Limitless Word
And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1 Kings 17:22 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
  • BSB And the LORD listened to the voice of Elijah, and the child’s life returned to him, and he lived.
  • NKJV Then the Lord heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came back to him, and he revived.
  • NASB And the Lord listened to the voice of Elijah, and the life of the boy returned to him and he revived.
  • NLT The Lord heard Elijah’s prayer, and the life of the child returned, and he revived!

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

God answers Elijah's prayer, and the child's life returns; he revives.

Overview

The Lord hears and grants the resurrection, restoring the boy's life in direct response to Elijah's prayer. This first recorded raising of the dead in Scripture demonstrates that Yahweh, not Baal, is sovereign over life and death. It stands as an early sign pointing to the resurrection hope ultimately secured in Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Rev 11:11And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
  • Deut 32:39See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
  • Rom 14:9For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.
  • Heb 11:35Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
  • John 5:28–29Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
  • 1 Sam 2:6The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.
  • 2 Kgs 13:21And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
  • John 11:43And when he thus had spoken, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come forth.
  • Luke 8:54And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise.
  • Acts 20:12And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (7)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 17:22YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 17:22 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.