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Complete Jewish Bible

1 Kings 17:12

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."

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."
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 Living Translation
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."
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 this word of Adonai came to him: 9 "Get up; go to Tzarfat, a village in Tzidon; and live there. I have ordered a widow there to provide for you." 10 So he set out and went to Tzarfat. On reaching the gate of the city, he saw a widow there gathering sticks. He called out to her, "Please bring a little water in a container for me to drink." 11 As she was going to get it, he called after her, "Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand." 12 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." 13 Eliyahu said to her, "Don't be afraid. Go; and do what you said; but first, use a little of it to make me a small loaf of bread; and bring it out to me. After that, make food for yourself and your son. 14 For this is what Adonai the God of Isra'el, says: ‘The pot of meal will not get used up, nor will there fail to be oil in the jug, until the day Adonai sends rain down on the land.'" 15 She went and acted according to what Eliyahu had said; and she, he and her household had food to eat for a long time. 16 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.

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
With that, God finished speaking with Avraham and went up from him.
Genesis 17:23
Avraham took Yishma‘el his son, all the slaves born in his house and all who had been bought with his money, every male among the people in Avraham's household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin that very day, just as God had said to him.
Genesis 21:4
Avraham circumcised his son Yitz'chak when he was eight days old, as God had ordered him to do.
Leviticus 12:3
On the eighth day, the baby's foreskin is to be circumcised.
Luke 1:59
On the eighth day, they came to do the child's b'rit-milah. They were about to name him Z'kharyah, after his father,
Luke 2:21
On the eighth day, when it was time for his b'rit-milah, he was given the name Yeshua, which is what the angel had called him before his conception.
Acts 7:8
And he gave him b'rit-milah. So he became the father of Yitz'chak and did his b'rit-milah on the eighth day, and Yitz'chak became the father of Ya‘akov, and Ya‘akov became the father of the Twelve Patriarchs.
Romans 2:28
For the real Jew is not merely Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical.
Philippians 3:5
  • b'rit-milah on the eighth day,
  • by birth belonging to the people of Isra'el,
  • from the tribe of Binyamin,
  • a Hebrew-speaker, with Hebrew-speaking parents,
  • in regard to the Torah, a Parush,

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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