Dead (People): The Son of the Widow of Zarephath
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The account of the son of the widow of Zarephath is a significant narrative found in the Old Testament, specifically in 1 Kings 17:8-24. This story is a profound demonstration of God's power over life and death and serves as a testament to the faithfulness of His prophet, Elijah.

Context and Background

The story unfolds during a period of severe drought and famine in the land of Israel, a divine judgment pronounced by the prophet Elijah due to the nation's idolatry under King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. God instructs Elijah to leave the brook Cherith, where he had been miraculously sustained, and go to Zarephath, a town in the region of Sidon. There, God promises that a widow will provide for him.

The Widow's Plight

Upon his arrival, Elijah encounters the widow gathering sticks. He requests water and a piece of bread. The widow, in her dire poverty, reveals that she has only a handful of flour and a little oil, enough for one last meal for herself and her son before they succumb to starvation. Elijah reassures her with a promise from the Lord: "Do not be afraid. Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain on the face of the earth’” (1 Kings 17:13-14).

The Miracle of Provision

In faith, the widow obeys Elijah's instruction. True to the word of the Lord, the flour and oil do not run out, sustaining Elijah, the widow, and her son throughout the famine. This miracle underscores God's provision and faithfulness to those who trust in Him.

The Son's Death and Resurrection

Tragedy strikes when the widow's son falls ill and dies. In her grief, the widow confronts Elijah, questioning if his presence has brought her sin to remembrance and caused her son's death. Elijah responds with compassion and urgency. He takes the boy to the upper room where he is staying, lays him on his own bed, and cries out to the Lord: “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me by causing her son to die?” (1 Kings 17:20).

Elijah stretches himself over the child three times and prays, “O LORD my God, please let this boy’s life return to him!” (1 Kings 17:21). The Lord hears Elijah's plea, and the boy's life returns to him. Elijah presents the revived child to his mother, affirming the power of God and the truth of His word through His prophet.

Significance and Theological Insights

The resurrection of the widow's son is the first recorded instance of a resurrection in the Bible, prefiguring the ultimate resurrection through Jesus Christ. It highlights several key theological themes:

1. God's Sovereignty and Compassion: The narrative illustrates God's control over life and death and His compassion for the marginalized, as seen in His care for a foreign widow and her son.

2. Faith and Obedience: The widow's obedience to Elijah's instructions, despite her desperate circumstances, exemplifies faith in God's promises.

3. Prophetic Authority: Elijah's role as a prophet is affirmed through the miraculous provision and the raising of the widow's son, demonstrating that he speaks and acts with divine authority.

4. Foreshadowing of Christ: The story anticipates the miracles of Jesus, who also raised the dead and provided for the needy, revealing God's redemptive plan through His Son.

In conclusion, the account of the son of the widow of Zarephath serves as a powerful reminder of God's provision, the efficacy of prayer, and the hope of resurrection, themes that resonate throughout the biblical narrative.
Nave's Topical Index
1 Kings 17:17-23
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.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

A Cloud of Witnesses.
... world and the resurrection, not of, but from, the dead, which is ... was in the prophets,
saw fit to encourage the people of God ... God has spoken unto us in His Son. ...
/.../the expositors bible the epistle to the hebrews/chapter xiii a cloud of.htm

Letter Liv. To Furia.
... dead in sin; yes, and in another sense dead to Christ ... Similarly the good deeds of
some people are public property ... of preserving her own life and that of her son. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter liv to furia.htm

How Ahab when He had Taken Jezebel to Wife Became More Wicked than ...
... it was after the recovery of the widow's son of Sarepta ... be very desirous to live,
when they were dead; and he ... foreign gods, and had persuaded the people that he ...
/.../josephus/the antiquities of the jews/chapter 13 how ahab when.htm

Letter cxxv. To Rusticus.
... Jerome indulges his spleen against his dead opponent Rufinus ... loveth, he chasteneth,
and scourgeth every son whom he ... Lord speaks thus: "O my people, they who ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cxxv to rusticus.htm

The New Covenant.
... put his mouth upon the mouth of the dead son of the ... To touch a dead child defiles,
but the touch of the ... for himself as well as for the errors of the people. ...
/.../chapter viii the new covenant.htm

Christ Teaching Liberality
... the will or command of God for all his people. ... prepares some bread for herself and
her son, and they ... thou might'st ransomed be, And quickened from the dead.". ...
/.../newton/the life of jesus christ for the young/christ teaching liberality.htm

Letter cviii. To Eustochium.
... the wine press alone; and of the people there was ... is, the guardian, who placed the
half-dead man upon ... was pointed out to her, where the widow's son was raised. ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter cviii to eustochium.htm

Letter xxii. To Eustochium.
... and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man ... Is a brother dead? ... to wine
and wantonness, they instill all manner of mischief into people's minds, and ...
/.../jerome/the principal works of st jerome/letter xxii to eustochium.htm

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
... And he said, How went the matter, my son? ... hath been also a great slaughter among
the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phineas, are dead, and the ...
/.../chapter iiithe hebrews and the.htm

The Holy City; Or, the New Jerusalem:
... the virgins ravished, and the children laid dead in the ... the word of their
captain-general, the Son of God ... and not light, that keepeth God's people from knowing ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/the holy city or the.htm

Resources
What is the Egyptian Book of the Dead? | GotQuestions.org

Is raising the dead still possible today? | GotQuestions.org

Is God dead? | GotQuestions.org

Dead: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Subtopics

Dead

Dead (People): Anointing

Dead (People): Burnings of Incense Made For

Dead (People): Dorcas

Dead (People): Eutychus

Dead (People): Jairus' Daughter

Dead (People): Lazarus

Dead (People): Prepared for Burial by Washing

Dead (People): Raised to Life, (See

Dead (People): The Shunammite Woman's Son

Dead (People): The Son of the Widow of Zarephath

Dead (People): The Widow's Son

Dead (People): The Young Man Laid in Elisha's Grave

Dead (People): Unclassified Scriptures Relating To

Dead (People): Wrapping in Linen

Dead Beat Dads

Dead Body

Dead Sea

Dead Sea: Called Salt Sea

Dead Sea: East Sea

Dead Sea: Former Sea

Dead Sea: Prophecy Concerning

Dead Sea: Sea of the Plain

The Dead in a House Rendered It Unclean

The Dead were Washed and Laid Out

The Dead were Wrapped in Lined With Spices

The Dead: A Priest not to Mourn For, Except when Near of Kin

The Dead: A State of Deep Affliction

The Dead: All offerings To, Forbidden

The Dead: Characterised by Absence of all Human Passions

The Dead: Characterised by Being Incapable of Motion

The Dead: Characterised by Being Without the Spirit

The Dead: Characterised by Ignorance of all Human Affairs

The Dead: Characterised by Inability to Glorify God

The Dead: Diviners

The Dead: Even Bones of, Caused Uncleanness

The Dead: Eyes of, Closed by Nearest of Kin

The Dead: Faith Without Works

The Dead: Freedom from the Law

The Dead: Freedom from the Power of Sin

The Dead: Heathenish Expressions of Grief For, Forbidden

The Dead: High Priest in No Case to Mourn For

The Dead: Idolaters: Consecrated Part of Their Crops To

The Dead: Idolaters: Invoked and Consulted

The Dead: Idolaters: Offered Sacrifices For

The Dead: Idolaters: Tore Themselves For

The Dead: Impotence

The Dead: Instances of, Restored by Christ

The Dead: Instances of, Restored to Life Before Christ

The Dead: Man's State by Nature

The Dead: Mourning For, often by Hired Mourners

The Dead: Mourning For, often with Plaintive Music

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Lasted Many Days

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Loud and Clamorous

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Testified by Change of Apparel

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Testified by Covering the Head

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Testified by Taring the Hair

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Testified by Tearing the Garments

The Dead: Mourning For, often: Very Great

The Dead: Nazarites not to Touch or Mourn For

The Dead: Regard often Shown to the Memory of

The Dead: Return not to This Life

The Dead: Terms Used to Express: Carcases

The Dead: Terms Used to Express: Corpses

The Dead: Terms Used to Express: Deceased

The Dead: Terms Used to Express: Those Who are Not

The Dead: The Jews Looked for a Resurrection From

The Dead: They Who Have Departed This Life

The Dead: Those Defiled By, Removed from the Camp

The Dead: Too Soon Forgotten

The Dead: Touching of, Caused Uncleanness

The Dead: Uncleanness Contracted From, Removed by the Water Separation

Related Terms

Corpses (16 Occurrences)

Half-dead (1 Occurrence)

Siddim (3 Occurrences)

Shades (29 Occurrences)

Zoar (12 Occurrences)

Cities (427 Occurrences)

Corpse (18 Occurrences)

Ciccar

Carcase (38 Occurrences)

Carcass (30 Occurrences)

Carcasses (30 Occurrences)

Sodom (49 Occurrences)

Apostles'

Vale (20 Occurrences)

Alive (166 Occurrences)

Quit (12 Occurrences)

Arabah (32 Occurrences)

Charm (5 Occurrences)

Sleep (136 Occurrences)

Quick (49 Occurrences)

Considered (80 Occurrences)

Cremation

Champaign (1 Occurrence)

Cuttings (5 Occurrences)

Apocyphra

Announce (56 Occurrences)

Apples (11 Occurrences)

Abaddon (7 Occurrences)

Salt (45 Occurrences)

Asleep (50 Occurrences)

Allow (86 Occurrences)

Sela (5 Occurrences)

Stoned (38 Occurrences)

Aren't (102 Occurrences)

Sepulcher (48 Occurrences)

Sleeping (69 Occurrences)

Sepulchre (57 Occurrences)

Hell (53 Occurrences)

Already (171 Occurrences)

Amnon (23 Occurrences)

Yielded (28 Occurrences)

Quicken (16 Occurrences)

Quickened (9 Occurrences)

Contact (4 Occurrences)

Clearly (67 Occurrences)

Cuts (20 Occurrences)

Abyss (11 Occurrences)

Another's (28 Occurrences)

Arnon (23 Occurrences)

Stench (12 Occurrences)

Sepulchers (15 Occurrences)

Shaking (162 Occurrences)

Sleepeth (13 Occurrences)

Slime (6 Occurrences)

Sepulchres (17 Occurrences)

Surprised (46 Occurrences)

Sore (156 Occurrences)

State (51 Occurrences)

Violently (92 Occurrences)

Suffer (195 Occurrences)

Charged (109 Occurrences)

Ceremonially (38 Occurrences)

Cleansing (37 Occurrences)

Sheol (64 Occurrences)

Canaan (102 Occurrences)

Changed (177 Occurrences)

Vine-garden (43 Occurrences)

Quietly (30 Occurrences)

Celebrate (66 Occurrences)

Speaketh (367 Occurrences)

Slept (74 Occurrences)

Cleansed (76 Occurrences)

Conduct (93 Occurrences)

Stead (117 Occurrences)

Spake (704 Occurrences)

Awake (83 Occurrences)

Sell (58 Occurrences)

Speaking (376 Occurrences)

Dead (People): The Shunammite Woman's Son
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