What is the meaning of 1 Kings 17:24?

Then the woman said to Elijah

The widow of Zarephath has just witnessed her son’s resurrection (1 Kings 17:22-23).

• Her earlier panic—“Have you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?” (17:18)—gives way to reverent attention.

• Moments of crisis often move people from complaint to confession (see Psalm 142:1-2).

• God chose a Gentile widow, not an Israelite, to experience this miracle, echoing Jesus’ reminder in Luke 4:25-26 that Elijah was sent “to a widow in Zarephath.”

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Now I know

Knowledge here is experiential, not theoretical.

• Job reached a similar turning point: “My ears had heard of You, but now my eyes have seen You” (Job 42:5).

• Thomas moved from doubt to declaration when he touched the risen Christ: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28).

• Tasting leads to trusting: “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).

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that you are a man of God

She recognizes Elijah as a true prophet.

• The Shunammite woman voiced the same conviction about Elisha: “I know that this is a holy man of God” (2 Kings 4:9).

• God had promised to raise up prophets who would speak His words faithfully (Deuteronomy 18:18).

• Believers today are likewise called to live so unmistakably for Christ that others see us as “man of God” or “woman of God” (1 Timothy 6:11).

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and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.

The miracle validates the message.

• Psalm 119:160 affirms, “The entirety of Your word is truth.”

• Jesus echoed the same standard: “Your word is truth” (John 17:17).

• Scripture is not merely accurate; it is living and active, cutting to the heart (Hebrews 4:12).

• Because “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), every promise and warning carries divine authority.

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summary

The widow’s journey moves from questioning God’s prophet to confident confession. Elijah’s life-giving act demonstrates that:

1. God compassionately meets human need.

2. Authentic servants of God point people beyond themselves to the Lord.

3. Miraculous works endorse the absolute reliability of God’s word.

Her testimony still calls us to trust every line of Scripture and to live so convincingly that others see, hear, and believe the truth of the Lord we serve.