Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
Parallel translations
- WEB Elijah was sent to none of them, except to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
- KJV But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
- BSB Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.
- NKJV but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
- NASB and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
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
Yet Elijah was sent not to an Israelite but to a Gentile widow in Sidon. God's grace reached an outsider when Israel lacked faith.
Overview
Jesus notes that Elijah was sent to a foreign widow in Zarephath, not to needy Israelites. The example shows God sovereignly extending mercy beyond Israel's borders, often to those of humble faith. It foreshadows the gospel going to the Gentiles and rebukes Nazareth's unbelieving presumption.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- 1 Kgs 17:9–24“Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to sustain you.”
- Matt 11:21“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
- Obad 1:20The captives of this army of the children of Israel, who are among the Canaanites, will possess even to Zarephath; and the captives of Jerusalem, who are in Sepharad, will possess the cities of the Negev.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 4:26 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.