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New Living Translation

1 Kings 17:12

But she said, "I swear by the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Barrel;   Blessing;   Bread;   Elijah;   Frugality;   Hospitality;   Minister, Christian;   Miracles;   Oil;   Poor;   Readings, Select;   Self-Denial;   Women;   Zarephath;   Thompson Chain Reference - Abundance-Want;   Barrel;   Bible Stories for Children;   Cakes;   Children;   Cruses;   Famine;   Home;   Human;   Instrumentalities, Weak;   Limitations, Human;   Limited Resources;   Oil;   Olive Oil;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Poverty;   Poverty-Riches;   Power;   Religion;   Small Things God Uses;   Stories for Children;   Weak;   Weakness-Power;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Oil;   Poor, the;   Self-Denial;   Widows;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Zarephath;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Food;   Oil;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elijah;   Widow;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Barrel;   Cake;   Cruse;   Oven;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Cruse;   Oil;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baking;   Barrel;   Cooking and Heating;   Flour;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Oil;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Barrel;   Bread;   Haggai;   House;   Meals;   Potter, Pottery;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Bread;   Cruse;   Feeding the Multitudes;   Numbers (2);   Oil ;   Oven ;   Waterpot ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Barrel;   Cruse;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elijah;   Zarephath;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Bread;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Barrel;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Barrel;   Bread;   Cruse;   Elisha;   Fire;   Handful;   Meals;   Oil;   Potter;   Rain;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Amittai;   Fire;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for January 9;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I don’t have anything baked—only a handful of flour in the jar and a bit of oil in the jug. Just now, I am gathering a couple of sticks in order to go prepare it for myself and my son so we can eat it and die.”
Hebrew Names Version
She said, As the LORD your God lives, I aren't they a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the jar: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
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 Century Version
The woman answered, "As surely as the Lord your God lives, I have no bread. I have only a handful of flour in a jar and only a little olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather some wood so I could go home and cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger."
New English Translation
She said, "As certainly as the Lord your God lives, I have no food, except for a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. Right now I am gathering a couple of sticks for a fire. Then I'm going home to make one final meal for my son and myself. After we have eaten that, we will die of starvation."
Amplified Bible
But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it [as our last meal] and die."
New American Standard Bible
But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no food, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks so that I may go in and prepare it for me and my son, so that we may eat it and die."
Geneva Bible (1587)
And shee sayde, As the Lorde thy God liueth, I haue not a cake, but euen an handfull of meale in a barrel, and a litle oyle in a cruse: and behold, I am gathering a fewe stickes for to go in, and dresse it for me and my sonne, that we may eate it, and dye.
Legacy Standard Bible
But she said, "As Yahweh your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die."
Contemporary English Version
The widow answered, "In the name of the living Lord your God, I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour and a little olive oil. I'm on my way home now with these few sticks to cook what I have for my son and me. After that, we will starve to death."
Complete Jewish Bible
She answered, "As Adonai your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a pot and a little oil in the jug. Here I am, gathering a couple sticks of wood, so that I can go and cook it for myself and my son. After we have eaten that, we will die."
Darby Translation
And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a 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.
Easy-to-Read Version
The woman answered, "I promise you, before the Lord your God, that I have nothing but a handful of flour in a jar and a little bit of olive oil in a jug. I came here to gather a few pieces of wood for a fire to cook our last meal. My son and I will eat it and then die from hunger."
George Lamsa Translation
And she said, As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing but a handful of flour in a pot and a little oil in a cruse; and, behold, I am gathering a few sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.
Good News Translation
She answered, "By the living Lord your God I swear that I don't have any bread. All I have is a handful of flour in a bowl and a bit of olive oil in a jar. I came here to gather some firewood to take back home and prepare what little I have for my son and me. That will be our last meal, and then we will starve to death."
Lexham English Bible
She said, "As Yahweh your God lives, surely I do not have a cake, but only a handful of flour in the jar and a little olive oil in the jug. Here I am gathering a few pieces of wood, and I will go and prepare it for me and my son, that we might eat it and die."
Literal Translation
And she said, As Jehovah your God lives, I do not have a cake, only a handful of meal in a pitcher, and a little oil in a jar; and behold, I am gathering two sticks and will go in and prepare for myself and for my son; and we shall eat it, and die.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
She sayde: As truly as the LORDE yi God lyueth, I haue no bred, but an handfull of floure in a pitcher, & a curtesy oyle in a cruse: and beholde, I haue gathered vp one or two stickes, & wyll go and prepare it for me and my sonne, that we maye eate and dye.
American Standard Version
And she said, As Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the 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.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
She sayde: As the Lorde thy God lyueth, I haue no bread redy, but euen an handful of meale in a barrel, & a litle oyle in a cruse: And beholde, I am gathering two stickes, for to go in and dresse it for me and my sonne, that we may eate it, and dye.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And she said: 'As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the 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.'
King James Version (1611)
And she said, As the Lord thy God liueth, I haue not a cake, but an handfull of meale in a barrell, and a little oyle in a cruse: and behold, I am gathering two stickes, that I may goe in, and dresse it for me and my sonne, that we may eate it, and die.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the woman said, As the Lord thy God lives, I have not a cake, but only a handful of meal in the pitcher, and a little oil in a cruse, and, behold, I am going to gather two sticks, and I shall go in and dress it for myself and my children, and we shall eat it and die.
English Revised Version
And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in the barrel, and a little oil in the 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.
Berean Standard Bible
But she replied, "As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread-only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And sche answeride, Thi Lord God lyueth, for Y haue no breed, no but as myche of mele in a pot, as a fist may take, and a litil of oile in a vessel; lo! Y gadere twei stickis, that Y entre, and make it to me, and to my sone, that we ete and die.
Young's Literal Translation
And she saith, `Jehovah thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but the fulness of the hand of meal in a pitcher, and a little oil in a dish; and lo, I am gathering two sticks, and have gone in and prepared it for myself, and for my son, and we have eaten it -- and died.'
Update Bible Version
And she said, As Yahweh your God lives, I don't have a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse: and, look, 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.
Webster's Bible Translation
And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but a 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.
World English Bible
She said, As Yahweh your God lives, I aren't they a cake, but a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the jar: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
New King James Version
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."
New Life Bible
But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread. I only have enough flour in the jar to fill a hand, and a little oil in the jar. See, I am gathering a few sticks so I may go in and make it ready for me and my son. Then we will eat it and die."
New Revised Standard
But she said, "As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks, so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And she said - By the life of Yahweh, thy God, verily I have not a cake, only a handful of meal in the jar, and a little oil in the cruse, - and lo! I have been gathering a couple of sticks, so I shall go in and make it ready for me and for my son, that we may eat it - and die!
Douay-Rheims Bible
And she answered: As the Lord thy God liveth, I have no bread, but only a handful of meal in a pot, and a little oil in a cruise: 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.
Revised Standard Version
And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; 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."
THE MESSAGE
She said, "I swear, as surely as your God lives, I don't have so much as a biscuit. I have a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a bottle; you found me scratching together just enough firewood to make a last meal for my son and me. After we eat it, we'll die."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die."

Contextual Overview

8 Then the Lord said to Elijah, 9 "Go and live in the village of Zarephath, near the city of Sidon. I have instructed a widow there to feed you." 10 So he went to Zarephath. As he arrived at the gates of the village, he saw a widow gathering sticks, and he asked her, "Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?" 11 As she was going to get it, he called to her, "Bring me a bite of bread, too." 12 But she said, "I swear by the Lord your God that I don't have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug. I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die." 13 But Elijah said to her, "Don't be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you've said, but make a little bread for me first. Then use what's left to prepare a meal for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what the Lord , the God of Israel, says: There will always be flour and olive oil left in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and the crops grow again!" 15 So she did as Elijah said, and she and Elijah and her family continued to eat for many days. 16 There was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

As the Lord: 1 Kings 17:1, 1 Samuel 14:39, 1 Samuel 14:45, 1 Samuel 20:3, 1 Samuel 20:21, 1 Samuel 25:26, 1 Samuel 26:10, 2 Samuel 15:21, Jeremiah 4:2, Jeremiah 5:2

but an handful: 2 Kings 4:2-7, Matthew 15:33, Matthew 15:34

that we may eat it: Genesis 21:16, Jeremiah 14:18, Lamentations 4:9, Ezekiel 12:18, Ezekiel 12:19, Joel 1:15, Joel 1:16

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 28:16 - in the field 1 Kings 18:10 - the Lord Job 6:7 - as my sorrowful meat Job 21:25 - never Ecclesiastes 5:17 - he eateth Haggai 1:6 - eat Matthew 4:4 - but Matthew 14:20 - were Luke 7:12 - the only

Cross-References

Genesis 17:22
When God had finished speaking, he left Abraham.
Genesis 17:23
On that very day Abraham took his son, Ishmael, and every male in his household, including those born there and those he had bought. Then he circumcised them, cutting off their foreskins, just as God had told him.
Genesis 21:4
Eight days after Isaac was born, Abraham circumcised him as God had commanded.
Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day the boy's foreskin must be circumcised.
Luke 1:59
When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
Luke 2:21
Eight days later, when the baby was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel even before he was conceived.
Acts 7:8
"God also gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision at that time. So when Abraham became the father of Isaac, he circumcised him on the eighth day. And the practice was continued when Isaac became the father of Jacob, and when Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs of the Israelite nation.
Romans 2:28
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision.
Philippians 3:5
I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she said, as the Lord thy God liveth,.... Which shows her to be a good woman, swearing by the living God, and him only, and that she took Elijah to be a good man, and a prophet of the Lord:

I have not a cake; greater or less, not a morsel of bread in the house:

but a handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse; these separate and unmixed, and not made into a cake, and dressed as she intended to do with them:

and, behold, I am gathering two sticks; or a few, which would be sufficient to bake such a quantity as her meal and oil would make; she speaks by the figure "meiosis", which expresses less than what is meant, as Ben Melech observes:

that I may go in and dress it for me, and my son, that we may eat it, and die; having nothing more left, and no expectation of any elsewhere, and the famine strong in the land; so that she could look for nothing but death after this was eaten.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As 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 of Palestine (1 Kings 5:9 note); and it is evident that the famine was afflicting the Phoenicians at this time no less than the Israelites.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 17:12. A 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 French rabbin.


 
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