The Beginning:
A severe drought affects the land, and Elijah, the prophet of the LORD, is directed to leave his hiding place and go to Zarephath. There he meets a widow gathering sticks, preparing what she believes will be her last meal for herself and her son. Elijah asks her for water and bread, even though her resources are nearly gone.
The Middle:
The widow explains she has only a handful of flour and a little oil, not enough to endure the famine. Elijah tells her not to fear and instructs her to make a small cake for him first, promising in the LORD’s name that her flour and oil will not run out until the drought ends. She obeys, and day after day the jar of flour and the jug of oil remain sufficient, sustaining Elijah, the widow, and her household. Later, the widow’s son becomes gravely ill and dies, and she cries out to Elijah in distress.
The End:
Elijah carries the boy to an upper room, prays earnestly to the LORD, and stretches himself upon the child. The LORD hears Elijah, and the boy’s life returns; Elijah brings him back alive to his mother. The widow responds with renewed certainty that Elijah speaks God’s word truly.
This story presents the LORD as God not only of Israel but as the sovereign provider and giver of life, able to sustain the needy even in a foreign land. The miracle of ongoing provision shows that God’s care continues through judgment (the drought) and that His word proves reliable despite scarcity. The raising of the widow’s son reveals God’s authority over life and death and highlights prophetic intercession as a means by which God displays mercy and confirms His message.
Zarephath lay in Phoenician territory (Sidon), associated with the wider region connected to Jezebel’s homeland (1 Kings 16:31), underscoring that Elijah’s help comes to a non-Israelite during Israel’s crisis. In the ancient Near East, widows were among the most economically vulnerable, often dependent on limited household stores of basic staples like grain (flour) and olive oil—making the account’s imagery of a “jar” and “jug” a realistic picture of daily survival.
“The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty.” — 1 Kings 17:16
Answer the questions below. When you choose an option, you will see the result and an explanation.
1. What did Elijah promise in the LORD’s name after telling the widow to make a small cake for him first?
2. After the widow’s son died, what did Elijah do in the upper room?