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Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived.
1 Kings 17:22 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And the LORD heard 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 11:11After the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered into them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear fell on those who saw them.
  • Deut 32:39“See now that I myself am he. There is no god with me. I kill and I make alive. I wound and I heal. There is no one who can deliver out of my hand.
  • Rom 14:9For to this end Christ died, rose, and lived again, that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
  • Heb 11:35Women received their dead by resurrection. Others were tortured, not accepting their deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection.
  • John 5:28–29Don’t marvel at this, for the hour comes, in which all that are in the tombs will hear his voice,
  • 1 Sam 2:6“Yahweh kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.
  • 2 Kgs 13:21As they were burying a man, behold, they saw a band of raiders; and they threw the man into Elisha’s tomb. As soon as the man touched Elisha’s bones, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
  • John 11:43When he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”
  • Luke 8:54But he put them all outside, and taking her by the hand, he called, saying, “Child, arise!”
  • Acts 20:12They brought the boy in alive, and were greatly 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.