increase in the growing (says bishop Hall) as these did in the using; but the multiplying of the seed sown (2 Cor. ix. 10) in the common course of providence is an instance of the power and goodness of God not to be overlooked because common. The meal and the oil multiplied, not in the hoarding, but in the spending; for there is that scattereth and yet increaseth. When God blesses a little, it will go a great way, even beyond expectation; as, on the contrary, though there be abundance, if he blow upon it, it comes to little, Hag 1:9; Hag 2:16. (1.) This was a maintenance for the prophet. Still miracles shall be his daily bread. Hitherto he had been fed with bread and flesh, now he was fed with bread and oil, which they used as we do butter. Manna was both, for the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil, Num. xi. 8. This Elijah was thankful for, though he had been used to flesh twice a day and now had none at all. Those that cannot live without flesh, once a day at least, because they have been used to it, could not have boarded contentedly with Elijah, no, not to live upon a miracle. (2.) It was a maintenance for the poor widow and her son, and a recompence to her for entertaining the prophet. There is nothing lost by being kind to God’s people and ministers; she that received a prophet had a prophet’s reward; she gave him house-room, and he repaid her with food for her household. Christ has promised to those who open their doors to him that he will come in to them, and sup with them, and they with him, Rev. iii. 20. Like Elijah here, he brings to those who bid him welcome, not only his own entertainment, but theirs too. See how the reward answered the service. She generously made one cake for the prophet, and was repaid with many for herself and her son. When Abraham offers his only son to God he is told he shall be the father of multitudes. What is laid out in piety or charity is let out to the best interest, upon the best securities. One poor meal’s meat this poor widow gave the prophet, and, in recompence of it, she and her son did eat many days (v. 15), above two years, in a time of general scarcity; and to have their food from God’s special favour, and to eat it in such good company as Elijah’s, made it more than doubly sweet. It is promised to those that trust in God that they shall not be ashamed in the evil time, but in the days of famine they shall be satisfied, Ps. xxxvii. 19.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
God’s Provision, Verses 8-16
At God’s proper time He spoke to Elijah and gave him further instructions in keeping with His prophecy and His protection of His servant. As the drought continued and conditions became grimmer in Israel King Ahab began a desperate search for Elijah, probably hoping to compel him to call an end to the calamity (1Ki 18:10). God therefore sent Elijah to the very last place Ahab would expect him to be, into the very nest of Baalism itself. This was the land of Jezebel, the land of Zidon, where her father ruled, and where the people regularly worshipped the false god.
The town of Zarephath was ruled by Zidon, though it was in the tribal allotment of Asher, who had not driven out the Phoenicians after its conquest by Joshua. Its location is uncertain, but tradition places it on the Mediterranean seacoast between Tyre and Zidon. The widow to whom Elijah was sent was likely an Israelite woman living among these heathen people, as was the case with many people of the times and area. Nothing is known of her previous life, but there is an intimation that it may have been tainted with the immorality of her environment (Verses 17ff). It seems also that she was a God-fearing woman, and possibly had some revelation of the coming of Elijah before he arrived (Verses 9, 12, 15).
The drought had taken its toll on the people of the Phoenician towns also. Water was still available, for when Elijah requested the woman to bring him a drink she interrupted her chore to comply with the request of the man of God. However, the prophet proceeded to test her faith in the Lord by asking for a morsel of bread as well. It was then that the woman replied, calling on the Lord as her living witness, that she had a very meager bit of meal and oil remaining in her meal barrel and oil cruse. Elijah had interrupted her at the task of gathering a few sticks to build a fire on which to cook a small cake of it for herself and her son. After that her future was hopeless, and she expected they would die of hunger.
The widow met the supreme test of her faith. Elijah instructed her to make a cake of the meal first for him, then make another for herself and son. Certainly there was insufficient ingredients to make two cakes, but Elijah consoled her by saying that the Lord had said the meal would not be depleted nor the oil exhausted until the day he brought rain again. And so she went in and made Elijah the first cake, and afterward prepared for herself and son. She had put the Lord and His servant first, and received an abundant blessing in return, providing all she needed for her livelihood. She had proved the truth of the words of Jesus to His servants today, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you” (Mat 6:33)
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.
1Ki. 17:9. Zarephath, which belongeth to ZidonSarepta, situate between Tyre and Sidon, in the native land of Jezebel. Yet this widow knew JEHOVAH (1Ki. 17:12), and appealed to His High Name in verification of her words.
1Ki. 17:13. Fear not; go and do, &c.A severe test of faith, for there was nothing between her and death except the promise of 1Ki. 17:14. Nevertheless, with nought save a promise to assure her, she made her solitary cake, and saw it eaten by Elijah. Yet starvation was not the issue, but salvation.
HOMILETICS OF 1Ki. 17:8-16
RESCUE IN EXTREMITY
I. That a time of extremity reveals the Divine source of our daily comforts. The water of the brook on which Elijah had depended for daily refreshment gradually diminished, and at length altogether disappeared, and the prophet was again reminded of his absolute dependence on God for hourly sustenance. The greatest blessings are apt to be regarded with indifference because of the constancy of their supply. The daily return of the sunlight, the equal diffusion of the air we breathe, the regular beat of the life-pulse, the abundant yield of the soil on which we tread, are bestowed with such uniformity and faithfulness, that there is danger we should forget the great source of them all. When we are deprived for a time of the most ordinary blessings of life, then do we become vividly conscious of their former presence and of their unspeakable value. Every new day should be vocal with new thanksgivings and praises for the new mercies which it brings.
II. That a time of extremity induces a spirit of ready obedience. So he arose and went to Zarephath (1Ki. 17:10). Elijah might be tempted to question: Why may not the same Divine power which sends the ravens with food keep the Cherith in perpetual flow? And if I must remove, why not go back to Israel rather than into Phnicia, the idolatrous home of Jezebel, whose enormities I am commissioned to punish? But the instinct of obedience was stronger than all such questionings; and that instinct was sharpened by the difficulties in which he found himself. To remain was to perish, and to obey opened the only prospect of relief and sustenance. Servants rise when the bell rings, says the proverb; and Elijah at once set out on his long and adventurous journey. He was like Israel in the wilderness. At the commandment of the Lord they rested in their tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. So God often leads his people out by a way that they know not, and the reluctance to follow the Divine leading is overcome by the utter perplexity of the circumstances into which they are sometimes brought, and their inability to discover a better way than the one indicated. It is the triumph of self-surrender to God when the believer can say
Nor will I hear, nor will I speak,
Of any other will but Thine.
III. That a time of extremity encourages faith in God amid the most unfavourable appearances (1Ki. 17:10-12). The prophet was to be dependent on a woman, and she a Gentile, when there were many women in Israel any of whom would have counted it a coveted honour to minister to the wants of the persecuted champion of Jehovah; a widow woman, and a widow woman in such abject poverty that she and her emaciated son were reduced to the last point, of starvation (1Ki. 17:12). It seemed very unlikely that a woman in whose home famine had wrought such havoc should be the future hostess of the famishing prophet. But Elijah, undaunted by the ghastly and unpromising appearance of things, had faith in God; he who quailed not in the presence of Ahab and Jezebel, yielded not in the presence of improbabilities which were even more difficult to confront. True faith triumphs over the most forbidding circumstances; above all external things it sees God and His all-conquering promise. Abraham staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, being fully persuaded that what He had promised He was able also to perform (Rom. 4:20-21). Faith eats its way through all Alps of opposition.
IV. That a time of extremity affords opportunity for the most signal display of Divine power (1Ki. 17:12-16).
1. It reveals how God has His hidden ones in the most unlikely places. This Gentile woman was not ignorant of Jehovah, and she at once recognized Elijah as His prophet. As the Lord thy God liveth (1Ki. 17:12). She was probably a believer (Luk. 4:26), however imperfect might be her faith, and the narrative shows she was capable of the most disinterested kindness, and of the most implicit confidence in the word of God (1Ki. 17:14-15). Phenicia was the last place in the world to have found a worshipper of the Lord, the living God. It was also the last place in the world to have found an Elijah. And yet both are herethe one a lily among thorns, the other, in the quaint but fine thought of Lightfoot, the first apostle to the Gentiles. The rarest virtues are sometimes found in the most unexpected places. During the last journey of Livingstone, the veteran African traveller, he was compelled, in consequence of a tribal war, to change his route, and pass through a country where no rain had fallen, and the grass, mostly burnt off, left a surface covered with black ashes, from which the heat radiated as from a furnace. Yet, out of this hard, hot surface, the flowers would persist in coming. So amid the moral wastes of heathendom, where the soil is hard and black, and apparently unfertile, and where our missionaries have toiled so long with such earnestness and devotion, the delicate flowers of Christian virtues have pushed their way, displaying their modest beauty, and scattering their hallowing fragranceforetokens of the coming period when the wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose (Isa. 35:1)
2. It reveals the boundless resources of Jehovah in supplying the needs of His people (1Ki. 17:16). With God nothing is impossible, and rather than His people should perish He will work a miracle. The same power that multiplied the loaves and fishes to the multitude on the shores of Galilee could, with equal ease, replenish the meal barrel and oil cruse in the home of the Sareptan widow. So that, writes Maurice, the person from whom Elijah was to receive sustenance, and whom, as a return for that favour, he was to teach trust in the Lord God of Israel that her barrel of meal should not waste, neither her cruse of oil fail, was a woman of that very country from which Jezebel had comethe very country from which the Baal worship had been imported. The Lord God of the nation, then, was one in whom the weak and poor of all nations might confide, one from whom they might ask their daily bread, and on whom they might cast their heaviest cares. God will be no debtor to them who trust Him in extremity, or who show kindness to His servants.
LESSONS:
1. God is not indifferent to the wants and sufferings of His people.
2. A time of temporal straitness is often one of richest spiritual blessing.
3. We cannot grieve God more than by distrusting Him.
GERM NOTES ON THE VERSES
1Ki. 17:8-16. The barrel of meal and the cruse of oil. Learn from this incident: I. The uncertainty of earthly comforts. When Elijah went to Cherith he would never dream of that brook becoming exhausted. He would settle down there till the drought passed away. But, when least expecting it, the word of the Lord came: Arise, get thee to Zarephath. Cherith, with all its pleasant associations, had to be left. What a picture of human life! How many are there of whose worldly comforts it may be said: After a while the brook dried up. One man is settled in life, with circumstances all that could be desired, and he contemplates the future with pleasure; but unexpectedly something arisesbank failure or commercial crisiswhich tells him that the brook is dried up, and he has to leave his Cherith. Another looks with pride and hope upon a childhis pleasure and joy flow from that childbut, unnoticed, disease settles upon it and takes it away. So with earthly comforts. They are uncertain, and do not warrant the eagerness with which they are sought, or the value with which they are invested. II. The certainty of Gods care. God made provision for Elijah at Zarephath before He commanded him to leave Cherith. Decay and change may characterise all our earthly comforts, but they do not characterise God; He remains the same, and His care can never fail. Many changes are permitted to our circumstances, to lead us to more implicit confidence in the unchangeable God. III. Godly generosity shall not lose its reward. This woman had a truly generous spirit, which was bounded only by her means. She listened readily to Elijahs request, and showed a spirit willing to accede to it; and her generosity secured her abundance. God blessed her house for entertaining His servant, as He blessed the house of Obed Edom for sheltering the ark.The Study and Pulpit.
1Ki. 17:10-13. Now here was a demand upon the faith of this womanfrom a foreign man and a foreign Godas large as any exacted from the great prophet himself. See how it stands: First, she was to make up her provisions for Elijah, trusting that, as he had said, more would then come miraculously to supply her own wants. What a trial! What would the bird in the hand worth two in the bush principle say to this? Who could have it in his heart to blame her had she declined to run what was, under the circumstances, so hard a risk? Who would condemn her if she had discredited this stranger? How could she know but that, after he had eaten up her precious bread, he might laugh in her face? Besides, was not his very anxiety to be served first of all very suspicious? Looked it not as if he were determined, at all hazards, to secure a meal for himself; and could we call it unreasonable had she asked for the proof firstwhich could be given as well before as afterthat it should be as he had said? But nothing of this occurred. She went and did as Elijah had told her, and found the result as he had promised. This was faith of the true sort, heroic faith, the faith that asks no questions.Kitto.
1Ki. 17:10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. Compared with 1Ki. 17:15 : Obedience to God. I. Should be prompt and unquestioning. II. Involves sacrifice and suffering. III. Is always rewarded with blessing.
1Ki. 17:12. Happy was it for this widow that she did not shut her hand to the man of God, that she was no niggard of her last handful; never corn or oil did so increase in growing as here in consuming. This barrel, this cruse of hers, had no bottom; the barrel of meal wasted not, the cruse of oil failed not. Behold, not getting, not saving, is the way to abundance, but giving. The mercy of God crowns our beneficence with the blessing of store. Who can fear want by a merciful liberality, when he sees the Sareptan had famished if she had not given, and by giving abounded? With what thankful devotion must this woman every day needs look upon her barrel and cruse, wherein she saw the mercy of God renewed to her continually? Doubtless her soul was no less fed by faith than her body by this supernatural provision.Bp. Hall.
1Ki. 17:13. Fear not! Ah! how often has a child of God bemoanedNow all is lost! I have nothing more, and know nothing more. The operations of the Spirit of God have ceased for me; the meal and oil are gone! And yet, where there is nothing more amid the night and the darkness, the morning brings something upon which one can live and find nourishment for the soul, although the time be miserable.Lange.
1Ki. 17:15. It was one of those sudden recognitions of unknown kindred souls, one of those cross-purposes of Providence, which come in with a peculiar charm to chequer the commonplace course of ecclesiastical history. The Phnician mother knew not what great destinies lay in the hand of that gaunt figure at the city gate, worn with travel, and famine, and drought. She obeyed only the natural instinct of humanity; but she saved in him the deliverer of herself and her son. It may be that this incident is the basis of the sacred blessing of the Prophet of prophets on those who, even by a cup of cold water, receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophets reward.Stanley.
1Ki. 17:16. The same God who spoke by means of ElijahThe meal in the barrel shall not be wasted, and the oil in the cruse shall not failhas also promised, as long as the earth lasts, seed-time and harvest, frost and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease (Gen. 8:22). We are astonished at the little miracle in the cabin at Sarepta, but we pass over with indifference, and without attention, the large miracle.Lange.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
C. ELIJAH AT ZAREPHATH 17:824
As the water supply at Cherith began to fail, God instructed Elijah to leave the land of Israel and journey to the Phoenician village of Zarephath. Two great miraculous occurrences are connected with the prophets sojourn therethe miraculous provision of food in the home of a widow (1Ki. 17:8-16); and the resurrection of the widows son (1Ki. 17:17-24).
1. THE MIRACULOUS PROVISION OF FOOD (1Ki. 17:8-16)
TRANSLATION
(8) And the word of the LORD came onto him, saying, (9) Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold I have commanded a woman, a widow, to feed you. (10) And he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold there was a widow gathering wood. And he called unto her and said, Take I pray you for me a little water in a vessel that I may drink. (11) And as she was going to get it, he called unto her and said, Bring, I pray you, for me a morsel of bread in your hand. (12) And she said, As the LORD your God lives, I do not have a cake, except a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a vase; and behold I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I might go and make it for myself and for my son, that we might eat it and die. (13) And Elijah said unto her, Do not fear! Go and do according to your word, but make from it a little cake first, and bring it out to me, and afterwards make one for yourself and for your son. (14) For thus says the LORD God of Israel: The jar of meal shall not diminish, nor shall the vase of oil fail, until the day the LORD shall bring rain upon the face of the ground. (15) And she went and did according to the word of Elijah; and she and he and her house did eat many days. (16) The jar of meal did not diminish nor did the vase of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by the hand of Elijah.
COMMENTS
It is impossible to determine how long Elijah remained at Cherith. Eventually the water supply there was affected by the drought (1Ki. 17:7) which no doubt also affected the available food supply which the ravens brought to the prophet. A second revelation (1Ki. 17:8) instructed Elijah to migrate to the Phoenician town of Zarephath situated on the high road from Tyre to Sidon on the seacoast about seven miles south of Sidon. At this spot Elijah would be in the lions den, the very heart of the dominions of Ethbaal, the fanatical father of Jezebel. There God had arranged for a destitute widow[413] to care for His prophet. Jesus suggested that Elijah was sent to this widow for her sake as well as his own (Luk. 4:25-26).
[413] Whereas a childless widow was provided for through the law of Levirate marriage, the widow-mother was dependent on charity alone for her wherewithal.
Always obedient to the voice of God, Elijah hastened to Zarephath. It is likely that he kept to the east of Jordan as far as Dan where he crossed the river and took the road directly to Sidon and then southward a few miles to his destination. Upon approaching the gates of the city, Elijah providentially encountered the very woman for whom he was looking, though of course he did not at first realize it. He may have recognized her as a widow by her garments (cf. Gen. 38:14; Gen. 38:19). The woman was gathering sticksa sign of her povertywhen the weary prophet approached her and requested that she secure for him a cup of water (1Ki. 17:10). Because Phoenicia is watered by the fresh streams from the Lebanon mountains, the drought does not seem to have affected that area so much as Israel. It is considered a duty almost sacred in that region of the world to supply water to the thirsty. And so the woman scurried off in the direction of the well or water pot.
As the woman was going to fetch the water the prophet also mentioned that he would like some food, a morsel of bread (1Ki. 17:11). This request would soon reveal to him whether or not this was the woman whom God had ordained to sustain him. In responding to the prophets request, the woman took an oath in the name of Yahweh. Some commentators view this as an indication that the woman was a worshiper of Yahwehperhaps an Israelite who had married a Phoenician. It should be noted, however, that she used the words, the Lord (Yahweh) your god. Obviously she recognized Elijah either by his facial features or by his special prophetic garb (cf. 2Ki. 1:8) as being a Yahweh worshiper. But had she herself been an Israelite or a proselyte, she would probably have said the Lord my God. Polytheists could swear in the name of any God since they in effect recognized the existence of all gods. Therefore, there is nothing in the language of this woman to indicate that she was anything other than a typical polytheist. Furthermore, it was customary courtesy in the pagan world to recognize the deity of another people in addressing oneself to a member of that people.[414]
[414] Honor, JCBR, p. 25152.
The widow explained her desperate situation to the prophet. She did not have in her possession so much as one small cake of bread. All she had was a handful of meal in a jar and a little oil. At the very moment Elijah approached her, she was gathering a few sticks to make a fire, prepare that bread, that she and her son might eat their last meal (1Ki. 17:12). Since the Phoenicians were in large measure dependent upon Israel for foodstuffs, the drought in Israel would have created great scarcity of grain in Phoenicia. The poor would have been the hardest hit, and this widow was evidently reduced to the greatest extremities.
It is not clear at what point in the conversation Elijah became aware that the woman with whom he was speaking was in fact the widow to whom God had sent him. Some commentators think his words in 1Ki. 17:13-14 indicate that he had already identified her; others, that these verses represent a further test of the woman. In either case the faith of the woman was put to the test. Do not be afraid, the prophet told her. Take the oil and make the cake. The oil was to take the place of butter, and sometimes the cakes were baked in oil. Feed me first, the prophet instructed; then you and your son may eat. Why would a heathen woman acquiesce in such a demand? Would she not in her desperate circumstances view such a request as unreasonable and selfish? Then to his forthright demand the prophet added a precious promise. If the woman would put Gods servant first, her jar of meal and flask of oil would be miraculously preserved until the rains returned to the land (1Ki. 17:14).
Perhaps it was the authoritative manner of the man, or his prophetic garb, or the fact that he had spoken an oracle in the name of the Lord which caused this heathen woman to believe and obey. Her faith was rewarded. For many days she, her son, her prophetic friend and her houseprobably friends or poor relativesate of that meal and oil (1Ki. 17:15). All attempts of rationalists to rule out the miraculous in this passage fail.[415] This passage certainly suggests that God was doing more for that widow than merely sustaining her providentially by natural means. The natural and obvious interpretation of 1Ki. 17:16 is that there was a supernatural and inexplicable multiplication of the womans food supplies. This widow received a prophet in the name of a prophet, and she received a prophets reward (cf. Mat. 10:41).
[415] As, for example, Gray (OTL, p. 381) who sees the factual basis of the story being that the generosity of the widow touched the conscience of her better-provided neighbors.
3. THE RESURRECTION OF THE WIDOWS SON (1Ki. 17:17-24)
TRANSLATION
(17) 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 very serious, because there did not remain any breath in him. (18) And she said unto Elijah, What is between me and you, O man of God, that you have come unto me to bring my iniquity to remembrance, and to slay my son? (19) And Elijah said unto her, Give me your son! And he took him from her breast and brought him up to the upstairs where he dwelt, and laid him upon his bed. (20) And he called unto the LORD and said, O LORD my God, Have You also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn to slay her son? (21) And he stretched out upon the lad three tunes, and he called unto the LORD and said, O LORD, my God, let the soul of this lad return into him I pray You. (22) And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Elijah, and the soul of the lad returned into him and he lived. (23) And Elijah took the lad and brought him down from the upstairs to the house and he gave him to his mother; and Elijah said, See your son lives. (24) And the woman said unto Elijah, Now I know beyond all doubt that you are a man of God, and the word of the LORD in your mouth is true.
COMMENTS
While the prophet was in residence at the widows home, her son fell desperately ill. The phrase there did not remain any breath in him (1Ki. 17:17) has been taken by some commentators to mean that the boy had died of his affliction.[416] Others feel that no more than a coma is intended by these words.[417] That the expression need not in itself mean the child was dead is proved by Dan. 10:17 where Daniel is said to have no breath in him while in fact he was very much alive. However, 1Ki. 17:18; 1Ki. 17:20-21 certainly point in the direction of actual death.
[416] Keil, BCOT, p. 239.
[417] Hammond, PC, p. 38687. Cf. Josephus Antiquities VIII, 13.3 he appeared to be dead.
The woman was quite upset over the loss of her child and immediately jumped to the conclusion that the prophets presence had drawn the wrath of God upon her house. What is between me and you (lit., what to me and you) is a formula occurring several times in the Old Testament.[418] The question may be paraphrased, What business does a saintly man like you have with a sinful woman like me? It seemed to this simple woman that before Elijah had taken up residence in her home that her own shortcomings had passed unobserved; but in the presence of this saint, attention had been focused, by contrast, on her failings. To this woman the death of the child was evidence of divine displeasureretribution for sins which would never have been noticed had Elijah left her alone (1Ki. 17:18). What have I done? i.e., Is this the result of my association with you? She felt that the man of God by residing with her had become aware of the sin in her life and had called her sin to the remembrance of the Lord. The death of her son she regarded as a judgment upon her sin (1Ki. 17:18).
[418] Jdg. 11:12; 2Sa. 16:10; 2Ki. 3:13.
With calm confidence Elijah asked the desperate woman to give him the limp corpse of her son. He took the child from the bosom of his mother and carried him up into the upper chamber[419] where he dwelt and laid the lad on his own bed (1Ki. 17:19). In mighty intercessory prayer the prophet cried out to God. He began his petition with a rhetorical question: Had God brought misery upon this woman because of the prophet just as He had previously brought misery upon Israel?[420] (1Ki. 17:20). Then in an action prayer the prophet stretched himself upon the child in order to warm the body of the lad in expectation of the return of life into that corpse.[421] Three times the prophet repeated his action prayer, and each time he accompanied it with earnest entreaty that God would permit the childs soul or life to return to his body (1Ki. 17:21). The Lord heard that prayer of faith and the lad revived and lived (1Ki. 17:22).
[419] Probably a flimsy shelter on the flat roof where guests might be accommodated without infringing the privacy of the small, one-room, family dwelling.
[420] 1Ki. 17:20 may also be interpreted in the following way: Have You brought evil also on the widow who has shared her last with me as You have upon the evildoers?
[421] Gray (OTL p. 382) affirms this was contactual magic where the health of Elijah was magically conveyed to the corresponding organs of the child. Such concepts are, of course, completely foreign to the Old Testament faith. Furthermore, Gray can produce not one example in extra biblical literature where someone attempted to convey health to another through magic!
With great joy Elijah descended from that upper chamber with the child and tenderly handed him over to his anxious mother (1Ki. 17:23). Satisfying herself that the child was indeed alive, the joyous woman burst forth in grateful acknowledgement that Elijah was truly a man of God. Her words should not be taken to mean that she had previously doubted that Elijah was a man of God, but only that she regarded the mighty resurrection miracle as final proof of his authority. The miracle served as Elijahs credentials, and the pagan woman was now utterly convinced that the message he had been sharing with her was absolutely true (1Ki. 17:24). These words imply that the woman was genuinely converted to the true faith by the miracle performed in the upper room.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
YHWH Makes Provision For Elijah With A Widow Of Zarephath ( 1Ki 17:8-16 ).
The water in the Wadi Cherith having almost dried up, God now directed Elijah to go to Zarephath, where He would arrange for a widow woman to provide his need. Zarephath was on the Lebanese coast road between Tyre and Sidon, thirteen kilometres (nine miles) south of Sidon. It was mentioned in the 13th century BC papyrus Anastasi 1. It was also mentioned by Sennacherib and Esarhaddon.
To this Phoenician town Elijah made his way, and was provided for even more miraculously than at the Wadi Cherith. God was making clear to him that He could provide all that he needed under all circumstances. Although Baal could not produce grain and oil for his worshippers from the fields, the living God was able to supply both abundantly from a small jar.
This remarkable incident regularly causes much scepticism today among those who close their eyes and then say, ‘I cannot see’. But there are in fact well authenticated parallels of similar occurrences having happened in the present day, for those who have eyes to see.
Analysis.
a
b So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks, and he called to her, and said, “Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink” (1Ki 17:10).
c And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, “Bring me, I pray you, a morsel of bread in your hand” (1Ki 17:11).
d And she said, “As YHWH your God lives, I have not a cake of bread, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, and, see, 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” (1Ki 17:12).
c And Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said, but make me from it a little cake of bread first, and bring it forth to me, and afterwards make for yourself and for your son. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, The jar of meal will not waste, nor will the cruse of oil fail, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth” (1Ki 17:13-14).
b And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she, and he, and her house, did eat for many days (1Ki 17:15).
a The jar of meal wasted not, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of YHWH, which he spoke by Elijah (1Ki 17:16).
Note that in ‘a’ God sent Elijah to a widow who would provide for his needs, and in the parallel his needs were miraculously provided. In ‘b’ he called on the woman to give him a drink and in the parallel she did so. In ‘c’ he called on her for bread in time of great famine, and in the parallel she was assured that on doing what he had asked she would never go without bread. Centrally in ‘d’ the awful situation was pinpointed, that he had come to a family who were starving to death.
1Ki 17:8-9
‘ And the word of YHWH came to him, saying, “Arise, get you to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Look, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.” ’
Once more, by the Wadi Cherith, Elijah received ‘the word of YHWH’. He lived his life constantly listening for that word. And this time God told him to go to Zarephath, a town of Sidon, outside Ahab’s territory, where he would be provided for by a widow woman who had a son. There in Phoenicia was a true believer in YHWH who was obedient to his will, in total contrast to the proud king of Israel.
1Ki 17:10
‘ So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks, and he called to her, and said, “Fetch me, I pray you, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” ’
So Elijah, in obedience to YHWH’s word, went to Zarephath as YHWH had commanded him. It was a long and weary journey, with limited sustenance and very little water along the way, but he did not hesitate for a moment. God had spoken and he would do it. And when he approached the city gate he came across a woman who was gathering sticks. The woman was a widow. Calling to her, he asked, “Fetch me, please, some water in a cup, so that I might drink.’
In normal circumstances this would simply have been the request of a stranger needing help, which had to be fulfilled in accordance with the laws of hospitality. But all knew that these were not normal circumstances. It was a time when every bit of drinking water was precious, and she had to consider the needs of her own family. Water was running out, and no one was sure where the next cupful was coming from. But she recognised from his clothing that he was a prophet of YHWH, and so because of her love for God, she heeded his request. She may well have been an Israelite woman sojourning in Sidon.
1Ki 17:11
‘ And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, “Bring me, I pray you, a morsel of bread in your hand.” ’
Realising from her quick response that this must be the woman that YHWH had told him about, Elijah then called after her, “And also please bring me a piece of bread at the same time”. It was a bold request for he knew that bread was in short supply due to the famine. But Elijah recognised that if this was the woman chosen by YHWH as his helper he should find out straight away.
1Ki 17:12
‘ And she said, “As YHWH your God lives, I have not a cake of bread, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, and, see, 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 woman’s reply confirmed the heartbreaking situation. She had no bread, only a small handful of grain and a small vessel of oil that she had been eking out, as she hoped and prayed that the famine might end. For many weeks now they had lived on limited supplies, and had gone continually hungry. But now she had reached the end of her supplies and was gathering sticks in order to have one last meal before she and her beloved son simply waited until they died of hunger. This would, of course, have been a situation multiplied a thousand times across the land. The people were undoubtedly suffering severely, and as so often happens the believers were suffering along with those who deserved their suffering because of their sinfulness. We should note, however, that for the large majority their suffering had not brought them to repentance. Had they done so God would have heard them. But their hearts were still hardened. They would still take heed to the prophets of Baal.
Note her mention of ‘two sticks’. She meant, of course, ‘a few sticks’. But this was how number words were often used in those days, not to indicate a particular quantity, but in order to give the right impression. Most people did not think numerically.
1Ki 17:13
‘ And Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid, go and do as you have said, but make me from it a little cake of bread first, and bring it forth to me, and afterwards make for yourself and for your son. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, The jar of meal will not waste, nor will the cruse of oil fail, until the day that YHWH sends rain upon the earth.”
Elijah then assured her that she need not be afraid. If only she would make him some bread, then she could make some bread for herself and her son, and then in accordance with the word of YHWH, the God of Israel, the meal would never run short in the vessel, and the oil would never run short in the jar, until the day that YHWH once again sent rain on the earth.
Note the emphasis on the fact that YHWH was the God of Israel. She had to know that what was coming would not be from the gods of Tyre and Sidon, but would be from the living God.
1Ki 17:15
‘ And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah, and she, and he, and her house, did eat for many days.’
The woman obediently did what Elijah had asked, and the result was that she and her household fed well for many days. That was one household no longer worrying about the famine, because YHWH’s representative was there.
1Ki 17:16
‘ The jar of meal wasted not, nor did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of YHWH, which he spoke by Elijah.’
And as Elijah had promised, the vessel of meal and the jar of oil did not become empty all the while that the famine lasted. For God has promised His own that, ‘My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus’ (Php 4:19).
Corrie Ten Boom, a Dutch Christian who hid Jews during the second world war, tells of how she and her sister were hauled off to Ravensbruck Concentration Camp when their activities were discovered. They had no idea of the horrors that lay ahead, (nor how long they would last), but because her sister was infirm she managed to secrete into that camp of horror a small bottle of liquid containing vital vitamins. From this bottle she daily gave her sister a small amount, hoping to eke it out as long as possible so that it might help her to survive. But one day another sickly inmate spotted what she was doing and asked what was in the bottle. On learning that it was vitamin supplement she asked if she might have some. Corrie hesitated. There was so little and her sister was dependent on it. But then recognising as a Christian that she could not turn from someone in need she gave her a small amount from the bottle. Soon the news inevitably spread among desperate women and it was not long before every day there were a queue of women wanting vitamins. Corrie said that as she dispensed it she never dared to look into the bottle. It should have run out long before. But day by day and week by week the women came, and the bottle never ran out. And this went on until by chance another continuing source of vitamins became available. And then the bottle ran out. Furthermore this was not something done in private. It was witnessed by a good number of people.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Elijah in Zarephath
v. 8. And the word of the Lord came unto him, v. 9. Arise, get thee to Zarephath, v. 10. So he, v. 11. And as she, v. 12. And she said, As the Lord, thy God, liveth, v. 13. 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. v. 14. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, v. 15. And she, v. 16. 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,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
(8) And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, (9) Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
Observe, though all means of sustenance were over, at the brook Cherith; yet Elijah doth not move his quarters, until directed of God. It is sweet in all our movements, to wait the pillar of Cloud directing the way. There is a great beauty, as well as mercy, in this movement of the prophet to Zidon. This was among the Gentiles. Jezebel, Ahab’s wife, the great advocate for idolatry, came from Zidon. Hath the Lord mercy for the inhabitants of this place! Yes! There is one of Jesus’ seed there. His eye hath been upon her from everlasting. Thither Elijah must therefore go. It is worthy the Reader’s remark, that it was the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, the Son of God particularly visited, and from whence he gathered that pearl of his Redemption crown so gloriously shining in the gospel. See Mat 15:21-28 . And it should seem, from what is said in this passage concerning Elijah, that the Lord had commanded this widow woman to sustain his servant, that she knew the Lord! Oh! precious distinguishing grace!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
Ver. 8. And the word of the Lord. ] See 1Ki 17:2 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
the Jar of Meal That Wasted not
1Ki 17:8-16
Even at Cherith we cannot be exempt from trial, and it is hard to sit beside a gradually dwindling brook. But God always provides. None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate. Whether the visible agents are ravens, or a poor heathen widow ready to perish, it matters little. Gods majestic I have commanded is enough. Whether it is ordinary or extraordinary, natural or supernatural, through Jew or Gentile, Gods purpose does not tarry.
Gentile help supplied what Israel might not give, Luk 4:25-26. God uses the weak and foolish things as well as those which are not, 1Co 1:28. Yet there were noble qualities in this woman. She did not complain, but went at once for the water; she was generous and hospitable, and believed that God would supply their need. How little did she realize the greatness of her reward, Mat 10:41-42! But her faith was great. She stood the test of making Elijahs cake first, believing that afterward there would be enough for herself and her son. Though she little understood it, she had within her a spark of the same fire that burned in the soul of the great prophet; and therefore, when we all stand in our lot at the end of the days, Dan 12:13, her portion will be with the great prophets and heroes of faith.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
the word: 1Ki 17:2, Gen 22:14, Isa 41:17, Heb 13:6
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
17:8 And the {d} word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
(d) As the troubles of the saints of God are many, so his mercy is always at hand to deliver them.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
God’s revelation of His power 17:8-24
God had a very unusual ministry for Elijah to perform in which he would stand alone against hundreds of opponents (1Ki 18:16-40). This section reveals how the Lord prepared him for it.
The site of Zarephath was between Tyre and Sidon in Phoenicia, the stronghold of the cult that Ahab had imported into Israel (cf. 1Ki 16:31). Widows were poor in the ancient Near East and would have been the first to run out of food in a drought. [Note: See Richard D. Patterson, "The Widow, the Orphan, and the Poor in the Old Testament and the Extra-Biblical Literature," Bibliotheca Sacra 130:519 (July-September 1973):223-34.] Elijah’s request for water and then bread (1Ki 17:10-11) evidently identified the widow God had in mind (cf. Gen 24:10-21). Her response revealed a Gentile believer in Yahweh (1Ki 17:12; cf. 1Ki 17:1; Luk 4:26). Elijah asked the widow to put God’s interests-represented by himself, a prophet of Yahweh-before her own as the condition for her blessing (1Ki 17:13; cf. Mat 6:33; Mar 12:41-44). She responded obediently to the word Elijah gave her from God, showing she really believed that Yahweh, not Baal, was the God who could provide food and fertility (1Ki 17:14). God honored her faith; He provided her need for food (1Ki 17:15-16).
"In the absence of Baal who lies impotent in the Netherworld, Yahweh steps in to assist the widow and the orphan, and this is even done in the heartland of Baal, Phoenicia." [Note: F. C. Fensham, "A Few Observations on the Polarisation between Yahweh and Baal in 1 Kings 17-19," Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 92:2 (1980):234.]
This situation undoubtedly strengthened Elijah’s faith in God’s power and faithfulness, as well as the faith of the woman.
"The fact that Elijah had to sustain the widow and boy points not only to YHWH as provider for the needy but also as one who ’trained’ his prophet, as it were, to be obedient to him. Flour and oil signify life; they are the two common staples in any ancient, as well as modern, Near Eastern household." [Note: James R. Battenfield, "YHWH’s Refutation of the Baal Myth through the Actions of Elijah and Elisha," in Israel’s Apostasy and Restoration: Essays in Honor of Roland K. Harrison, p. 22.]
The sickness of the widow’s son corresponded to Israel’s spiritual condition at this time (1Ki 17:17). The widow incorrectly blamed herself for her son’s predicament (1Ki 17:18; cf. Joh 9:2-3). Elijah realized that only God could bring the boy back to life, so he called on God in prayer to do so (1Ki 17:20-21). Often in cases of miraculous restoration, God’s servant placed his hand on the afflicted one. He did so to indicate that the power of God in him was passing to the needy individual (cf. Mat 8:3). In this instance Elijah placed his whole body against the boy’s body for the same reason (1Ki 17:21; cf. 2Ki 4:34; Act 9:31-43; Act 20:10). This is the first restoration to life of a dead person that Scripture records. Elijah prayed shamelessly, one of the fundamental requisites for obtaining one’s petitions in difficult cases (1Ki 17:21; cf. Mat 7:7-8; Luk 11:5-13). God restored the lad’s life (1Ki 17:22). In the process Elijah learned the power of God and the power of prayer. He applied both of these lessons in his contest with the Baal prophets (1Ki 18:16-46). His confidence in his own ability as a channel of God’s blessing and word received added strength from the widow’s confession (1Ki 17:24).
"The best proof of the effectiveness of Elijah’s preparation is that he was verified as an authentic man of God and the bearer of God’s word by a daughter of the very people he opposed (1Ki 17:24)." [Note: Rice, p. 145.]
If God could raise a dead Gentile boy back to life in response to believing prayer, He could also revive the chosen people of Israel who had become spiritually dead.
". . . the emphasis in this text [1Ki 17:17-24] is not so much on Elijah as on the word of the Lord which is in Elijah’s mouth." [Note: Marion Soards Jr., "Elijah and the Lord’s Word: A Study of 1 Kings 17:17-24," Studia Biblica et Theologica 13:1 (April 1983):39-40.]
1Ki 17:17-24 display a chiastic structure that highlights Elijah’s control of the situation and his intimate relationship with Yahweh that resulted in the miraculous resuscitation of the boy.
"A ’What have you against me, O man of God?’
B ’Give me your son!’
C And he took him and brought him up
D And he cried to the Lord and said, ’O Lord my God.’
E And he stretched upon the boy
D’ And he called to the Lord and said, ’O Lord my God.’
E’ And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah
C’ And Elijah took the child and brought him down
B’ ’See your son lives!’
A’ ’Now I know that you are a man of God.’" [Note: Cohn, "The Literary . . .," p. 336.]
"The whole point of the story, however, seems to be paramountly a demonstration that YHWH, not Baal, has the power of life over death." [Note: Battenfield, p. 23.]