20140530 Friday, May 30 2014
1 Kings 17: How Did Elijah Raise The Dead?

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived"

Elijah, from the Hebrew name pronounced ayl-ee-yaw, meaning God is the LORD, was a prominent prophet of the LORD (Who was and is Jesus Christ - see Genesis 1: In The Beginning Was The Word and The Kingdom Of The LORD God) during the time of wicked King Ahab and his infamous wife Jezebel of the northern Kingdom of Israel (see The First Kings Of Israel and Judah). Elijah was from the Israelite territory east of the Jordan River (see The Israel Of East Jordan).

"17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab, As the LORD God of Israel liveth, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.

17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

17:5 So he went and did according unto the word of the LORD: for he went and dwelt by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan. 17:6 And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook." (1 Kings 17:1-6 KJV)

The resurrection of the widow's son at Zarephath was accomplished by the Holy Spirit of God that alone has the power of life. All physical life was created from lifeless matter by the Holy Spirit (see Adam and Adamah) and all physical life is sustained by the Holy Spirit (see What Makes Physical Life Possible?).

The English word "soul" originated from an Anglo-Saxon word, sawel, that meant a lifetime. It is commonly used to translate the Hebrew word pronounced nay-fesh, which means a breathing creature - human or animal (see the full, detailed study in the Fact Finder question below). When a physical creature dies, it gives up that life breath (see Giving Up The Ghost). The miracle of the widow's son was the restoration of his life breath, by means of the Holy Spirit ("the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived"), so that he became "a living soul" again.

"17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land. 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 17:10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink. 17:11 And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.

17:12 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.

17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.

17:15 And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. 17:16 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.

17:17 And it came to pass after these things, that the son of the woman, the mistress of the house, fell sick; and his sickness was so sore, that there was no breath left in him. 17:18 And she said unto Elijah, What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?

17:19 And he said unto her, Give me thy son. And he took him out of her bosom, and carried him up into a loft, where he abode, and laid him upon his own bed. 17:20 And he cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, hast thou also brought evil upon the widow with whom I sojourn, by slaying her son? 17:21 And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the LORD, and said, O LORD my God, I pray thee, let this child's soul come into him again.

17:22 And the LORD heard the voice of Elijah; and the soul of the child came into him again, and he revived. 17:23 And Elijah took the child, and brought him down out of the chamber into the house, and delivered him unto his mother: and Elijah said, See, thy son liveth.

17:24 And the woman said to Elijah, Now by this I know that thou art a man of God, and that the word of the LORD in thy mouth is truth." (1 Kings 17:7-24 KJV)

Fact Finder: What does the Word of God truly say about the human "soul"?
See What Does The Bible Really Say About Your Soul?