But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus points out that during Elijah's time, many widows were in Israel, yet God sent the prophet specifically to a Gentile widow. This highlights that divine favor isn't limited by national borders or expected beneficiaries, especially when faith is lacking at home.
But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just read from Isaiah in his hometown synagogue and declared the prophecy fulfilled in himself, but the crowd's initial positive reaction quickly turns hostile. They challenge him to prove his claims by performing miracles in Nazareth, just as he had in Capernaum, but Jesus points out that prophets are rarely honored in their own land and recounts how Elijah was sent to a foreign widow during a devastating famine in Israel, rather than to Israelites in need.
Why would Jesus bring up a devastating famine from centuries past to his hometown crowd? It wasn't just a history lesson; it was a bold statement about where God's grace could, and would, go.
Jesus is about to reveal that his mission isn't just for the people of Nazareth, or even just for Israel. He points to the time of Elijah, when a severe drought gripped the land for three and a half years.
A Nation in Crisis
Jesus uses this powerful story to show that God's compassion and provision aren't limited by nationality or religious background. Even in Israel's darkest hours, God's mercy extended to the "outsider."
Jesus highlights a specific period of drought. What does this precise timing tell us about God's plan, and what does the people's reaction reveal about the cost of disbelief?
The mention of "three years and six months" isn't arbitrary. This detailed timeframe, often understood to include the period after the last rain and the subsequent dry spells, points to a divinely appointed time of testing.
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God's Sovereign Hand
Understand the original words
Yiśrāʾēl · Hebrew Proper Noun
A term denoting the covenant people of God, descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, chosen to be a light to the nations and the vehicle through which the Messiah would come.
limos · Greek Noun
A period of severe scarcity of food, often associated in Scripture with divine judgment, testing, or a call to repentance, yet also serving as a context for God's miraculous provision.
Jesus uses these historical accounts of God's prophets showing favor to Gentiles during times of national crisis to challenge the people of Nazareth's unbelief and their expectation of special treatment.
c. 870 BC
Elijah's Ministry and Drought
During the reign of King Ahab, the prophet Elijah proclaims a drought upon Israel due to their widespread idolatry and disobedience to God.
c. 867 BC— this verse
Elijah Sent to Sarephath
God directs Elijah to the Gentile city of Zarephath, near Sidon, where he encounters a widow who miraculously sustains him during the famine. This highlights God's favor extending beyond Israel.
c. 864 BC
Elijah and the Prophets of Baal
Elijah challenges and defeats 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel, demonstrating God's power over pagan deities and leading to the end of the drought.
c. 840 BC
Elisha's Ministry and Naaman
The prophet Elisha, Elijah's successor, heals Naaman, a Syrian general, of leprosy, another instance of God's miraculous power being shown to a foreigner.
This passage directly sets up the event Jesus refers to, detailing God's instruction to Elijah to go to Zarephath to be sustained by a widow.
1 Kings 18:1This verse marks the end of the drought period Jesus mentions, showing God's timing in bringing relief after the extensive famine.
Luke 4:26This verse immediately follows, highlighting the specific widow in Zarephath to whom Elijah was sent, contrasting with the many widows in Israel.
Luke 4:27This verse parallels the Elijah account with a story about Elisha and Naaman, illustrating the same principle of God's favor extending beyond expected national boundaries.
James 5:17This passage directly references Elijah and the three-and-a-half-year drought, confirming the biblical basis for Jesus' statement and its connection to prayer and perseverance.
cambridgeLuke 4:25: "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;"
25 . many widows were in Israel ] So far from trying to flatter them, He tells them that His work is not to be for their special benefit or glorification, but that He had now passed far beyond the limitations of earthly relationships. three years and six months ] Such was the Jewish tradition, as we see al…
jfbLuke 4:25: "But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;"
25-27. But I tell you, &c.—falling back for support on the well-known examples of Elijah and Elisha (Eliseus), whose miraculous power, passing by those who were near, expended itself on those at a distance, yea on heathens, "the two great prophets who stand at the commencement of prophetic antiquity, and w…
Jesus points out that during Elijah's time, many widows were in Israel, yet God sent the prophet specifically to a Gentile widow. This highlights that divine favor isn't limited by national borders or expected beneficiaries, especially when faith is lacking at home.
Jesus has just read from Isaiah in his hometown synagogue and declared the prophecy fulfilled in himself, but the crowd's initial positive reaction quickly turns hostile. They challenge him to prove his claims by performing miracles in Nazareth, just as he had in Capernaum, but Jesus points out that prophets are rarely honored in their own land and recounts how Elijah was sent to a foreign widow during a devastating famine in Israel, rather than to Israelites in need.
Jesus has just read from Isaiah in his hometown synagogue and declared the prophecy fulfilled in himself, but the crowd's initial positive reaction quickly turns hostile. They challenge him to prove his claims by performing miracles in Nazareth, just as he had in Capernaum, but Jesus points out that prophets are rarely honored in their own land and recounts how Elijah was sent to a foreign widow during a devastating famine in Israel, rather than to Israelites in need.
"But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heavens were shut up three years and six months, and a great famine came over all the land," — Jesus points out that during Elijah's time, many widows were in Israel, yet God sent the prophet specifically to a Gentile widow. This highlights that divine favor isn't limited by national borders o…
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Last reviewed October 2026