Some time later the son of the woman, the owner of the house, fell sick, and his sickness grew more severe until he stopped breathing. 18 So she said to Elijah, “Why have you done this to me, man of God? Have you come to me to call attention to my guilt and to kill my son?” 19 Elijah said to her, “Give me your son.” Taking him from her lap, he carried him to the upper room where he was staying, and laid him on his own bed. 20 He called out to the Lord: “Lord, my God, will you afflict even the widow with whom I am staying by killing her son?” 21 Then he stretched himself out upon the child three times and he called out to the Lord: “Lord, my God, let the life breath return to the body of this child.” 22 The Lord heard the prayer of Elijah; the life breath returned to the child’s body and he lived. 23 Taking the child, Elijah carried him down into the house from the upper room and gave him to his mother. Elijah said, “See! Your son is alive.” 24 The woman said to Elijah, “Now indeed I know that you are a man of God, and it is truly the word of the Lord that you speak.”
The widow of Zarephath, who had previously seen God’s providence through Elijah in the multiplication of flour and oil (1 Kings 17:8-16), now faces the ultimate test of faith—the death of her son. The boy’s illness and eventual death highlight the pervasive effects of sin and death after the fall (cf. Gen. 3:19; Rom. 5:12). This left the widow vulnerable because her son is her sole hope for future security and inheritance; without him, she faced destitution, as sons traditionally provided for widowed mothers and ensured the family line continued (cf. Ruth 4:15).
Human suffering often leads to questioning God’s justice or mercy (cf. Job 3:11-23; Ps. 22:1-2). The widow’s question reveals a belief that her son’s death might be punishment for her sins, reflecting an ancient understanding of suffering as tied to personal guilt (cf. Ex. 20:5; John 9:2). Her grief and confusion were directed at Elijah, reflecting the tension between faith and doubt and the human struggle to reconcile suffering with divine providence. Elijah took the widow’s son to the upper room where he was staying. The upper room, a space set apart for prayer and communion with God, becomes the site of divine intervention, bringing to mind sacred moments of transformation in Scripture (cf. Daniel 6:10; Acts 1:13). Elijah’s prayer reveals his own anguish and his sorrow for the widow. As a prophet, he intercedes for the widow as Christ intercedes with God for humanity (cf. Heb. 7:25).
The act of stretching himself over the boy three times is symbolic and sacramental in nature. It signifies Elijah’s identification with the child’s plight and a plea for God’s creative power to restore life (cf. Gen. 2:7). The number three often signifies completeness and divine action (cf. Jonah 2:1; Mt. 12:40). God’s response to Elijah’s prayer demonstrates His sovereignty over life and death, and His compassion and power. The restoration of the boy’s life is a foretaste of the hope of the resurrection that runs throughout Scripture (cf. Ezekiel 37:5-6).
Elijah returned from the presence of God with the child fully revived. The widow’s faith was justified and her hope was restored. Confronted with the miraculous restoration of her son, the widow’s faith in Elijah’s role as God’s prophet and the truth of God’s word is solidified Her confession of faith parallels other confessions of faith in Scripture (cf. John 6:68-69).
God is the giver and restorer of life. The widow’s journey from despair to faith foreshadows the universal hope of redemption. Elijah’s role as an intercessor and mediator prefigures the ultimate restoration and mediation fulfilled in Christ (cf. John 11:25). The raising of the widow’s son prefigures the miracles of Jesus, such as the raising of the widow’s son in Nain (Luke 7:11-17). Both stories reveal God’s compassion and the breaking of death’s power through divine intervention.
Almighty God, You are the giver and restorer of life, the source of all hope and compassion. Just as You heard Elijah's prayer and restored the widow’s son, hear our prayers in times of despair and doubt. Strengthen our faith and remind us of Your power to bring life and renewal where there is loss. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Sources
- McSorley, Joseph. An Outline History of the Church by Centuries (From St. Peter to Pius XII). 2nd ed., B. Herder Book Co., 1944.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Charpentier, Etienne. How to Read the Old Testament. Translated by John Bowden, 1981.
- Komonchak, Joseph, et al., editors. The New Dictionary of Theology.
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