1 Kings 17:20

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 17:17-24

We have here a further recompence made to the widow for her kindness to the prophet; as if it were a small thing to be kept alive, her son, when dead, is restored to life, and so restored to her. Observe, I. The sickness and death of the child. For aught that appears he was her only son, the comfort of her widowed estate. He was fed miraculously, and yet that did not secure him from sickness and death. Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead, but there is bread of which a man may eat and not... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:20

And he cried unto the Lord ,.... Or prayed unto him, as the Targum, with great vehemence and importunity: and said, O Lord, my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow, with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son ? he pleads his interest in the Lord, and makes use of it as an argument with him to hear his prayer; he observes the character and condition of the woman, a widow, such as the Lord has a compassionate regard for; and he urges the kindness of her to him, with whom he had... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:7-24

Second Preparation of Elijah. Elijah passed through his second phase of preparation under the humble roof of the widow of Sarepta. He is in the right attitude for gaining a holy preparedness for his work, for he has placed himself absolutely and directly under the guidance of God. When the word of God comes to him, he is ready to arise and go whithersoever it bids. Thus was Christ "led of the Spirit" to commence His public ministry ( Matthew 4:1 ); and throughout His whole course He... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:17-24

Life from the Dead. The miracles wrought by Elijah or associated with his name were for the most part of the nacre of severe judgments, and present the person of the lowly prophet in a stern and terrible light before us. But the two miracles that mark the opening of his career were miracles of mercy, and show that there was another side to his character, one that was tenderly sympathetic and humane. Having at first brought hope and a new lease of life to the starving mother and her child,... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:17-24

Affliction and its Fruits. I. THE DISCIPLINE OF TRIAL . 1 . It is no proof of God's anger . Sorrow darkens the homes of God's beloved. This was a home of faith and ministering love. Affliction is no more proof of wrath than is the farmer's ploughing of his field. To him, with his eye upon the future harvest, it is only the needful preparation of the soil. And the great Husbandman, with His eye upon the eternal glory, must open up a bed within the soul's depths for the seed... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:19-24

The Sign of the Widow's Son. Here is a touching scene—a poor widow pressing to her bosom the corpse of her only child, while in the agony of her bereaved soul, addressing Elijah, she says, "What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come to call my sin to my remembrance, and to slay my son?" Now note the words of the text: "And he said unto her, Give me thy son , " etc. In this history we have— I. AN EXAMPLE OF THE POWER OF FAITH . Behold here— 1. ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 17:20

And he cried unto the Lord, and said, O Lord my God, hast Thou also [ i.e. in addition to the misery and suffering brought through me upon my country] brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying [Heb. to slay . Words. worth partly bases his conclusion that the child was dead on the inexact translation of the A.V.] her son? read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 17:19-20

1 Kings 17:19-20. Give me thy son Into my arms. He took him out of her bosom By which it appears he was but a little child. And carried him up into a loft A private place, where he might more freely and fully pour out his soul to God, and use such gestures and methods as his heart inclined him to use, without any offence or observation. And laid him upon his own bed So that it was the room where he lodged, though near the top of the house. And he cried unto the Lord And, in his... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 17:1-24

16:29-22:53 MINISTRY OF ELIJAHJezebel’s Baalism in Israel (16:29-17:24)In a new political alliance, Ahab, the new king of Israel, married Jezebel, daughter of the king-priest of Phoenicia. Ahab not only accepted his wife’s Baalism, but also gave it official status in Israel by building a Baal temple in the capital (29-33). The Baalism imported by Jezebel was of a kind far more evil and far more dangerous to Israel’s religion than the common Canaanite Baalism practised at the high places.... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - 1 Kings 17:8-24

God’s revelation of His power 17:8-24God had a very unusual ministry for Elijah to perform in which he would stand alone against hundreds of opponents (1 Kings 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. 1 Kings 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.... read more

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