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Saturday, July 12th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Luke 4:26

Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Jesus, the Christ;   Miracles;   Nazareth;   Predestination;   Prophets;   Synagogue;   Word of God;   Zarephath;   Thompson Chain Reference - Elijah;   Sarepta;   Zarephath;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Sidonians, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Zarephath;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Gentile;   Luke, gospel of;   Nation;   Nazareth;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Elijah;   Miracle;   Synagogue;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Worship of God;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Capernaum;   Isaiah, the Book of;   Kings, the Books of;   Sarepta;   Zarephath;   Zidon;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elijah;   Jeremiah;   Kings, the Books of;   Naaman;   Nazareth;   Sarepta;   Syrophoenician;   Zarephath;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Jesus, Life and Ministry of;   Luke, Gospel of;   Nazareth, Nazarene;   Ninevites;   Persecution in the Bible;   Sarepta;   Synagogue;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jesus Christ;   Messiah;   Zarephath;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Claim;   Comfort (2);   Discourse;   Exclusiveness;   Guide;   Incarnation (2);   Israel, Israelite;   Luke, Gospel According to;   Man (2);   Manliness;   Mission;   Palestine;   Quotations (2);   Redemption (2);   Religion (2);   Religious Experience;   Sabbath ;   Widow ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Nazareth ;   New Testament;   Sarepta ;   Zarephath ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Zarephath;   Zidon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Zar'ephath;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   Sarepta;   Zarephath;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   New Testament;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for December 7;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them except a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
King James Version (1611)
But vnto none of them was Elias sent, saue vnto Sarepta a citie of Sidon, vnto a woman that was a widow.
King James Version
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
English Standard Version
and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
New American Standard Bible
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
New Century Version
But Elijah was sent to none of those widows, only to a widow in Zarephath, a town in Sidon.
Amplified Bible
and yet Elijah was not sent [by the Lord] to a single one of them, but only to Zarephath in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Legacy Standard Bible
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Contemporary English Version
but Elijah was sent only to a widow in the town of Zarephath near the city of Sidon.
Complete Jewish Bible
but Eliyahu was sent to none of them, only to a widow in Tzarfat in the land of Tzidon.
Darby Translation
and to none of them was Elias sent but to Sarepta of Sidonia, to a woman [that was] a widow.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But vnto none of them was Elias sent, saue into Sarepta, a citie of Sidon, vnto a certaine widowe.
George Lamsa Translation
Yet Elijah was not sent to one of them, but to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widow.
Good News Translation
Yet Elijah was not sent to anyone in Israel, but only to a widow living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon.
Lexham English Bible
And Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Literal Translation
and yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to Zarephath of Sidon, to a widow woman.
American Standard Version
and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Bible in Basic English
But Elijah was not sent to one of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Hebrew Names Version
Eliyah was sent to none of them, except only to Tzarfat, in the land of Tzidon, to a woman who was a widow.
International Standard Version
Yet Elijah wasn't sent to a single one of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
Etheridge Translation
and to none of them was Elia sent, but to Sarephath of Tsaidon, unto a woman a widow:
Murdock Translation
but to no one of them was Elijah sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a widow woman.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And vnto none of the was Elias sent, saue vnto Sarepta, a citie of Sidon, vnto a woman that was a wydowe.
English Revised Version
and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
World English Bible
Elijah was sent to none of them, except only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Yet to none of these was Elijah sent, but to Sarepta, a city of Sidon, to a widow.
Weymouth's New Testament
and yet to not one of them was Elijah sent: he was only sent to a widow at Zarephath in the Sidonian country.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and to noon of hem was Elye sent, but in to Sarepta of Sydon, to a widowe.
Update Bible Version
and to none of them was Elijah sent, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman that was a widow.
Webster's Bible Translation
But to none of them was Elijah sent, save to Sarepta, [a city] of Sidon, to a woman [that was] a widow.
New English Translation
Yet Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
New King James Version
but to none of them was Elijah sent except to Zarephath, [fn] in the region of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
New Living Translation
Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He was sent instead to a foreigner—a widow of Zarephath in the land of Sidon.
New Life Bible
Elijah was sent to none of them, but he was sent to a woman in the city of Zarephath in the land of Sidon. This woman's husband had died.
New Revised Standard
yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, unto none of them, was Elijah sent, save unto Sarepta of Sidonia, unto a woman that was a widow.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And to none of them was Elias sent, but to Sarepta of Sidon, to a widow woman.
Revised Standard Version
and Eli'jah was sent to none of them but only to Zar'ephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and vnto none of them was Helias sent save in to Sarephta besydes Sidon vnto a woma that was a widow.
Young's Literal Translation
and unto none of them was Elijah sent, but -- to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a woman, a widow;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& to none of the was Elias sent, but onely vnto Sarepta of the Sydonyans to a wedowe.
Mace New Testament (1729)
yet to none of them was Elias sent, except to one widow in Sarepta, a city of Sidon.
Simplified Cowboy Version
But God didn't send Elijah to care for any of the ladies in Israel, only a widow living in Zarephath in Sidon.

Contextual Overview

14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region. 15He taught in their synagogues and was glorified by everyone. 16Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read, 17the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. Unrolling it, He found the place where it was written: 18"The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim deliverance to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, 19to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." 20Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, 21and He began by saying, "Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." 22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. "Isn't this the son of Joseph?" they asked. 23Jesus said to them, "Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: 'Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.'"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

save: 1 Kings 17:9-24, Zarephath, Obadiah 1:20

Sarepta: Sarepta, a city of Phoenicia, on the coast of the Mediterranean, is called Zarphand by the Arabian geographer Sherif Ibn Idris, who places it twenty miles n of Tyre, and ten s of Sidon; but its real distance from Tyre is about fifteen miles, the whole distance from that city to Sidon being only twenty-five miles. Maundrell states that the place shown him for this city, called Sarphan, consisted of only a few houses, on the tops of the mountains, within about half a mile of the sea; between which there were ruins of considerable extent.

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 17:1 - Elijah John 17:12 - and

Cross-References

Genesis 4:14
Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
Genesis 4:15
"Not so!" replied the LORD. "If anyone slays Cain, then Cain will be avenged sevenfold." And the LORD placed a mark on Cain, so that no one who found him would kill him.
Genesis 4:17
And Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain built a city and named it after his son Enoch.
Genesis 4:18
Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methusael, and Methusael was the father of Lamech.
Genesis 12:8
From there Abram moved on to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. There he built an altar to the LORD, and he called on the name of the LORD.
Genesis 26:25
So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there. Isaac's servants also dug a well there.
1 Kings 18:24
Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people answered, "What you say is good."
Psalms 116:17
I will offer to You a sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the LORD.
Isaiah 44:5
One will say, 'I belong to the LORD,' another will call himself by the name of Jacob, and still another will write on his hand, 'The LORD's,' and will take the name of Israel."
Isaiah 48:1
Listen to this, O house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, who have descended from the line of Judah, who swear by the name of the LORD and invoke the God of Israel-but not in truth or righteousness-

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But unto none of them was Elias sent,.... That is, to none of the poor widows in the land of Israel was the prophet sent, to supply them with food, and relieve them in their famishing circumstances, as might most reasonably have been expected:

save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon; which in 1 Kings 17:10 is called "Zarephath"; and by the Septuagint there, "Sarepta of Sidon", as here. Pliny r speaks of it by the same name, and reckons it to Sidon:

unto a woman that was a widow: she is said by the Jews s, to be the mother of Jonah the prophet. Our Lord meant to observe, by this instance, as by the following, that God bestows his favours on persons in a sovereign way, and sometimes upon the most unlikely; as in a time of famine, he overlooked the poor widows in Israel, his peculiar people, and sent his prophet to a Gentile woman in one of the cities of Sidon; and therefore they should cease to wonder if he wrought his miracles in other places, and not in his own country; since this was agreeable to the divine procedure in other cases, especially since they were a cavilling and unbelieving people. The Jews say t, that in all that generation there was not found any one that was worthy, as this woman.

r L. 5. c. 19. s Pirke Eliezer, c. 33. t Zohar in Exod. fol. 89. 2.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Save unto Sarepta - Sarepta was a town between Tyre and Sidon, near the Mediterranean Sea. It was not a “Jewish” city, but a Sidonian, and therefore a “Gentile” town. The word “save” in this verse does not express the meaning of the original. It would seem to imply that the city was Jewish. The meaning of the verse is this: “He was sent to none of the widows in Israel. He was not sent except to Sarepta, to a woman that was a “Sidonian.” Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 232-236) regards Sarepta as the modern Sarafend. He says that the ruins have been frequently dug over for stone to build the barracks at Beirut, and that the broken columns, marble slabs, sarcophagi, and other ruins indicate that it was once a flourishing city. A large town was built there in the time of the Crusades.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta — The sentence is elliptical, and means this: To none of them was Elias sent; he was not sent except to Sarepta; for the widow at Sarepta was a Sidonian, not a widow of Israel. PEARCE. - Sarepta was a pagan city in the country of Sidon, in the vicinity of Galilee.


 
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