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?
Parallel translations
- WEB He cried to Yahweh, and said, “Yahweh my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?”
- BSB Then he cried 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?”
- 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?”
- NASB And he called to the Lord and said, “Lord, my God, have You also brought catastrophe upon the widow with whom I am staying, by causing her son to die?”
- 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?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Elijah cries out to God, honestly wrestling with why this calamity has befallen the widow who sheltered him.
Overview
Elijah brings his perplexity directly to the Lord, lamenting the death of the son of his gracious host. His prayer models honest, faith-filled wrestling that takes hard questions to God rather than away from Him. Such candid intercession shows that genuine faith can voice grief and confusion while still trusting God to act.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jas 5:15–18And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
- Matt 21:22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
- Josh 7:8–9O LORD, what shall I say, when Israel turneth their backs before their enemies!
- 1 Kgs 18:36–37And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.
- Exod 17:4And Moses cried unto the LORD, saying, What shall I do unto this people? they be almost ready to stone me.
- 2 Kgs 19:15And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD, and said, O LORD God of Israel, which dwellest between the cherubims, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; thou hast made heaven and earth.
- 1 Sam 7:8–9And the children of Israel said to Samuel, Cease not to cry unto the LORD our God for us, that he will save us out of the hand of the Philistines.
- Ps 99:6Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the LORD, and he answered them.
- Gen 18:23–25And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
- Ps 73:13–14Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency.
- Jer 12:1Righteous art thou, O LORD, when I plead with thee: yet let me talk with thee of thy judgments: Wherefore doth the way of the wicked prosper? wherefore are all they happy that deal very treacherously?
- 2 Kgs 19:4It may be the LORD thy God will hear all the words of Rabshakeh, whom the king of Assyria his master hath sent to reproach the living God; and will reprove the words which the LORD thy God hath heard: wherefore lift up thy prayer for the remnant that are left.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 17:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.