EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Kings 17:12
12She replied, ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives, I do not have any bread. I have only a small amount of flour in a bowl and some olive oil in a small jar. I am now picking up a few sticks to take home. Then I will cook a meal for myself and for my son. We will eat it. Then we will die because there is nothing else to eat.’
1 Kings 17:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And she said, As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
- New International Version (NIV)“As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I do not have bread, only a handful of flour in a bin, and a little oil in a jar; and see, I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
Context of 1 Kings 17:12
10So Elijah went to Zarephath. When he arrived at the town gate, he met a widow. She was picking up some sticks. Elijah asked her, ‘Please bring me some water in a jar, so that I can drink it.’ 11While she went to get it, he said, ‘Please bring me a piece of bread too.’ She replied, ‘As surely as the Lord your God lives, I do not have any bread. I have only a small amount of flour in a bowl and some olive oil in a small jar. I am now picking up a few sticks to take home. Then I will cook a meal for myself and for my son. We will eat it. Then we will die because there is nothing else to eat.’ 13Elijah said to her, ‘Do not be afraid. Go home and do what you have said. But first, use some of your flour to make a small piece of bread for me. Then bring it to me. After that, you should make something for yourself and for your son. 14This is what the Lord, Israel's God, says: “You will not use all the flour in your bowl. You will not use all the oil in your jar. They will not become empty until the day when the Lord causes rain to fall on the ground again.” ’
Read all of 1 Kings 171 Kings 17:12 word by word
וַתֹּ֗אמֶר חַי־יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ אִם־יֶשׁ־לִ֣י מָע֔וֹג כִּ֣י אִם־מְלֹ֤א כַף־קֶ֙מַח֙ בַּכַּ֔ד וּמְעַט־שֶׁ֖מֶן בַּצַּפָּ֑חַת וְהִנְנִ֨י מְקֹשֶׁ֜שֶׁת שְׁנַ֣יִם עֵצִ֗ים וּבָ֙אתִי֙ וַעֲשִׂיתִ֙יהוּ֙ לִ֣י וְלִבְנִ֔י וַאֲכַלְנֻ֖הוּ וָמָֽתְנוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And she saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- thy Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- livethחַיchay · aliveH2416
- I haveיֵשׁyêsh · thereH3426
- not a cakeמָעוֹגmâ‛ôg · cakeH4580
- but an handfulכַּףkaph · palmH3709
- but an handfulמְלֹאmelô' melô' melô · fullnessH4393
- of mealקֶ֫מַחqemach · flourH7058
- in a barrelכַּדkad · jarH3537
- and a littleמְעַטme‛aţ me‛âţ · littleH4592
- oilשֶׁ֫מֶןshemen · oilH8081
- in a cruseצַפַּ֫חַתtsappachath · jarH6835
- gatheringקָשַׁשׁqâshash · to gatherH7197
- twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- sticksעֵץ‛êts · tree: stickH6086
- that I may go inבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- and dressעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- it for me and my sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
- that we may eatאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
- it, and dieמוּתmûth · to dieH4191
Cross-references for 1 Kings 17:12
- 1 Kings 17:1There was a prophet called Elijah who came from Tishbe in Gilead. He said to King Ahab, ‘I am a servant of the Lord, Israel's God. As surely as God lives, there will be no rain or dew for the next few years. Nothing will make the ground wet until I command it to happen.’
- 1 Samuel 14:39The Lord is the one who rescues Israel. As surely as the Lord lives, I promise that I will punish the man who has done this bad thing. Whoever it is must die, even if it is my own son Jonathan.’ But nobody in the army said anything.
- 1 Samuel 20:3But David answered, ‘Your father knows that you like me very much. He has decided that he will not tell you. He does not want to make you upset. I promise that my words are true, as truly as the Lord lives and you live. I know that I am very near to death.’
- 1 Samuel 25:26I know this as surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live: The Lord has stopped you from killing anyone today. You could have done that, but he has not let you do it. I pray that God will punish all your enemies in the same way that he will punish Nabal.
- 1 Samuel 26:10I know that the Lord himself will kill Saul one day. Saul may die when he has reached the age to die. Or someone may kill him in a battle. He will certainly come to his end.
- 2 Samuel 15:21But Ittai replied to the king, ‘As surely as the Lord lives and as surely as you live, I promise that I will go with you, sir. Wherever you go, I will be there with you. My lord the king, I will stay with you, even if it brings death.’
- Jeremiah 4:2You must be honest and do what is right. You must do what you promise to do. You can show that your promise is true when you add, “As surely as the Lord is alive.” Then other nations will see that I have blessed you. They will pray that I will bless them too. and they will praise me.’
- Jeremiah 5:2They make promises and they say, “I will do it, as surely as the Lord lives.” But what they say is all lies.’
- 2 Kings 4:2Elisha said to her, ‘How can I help you? Tell me, what things do you have in your house?’ She said to Elisha, ‘Please sir, I have nothing in the house. All I have is a small jar of olive oil.’
- Matthew 15:33The disciples said to Jesus, ‘This place is a long way from any houses. We cannot get enough bread here to feed so many people.’
- Genesis 21:16She herself went and sat down about 100 metres away from him. She thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ As she sat there, she began to cry.
- Jeremiah 14:18When I go out into the fields, I see the bodies of people who have died in war. When I look in the city, I see people who are dying from famine. The prophets and the priests are busy with their work. But they do not understand what is happening.” ’
- Lamentations 4:9Our enemies have killed many people with long knives. It is better for those dead people than for the people who have no food. They are very hungry. And they die slowly because they have nothing to eat.
- Ezekiel 12:18‘Son of man, shake with fear while you eat your food or you drink your water.
- Joel 1:15Be afraid because of that day. Be afraid because the day of the Lord is near. It will be as if the great God would destroy everything.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 17:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12A handful of meal in a barrel - The word כד cad is to be understood as implying an earthen jar; not a wooden vessel, or barrel of any kind. In the East they preserve their corn and meal in such vessels; without which precaution the insects would destroy them. Travellers in Asiatic countries abound with observations of this kind. The word cruse, צפחת tsappachath, says Jarchi, signifies what in our tongue is expressed by bouteille, a bottle. Jarchi was a…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12As the Lord thy God liveth - The words do not prove that the woman was an Israelite, or a worshipper of the true God; any Phoenician, recognizing in Elijah‘s appearance the garb and manner of a Jehovistic prophet, might have thus addressed him: Baal-worshippers would have admitted Yahweh to be “a” living God. The woman does not say “as the Lord my God liveth.” That we may eat it and die - Phoenicia always depended for its cereal supplies on the harvests…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-16Verses 8-16 Many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, and some, it is likely, would have bidden him welcome to their houses; yet he is sent to honour and bless with his presence a city of Sidon, a Gentile city, and so becomes the first prophet of the Gentiles. Jezebel was Elijah's greatest enemy; yet, to show her how powerless was her malice, God will find a hiding-place for him even in her own country. The person appointed to entertain Elijah is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12As surely as the LORD your God lives: This wording shows Elijah’s promise and statement to Ahab (1 Kings 17:1). The non-Jewish woman’s promise does not mean the Lord is her god, but it assures Elijah she is telling the truth.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 8-168-16. the word of the Lord came to him--Zarephath, Sarepta, now Surafend, whither he was directed to go, was far away on the western coast of Palestine, about nine miles south of Sidon, and within the dominions of Jezebel's impious father, where the famine also prevailed. Meeting, at his entrance into the town, the very woman who was appointed by divine providence to support him, his faith was severely tested by learning from her that her supplies were…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 17:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Kings 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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