1 Kings 17:15
in 1 Kings 17So she went and did according to the word of Elijah, and there was food every day for Elijah and the woman and her household.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
KJV
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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This verse in 1 Kings 17
Commentary
6 notes on this verseAnd she went, and did according to the saying of Elijah,..... Made a cake for him first, and brought it to him, which showed great faith in the word of the Lord by him: and she, and he, and her house, did eat; many days, a year at least, if not two years, see 1Ki 17:7 the widow, the prophet, and her family, lived upon the meal and oil so long; we read but of one son, but she might have more.
This site's exposition
did eat many days
on 1 Kings 17:15-16
The widow obeys, and she, he, and her house eat many days on a supply that never runs out. Henry calls the widow's own faith as great a miracle in the kingdom of grace as the oil's increase was in the kingdom of providence, since believing the promise came before seeing it kept. Gill compares the standing increase to the loaves and fishes multiplied in the disciples' own hands while they were still distributing them, a later miracle worked on the same pattern.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"She went and did as Elijah said." Consider the faith of the widow, her obedience and charity, and then meditate on the greatness of the reward that he granted her. Indeed it is written, "The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
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.
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. The Widow's Child Raised to Life. 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 so sore, that there was no breath left in him.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-run:35w-of-73
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was severely tested by learning from her that her supplies were exhausted and that she was preparing her last meal for herself and son.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ | vatelekh | and she went | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה | vataaseh | and she did | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כִּדְבַ֣ר | kidvar | according to [the] word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ | ʾeliyahu | Elijah | H452 → | 71 times |
| וַתֹּ֧אכַל | vatokhal | and she ate | H398 → | 810 times |
| הִֽיא־ | hi'- | she | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וָה֛וּא | vahu' | and he | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| וּבֵיתָ֖הּ | uveitah | and household her | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| יָמִֽים׃ | yamim | days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
וַתֵּ֥לֶךְand she went
vatelekhH1980 →1546 times
וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֖הand she did
vataasehH6213 →2628 times
כִּדְבַ֣רaccording to [the] word of
kidvarH1697 →1440 times
אֵלִיָּ֑הוּElijah
ʾeliyahuH452 →71 times
וַתֹּ֧אכַלand she ate
vatokhalH398 →810 times
הִֽיא־she
hi'-H1931 →1879 times
וָה֛וּאand he
vahu'H1931 →1879 times
וּבֵיתָ֖הּand household her
uveitahH1004 →2046 times
יָמִֽים׃days
yamimH3117 →2304 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 15:28“O woman,” Jesus answered, “your faith is great! Let it be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.
it leads to
- Mark 9:23–24
“If You can?” echoed Jesus. “All things are possible to him who believes!”
- Matthew 8:13
Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! As you have believed, so will it be done for you.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.
- Mark 9:23–24
Through
Genesis 6:22So Noah did everything precisely as God had commanded him.
it leads to
- Exodus 40:16
Moses did everything just as the LORD had commanded him.
- John 15:14
You are My friends if you do what I command you.
- John 2:5
His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
- Matthew 7:24–27
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.
- Genesis 7:5
And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
- Exodus 40:16
Through
Hebrews 11:17By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac on the altar. He who had received the promises was ready to offer his one and only son,
it leads to
- Genesis 22:16
saying, “By Myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your only son,
- Genesis 22:16
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 17:2; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.