And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth.
Parallel translations
- WEB The woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that Yahweh’s word in your mouth is truth.”
- BSB Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is truth.”
- NKJV Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is the truth.”
- NASB Then the woman said to Elijah, “Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the Lord in your mouth is truth.”
- NLT Then the woman told Elijah, “Now I know for sure that you are a man of God, and that the Lord truly speaks through you.”
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
The widow confesses that Elijah is truly a man of God and that God's word in his mouth is truth.
Overview
The miracle produces full faith in the widow, who now affirms both Elijah's prophetic authority and the truthfulness of God's word. Her confession is the climax of the chapter, showing that God's saving acts authenticate His messengers and His word. A Gentile woman's confession of faith points forward to the worldwide trust the gospel would call forth.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- John 16:30Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
- John 3:2The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
- John 2:11This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.
- John 4:42–48And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
- 1 Jn 2:21I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
- 1 Th 2:13For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
- John 11:42And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that thou hast sent me.
- John 11:15And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; nevertheless let us go unto him.
- Eccl 12:10The preacher sought to find out acceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth.
- John 15:24If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 17:24 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.