1 Kings 17:20 kjv
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?
1 Kings 17:20 nkjv
Then he cried out to the LORD and said, "O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge, by killing her son?"
1 Kings 17:20 niv
Then he cried out to the LORD, "LORD my God, have you brought tragedy even on this widow I am staying with, by causing her son to die?"
1 Kings 17:20 esv
And he cried to the LORD, "O LORD my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?"
1 Kings 17:20 nlt
Then Elijah cried out to the LORD, "O LORD my God, why have you brought tragedy to this widow who has opened her home to me, causing her son to die?"
1 Kings 17 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 32:39 | See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive... | God's sovereignty over life and death. |
| 1 Sam 2:6 | The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. | God's absolute power over mortality. |
| Job 10:8-9 | Your hands have made and fashioned me… yet you destroy me. | A similar human questioning of God's acts. |
| Ps 18:6 | In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I cried for help. | Crying out to God in distress. |
| Ps 30:3 | O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Sheol... | God as a rescuer from death. |
| Ps 68:5 | Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation. | God's special care for widows. |
| Ps 120:1 | In my distress I called to the Lord, and he answered me. | God answering distressful prayers. |
| Ps 146:9 | The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless... | God's protective nature over the vulnerable. |
| Isa 1:17 | Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause. | God's expectation to care for widows. |
| Jer 33:3 | Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things... | God encourages fervent prayer and promises response. |
| Lam 3:55-56 | I called on your name, O Lord, from the depths of the pit... You heard my plea. | Desperate cry heard by God. |
| Jonah 2:2 | “I called out to the Lord, out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried..." | A prophet's urgent prayer in dire straits. |
| Hab 1:2 | O Lord, how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear? | Prophet's questioning plea to God. |
| Hab 3:17-18 | Though the fig tree should not blossom... I will rejoice in the Lord. | Trusting God amid profound loss. |
| Jas 1:27 | Religion that is pure and undefiled before God... is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction... | Practical care for widows is essential. |
| Jas 5:17-18 | Elijah was a man with a nature like ours... he prayed fervently that it might not rain... and then again... and the sky gave rain... | Elijah's powerful and effective prayer. |
| Lk 7:11-17 | Jesus raises the son of the widow of Nain. | Jesus demonstrates power over death for a widow. |
| Jn 11:25-26 | Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live..." | Jesus' claim as the source of resurrection life. |
| Acts 9:36-42 | Peter raises Dorcas/Tabitha. | An apostle raises a believer from the dead. |
| Acts 20:9-12 | Paul raises Eutychus from the dead. | An apostle raising someone from the dead, similar context. |
| Heb 11:35 | Women received back their dead by resurrection... | Examples of resurrection by faith. |
| Rom 8:28 | And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good... | God's ultimate purpose despite suffering. |
| 2 Cor 1:9 | ...that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. | Relying on God's resurrection power. |
1 Kings 17 verses
1 Kings 17 20 Meaning
1 Kings 17:20 presents Elijah's fervent and desperate prayer to the Lord after the widow's son dies. It expresses his anguish and confusion, questioning God's actions in bringing such calamity upon an innocent widow who had offered hospitality, specifically through the death of her only son. It is a cry of distress and bewilderment, yet one addressed directly to the sovereign God.
1 Kings 17 20 Context
1 Kings 17 unfolds during a severe famine in Israel, proclaimed by Elijah as divine judgment for King Ahab and Queen Jezebel's promotion of Baal worship. Elijah, fed by ravens at the Wadi Cherith, is then directed by God to Zarephath, a Sidonian city, where a destitute widow is to sustain him. Despite her desperate circumstances (she has only a handful of flour and a little oil left to make a final meal for herself and her son before they die), she obeys Elijah's request, and in response, God supernaturally ensures her flour and oil jars never run dry. This miracle underscores God's power and provision even among gentiles.Suddenly, her son falls gravely ill and dies. The widow's initial reaction (v. 18) is one of blaming Elijah and by extension, God, assuming the death is a consequence of some sin God brought to light. Elijah, recognizing the profundity of her loss and his deep personal connection to this compassionate host, immediately takes the boy to his room and addresses God directly in the anguished prayer found in 1 Kings 17:20, expressing both sorrow and confusion. The death of the son challenged the miraculous provision and tested both Elijah's and the widow's faith. This event directly contests the dominion of Baal, a deity worshipped for fertility and rain, thus associated with life and crops.
1 Kings 17 20 Word analysis
- And he cried (וַיִּצְעַק - vayyitsʿaq): The Hebrew word suggests a loud, urgent, and desperate shout or cry, indicating intense anguish and earnest supplication. It's not a calm or reflective prayer but an outpouring of emotional distress, revealing Elijah's profound identification with the widow's suffering.
- unto the Lord (אֶל־יְהוָה - ʾel YHWH): This specifies the recipient of Elijah's cry as Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel, not any false deity like Baal. It signifies an appeal to divine authority and power, especially against the backdrop of pervasive Baal worship.
- and said, O Lord my God, (וַיֹּאמַר יְהוָה אֱלֹהָי - vayyoʾmer YHWH ʾElohay): "O Lord my God" is a deeply personal and relational address (YHWH ʾElohay). It speaks of Elijah's intimate relationship with the Almighty, even in a moment of questioning. It grounds his bewildered query in a relationship of covenant and trust.
- hast thou also brought evil (הַאַף אַתָּה הֲרֵעוֹתָה - haʾaf ʾattah hªrēʿōtah): This is a questioning of divine providence. "Evil" here (רַע - raʿ) refers to calamity, disaster, or misfortune, not moral wickedness. The particle "also" (אַף - ʾaf) implies that this new "evil" (the son's death) adds to the already existing calamity (the famine) and the distress brought upon Elijah's own dwelling. It's a bold yet respectful questioning, indicative of genuine bewilderment rather than accusation.
- upon the widow (עַל־הָאַלְמָנָה - ʿal-haʾalmānāh): Emphasizes her vulnerability and marginalization in society. Widows were a category of people under God's special protection and care (Deut 10:18). This heightens Elijah's perplexity over her suffering.
- with whom I sojourn (אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי מִתְגּוֹרֵר עִמָּהּ - ʾašer ʾanī mitgōrēr ʿimmāh): The verb "sojourn" (גּוּר - gūr) means to reside as a temporary guest or foreigner. This phrase highlights Elijah's direct involvement and dependency on the widow's hospitality, making her affliction deeply personal to him. His mission and safety depended on her, increasing his anguish at her suffering.
- by slaying her son? (לְהָמִית אֶת־בְּנָהּ - lºhāmit ʾet-bºnāh): A direct and stark attribution of the death to God. Elijah perceives God's hand in this event, challenging Him on why He would allow such an outcome for an innocent individual who provided refuge to His prophet. It reveals God's ultimate sovereignty even over death, a challenge to any pagan deity thought to control life.
1 Kings 17 20 Bonus section
- This prayer exemplifies a form of "lament prayer," common in the Psalms, where the supplicant expresses confusion or distress to God but remains firmly in faith and anticipates divine action.
- Elijah's decision to question God's perceived "evil" (calamity) in relation to the innocent widow sets up a direct theological confrontation with the false worship of Baal, who was impotent to give or restore life. Only Yahweh has power over death.
- The event and Elijah's prayer are a critical prelude to the great confrontation on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs 18), reinforcing Yahweh's unparalleled power as the one true God who gives and restores life.
1 Kings 17 20 Commentary
Elijah's prayer in 1 Kings 17:20 is a profoundly human and authentic expression of faith amidst bewildering sorrow. It's not an accusation against God's character but an agonized plea born of profound perplexity, identifying with the suffering of a kind host. The prophet acknowledges God's absolute sovereignty over life and death, boldly asking "why?" when a benevolent God appears to inflict pain upon the deserving. This raw vulnerability underscores that even mighty prophets grapple with God's ways and brings them to Him in earnest intercession. It sets the stage for God to demonstrate His power not just over nature (the drought, the endless food) but supremely over death, directly countering Baal's purported dominion over life and fertility. It ultimately highlights God's compassion and responsiveness to the heartfelt cries of His servants.