Lectionary Calendar
Monday, October 13th, 2025
the Week of Proper 23 / Ordinary 28
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Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 17:16

The store of meal did not come to an end, and the bottle was never without oil, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Elijah.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Barrel;   Blessing;   Elijah;   Hospitality;   Minister, Christian;   Miracles;   Oil;   Poor;   Readings, Select;   Women;   Zarephath;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Providence, Divine;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Supplies, Divine;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Miracles Wrought through Servants of God;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Miracle;   Zarephath;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Word;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Barrel;   Cruse;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Barrel;   Cruse;   Jug;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Oil;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Haggai;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Feeding the Multitudes;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Barrel;   Cruse;   Miracles;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Cruse;   Elijah;   Zarephath;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Barrel;   Cruse;   Elisha;   Oil;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Amittai;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
The flour jar did not become empty, and the oil jug did not run dry, according to the word of the Lord he had spoken through Elijah.
Hebrew Names Version
The jar of meal didn't empty, neither did the jar of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Eliyah.
King James Version
And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord , which he spake by Elijah.
English Standard Version
The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
New Century Version
The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty, just as the Lord , through Elijah, had promised.
New English Translation
The jar of flour was never empty and the jug of oil never ran out, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
Amplified Bible
The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.
New American Standard Bible
The bowl of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil become empty, in accordance with the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.
Geneva Bible (1587)
The barrell of the meale wasted not, nor the oyle was spent out of the cruse, according to the worde of the Lorde, which he spake by the hand of Eliiah.
Legacy Standard Bible
The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of Yahweh which He spoke by the hand of Elijah.
Contemporary English Version
The Lord kept the promise that his prophet Elijah had made, and she did not run out of flour or oil.
Complete Jewish Bible
The pot of meal did not get used up, nor did there fail to be oil in the jug, in fulfillment of the word of Adonai spoken through Eliyahu.
Darby Translation
The meal in the barrel did not waste, neither did the oil in the cruse fail, according to the word of Jehovah which he had spoken through Elijah.
Easy-to-Read Version
The jar of flour and the jug of oil were never empty. This happened just as the Lord said through Elijah.
George Lamsa Translation
And the pot of flour was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil diminish, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.
Good News Translation
As the Lord had promised through Elijah, the bowl did not run out of flour nor did the jar run out of oil.
Lexham English Bible
The jar of flour was not emptied and the jug of olive oil did not run out, according to the word of Yahweh which he spoke by the hand of Elijah.
Literal Translation
the pitcher of meal was not consumed, and the jar of oil did not fail, according to the Word of Jehovah that He spoke by the hand of Elijah.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
The meel in the pitcher was not mynished, and the oyle in the cruse fayled not, acordinge to the worde of ye LORDE which he spake by Elias.
American Standard Version
The jar of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by Elijah.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the meale wasted not out of the barrell, neither was the oyle spent out of the cruse, according to the word of the Lorde which he spake by the hande of Elias.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which He spoke by Elijah.
King James Version (1611)
And the barrell of meale wasted not, neither did the cruse of oyle faile, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Eliiah.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the pitcher of meal failed not, and the cruse of oil was not diminished, according to the word of the Lord which he spoke by the hand of Eliu.
English Revised Version
The barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Berean Standard Bible
The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word the LORD had spoken through Elijah.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And fro that dai the pot of mele failide not, and the vessel of oile was not abatid, bi the word of the Lord, which he hadde spoke in the hond of Elie.
Young's Literal Translation
the pitcher of meal was not consumed, and the dish of oil did not lack, according to the word of Jehovah that He spake by the hand of Elijah.
Update Bible Version
The jar of meal did not waste, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke by Elijah.
Webster's Bible Translation
[And] the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by Elijah.
World English Bible
The jar of meal didn't empty, neither did the jar of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh, which he spoke by Elijah.
New King James Version
The bin of flour was not used up, nor did the jar of oil run dry, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke by Elijah.
New Living Translation
There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.
New Life Bible
The jar of flour was not used up, and the jar of oil did not become empty. It happened as was spoken by the word of the Lord through Elijah.
New Revised Standard
The jar of meal was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
The jar of meal, did not waste, - and, the cruse of oil, did not fail, - according to the word of Yahweh, which he spake through Elijah.
Douay-Rheims Bible
The pot of meal wasted not, and the cruise of oil was not diminished according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke in the hand of Elias.
Revised Standard Version
The jar of meal was not spent, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Eli'jah.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
The bowl of flour was not exhausted nor did the jar of oil become empty, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through Elijah.

Contextual Overview

8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying, 9 Up! go now to Zarephath, in Zidon, and make your living-place there; I have given orders to a widow woman there to see that you have food. 10 So he got up and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the door of the town, he saw a widow woman getting sticks together; and crying out to her he said, Will you give me a little water in a vessel for my drink? 11 And when she was going to get it, he said to her, And get me with it a small bit of bread. 12 Then she said, By the life of the Lord your God, I have nothing but a little meal in my store, and a drop of oil in the bottle; and now I am getting two sticks together so that I may go in and make it ready for me and my son, so that we may have a meal before our death. 13 And Elijah said to her, Have no fear; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and come and give it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. 14 For this is the word of the Lord, the God of Israel: The store of meal will not come to an end, and the bottle will never be without oil, till the day when the Lord sends rain on the earth. 15 So she went and did as Elijah said; and she and he and her family had food for a long time. 16 The store of meal did not come to an end, and the bottle was never without oil, as the Lord had said by the mouth of Elijah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the barrel: Matthew 9:28-30, Matthew 19:26, Luke 1:37, Luke 1:45, John 4:50, John 4:51

according: 1 Kings 13:5

by Elijah: Heb. by the hand of Elijah, 1 Kings 16:12

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 4:5 - she went

Cross-References

Genesis 1:28
And God gave them his blessing and said to them, Be fertile and have increase, and make the earth full and be masters of it; be rulers over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing moving on the earth.
Genesis 12:2
And I will make of you a great nation, blessing you and making your name great; and you will be a blessing:
Genesis 17:6
I will make you very fertile, so that nations will come from you and kings will be your offspring.
Genesis 17:10
And this is the agreement which you are to keep with me, you and your seed after you: every male among you is to undergo circumcision.
Genesis 17:14
And any male who does not undergo circumcision will be cut off from his people: my agreement has been broken by him.
Genesis 17:26
Abraham and Ishmael, his son, underwent circumcision on that very day.
Genesis 24:60
And they gave Rebekah their blessing, saying, O sister, may you be the mother of thousands and ten thousands; and may your seed overcome all those who make war against them.
Genesis 35:11
And God said to him, I am God, the Ruler of all: be fertile, and have increase; a nation, truly a group of nations, will come from you, and kings will be your offspring;
Isaiah 49:23
And kings will take care of you, and queens will give you their milk: they will go down on their faces before you, kissing the dust of your feet; and you will be certain that I am the Lord, and that those who put their hope in me will not be shamed.
Romans 9:9
For this is the word of God's undertaking, At this time will I come, and Sarah will have a son.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by Elijah. There being a continual increase and supply of both, through the mighty power of God working a continued miracle; just as the loaves and fishes were increased while the disciples were eating, Matthew 14:19.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

This is the first recorded miracle of its kind - a supernatural and inexplicable multiplication of food (compare 2 Kings 4:42-44; Matthew 14:15-21; Matthew 15:32-38). The sacred record does not explain these miracles; but if the explanations sometimes suggested - that there was a transformation of previously existing matter into meal, oil, fish, and bread - be the true one, the marvel of the thing would not be much greater than that astonishing natural chemistry by which, in the growth of plants, particles of water, air, and earth are transmuted into fruits and grains of corn, and so fitted to be human food. There would be a difference in the agency employed and in the time occupied in the transmutation, but the thing done would be almost the same.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 17:16. The barrel of meal wasted not — She continued to take out of her jar and out of her bottle the quantity of meal and oil requisite for the consumption of her household; and without carefully estimating what was left, she went with confidence each time for a supply, and was never disappointed. This miracle was very like that wrought by Jesus at the marriage at Cana in Galilee: as the servants drew the water out of the pots, they found it turned into wine; and thus they continued to draw wine from the water-pots till the guests had been sufficiently supplied.


 
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