The Meaning of 1 Kings 17:15 Explained

1 Kings 17:15

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

YLT: And she goeth, and doth according to the word of Elijah, and she eateth, she and he, and her household -- days;

Darby: And she went and did according to the word of Elijah; and she, and he, and her house, ate a whole year.

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does 1 Kings 17:15 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 17:8-16 - The Jar Of Meal That Wasted Not
Even at Cherith we cannot be exempt from trial, and it is hard to sit beside a gradually dwindling brook. But God always provides. None of them that trust in Him shall be desolate. Whether the visible agents are ravens, or a poor heathen widow ready to perish, it matters little. God's majestic "I have commanded" is enough. Whether it is ordinary or extraordinary, natural or supernatural, through Jew or Gentile, God's purpose does not tarry.
Gentile help supplied what Israel might not give, Luke 4:25-26. God uses the weak and foolish things as well as those which are not, 1 Corinthians 1:28. Yet there were noble qualities in this woman. She did not complain, but went at once for the water; she was generous and hospitable, and believed that God would supply their need. How little did she realize the greatness of her reward, Matthew 10:41-42! But her faith was great. She stood the test of making Elijah's cake first, believing that afterward there would be enough for herself and her son. Though she little understood it, she had within her a spark of the same fire that burned in the soul of the great prophet; and therefore, when we all stand in our lot at the end of the days, Daniel 12:13, her portion will be with the great prophets and heroes of faith. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 17

1  Elijah, having prophesied against Ahab,
3  is sent to Cherith where the ravens feed him
8  He is sent to the widow of Zarephath
17  He raises the widow's son
24  The woman believes him

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 17:15 mean?

So she went away and did according to the word of Elijah and ate he and she she and he and her household [for many] days
וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה כִּדְבַ֣ר אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ וַתֹּ֧אכַל [הוא־] [והיא] (הִֽיא־) (וָה֛וּא) וּבֵיתָ֖הּ יָמִֽים

וַתֵּ֥לֶךְ  So  she  went  away 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
וַתַּעֲשֶׂ֖ה  and  did 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
כִּדְבַ֣ר  according  to  the  word 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּבָר  
Sense: speech, word, speaking, thing.
אֵלִיָּ֑הוּ  of  Elijah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֵלִיָּה 
Sense: the great prophet of the reign of Ahab.
וַתֹּ֧אכַל  and  ate 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אָכַל  
Sense: to eat, devour, burn up, feed.
[והיא]  and  she 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person feminine singular
(הִֽיא־)  she 
Parse: Pronoun, third person feminine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
(וָה֛וּא)  and  he 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
וּבֵיתָ֖הּ  and  her  household 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
Root: בַּיִת 
Sense: house.
יָמִֽים  [for  many]  days 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.