Bible Strands
1 Kings 17:20
Then he cried out to the LORD, “O LORD my God, have You also brought tragedy on this widow who has opened her home to me, by causing her son to die?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Elijah addresses Yahweh immediately after carrying the widow’s deceased son into the upper room where he is lodging. He questions whether divine action has extended tragedy to the woman who provided him shelter.
The words — הֲ֠/גַם (Ha./gam) functions as an interrogative “also” or “surely,” marking Elijah’s surprise at the sudden death. אֱלֹהָ֔/י ('e.lo.Ha/i) means “my God,” shifting the appeal from a general deity to a personal covenant relationship.
The thread — The pattern of direct prayer for intervention in life and death appears in Genesis 18:23, Matthew 21:22, and James 5:15. These passages collectively trace a biblical line where believers bring urgent circumstances directly to God rather than accepting outcomes passively.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to confront God with raw questions when ministry or faith intersects with sudden loss. It demands that prayer remain the immediate response to tragedy, not a later theological adjustment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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?
Cross-references
- Matthew 21:22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
- James 5:15 And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick. The Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven.
- Genesis 18:23 Abraham stepped forward and said, “Will You really sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
- Exodus 17:4 Then Moses cried out to the LORD, “What should I do with these people? A little more and they will stone me!”
- Joshua 7:8 O Lord, what can I say, now that Israel has turned its back and run from its enemies?
- 1 Samuel 7:8 and said to Samuel, “Do not stop crying out to the LORD our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
- 1 Kings 18:36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.
- 2 Kings 19:15 And Hezekiah prayed before the LORD: “O LORD, God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
- Psalms 99:6 Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel was among those who called on His name. They called to the LORD and He answered.
- 2 Kings 19:4 Perhaps the LORD your God will hear all the words of the Rabshakeh, whom his master the king of Assyria has sent to defy the living God, and He will rebuke him for the words that the LORD your God has heard. Therefore lift up a prayer for the remnant that still survives.”