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.

1 KINGS 17:13KJV
Know the Bible

1 Kings 17:13 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 17:13 mean?

1 Kings 17:13 describes Elijah telling a widow not to be afraid, but to go ahead and do what she planned—making food—but to first make a small cake for him and bring it to him, then make some for herself and her son. Elijah’s request asks her to act in faith, even though she has very little left.

In this verse, Elijah is speaking to a widow in Zarephath during a severe famine. The widow has just told Elijah she only has a handful of flour and a little oil left, barely enough for one last meal for herself and her son. Elijah’s words challenge her to trust his promise from God by giving to him first, with the assurance that her needs will be met afterward.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 17:13

  • "Fear" (יָרֵא, yārēʾ): This word means to be afraid or anxious. Elijah’s use of it here directly addresses the widow’s understandable fear of running out of food.
  • "Little" (קָטֹן, qāṭōn): This word emphasizes how small the cake Elijah asks for is. It shows Elijah is not demanding much, but still asks for a step of faith.
  • "Cake" (עֻגָּה, ʿuggāh): This refers to a simple, round loaf or cake made from flour and oil. It highlights the humble, basic nature of what the widow is being asked to give.

Why 1 Kings 17:13 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Elijah’s request is not about taking from someone in need, but about inviting the widow to trust God’s promise through a small act of faith.
  • The emphasis on “first” shows the order matters—Elijah is asking the widow to put God’s word (through the prophet) ahead of her own immediate needs, which sets up the miracle that follows.
  • Understanding the setting—a widow with almost nothing—shows the depth of the trust being asked for, making the following verses about God’s provision even more striking.

Where else these words appear

“cake” Hebrew H5692 · used in 7 verses

  • Genesis 18:6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
  • Numbers 11:8 And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil.
  • Ezekiel 4:12 And thou shalt eat it as barley cakes, and thou shalt bake it with dung that cometh out of man, in their sight.

“thereof” Hebrew H8033 · used in 10 verses

  • Genesis 2:8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
  • Exodus 40:3 And thou shalt put therein the ark of the testimony, and cover the ark with the vail.
  • 2 Samuel 17:18 Nevertheless a lad saw them, and told Absalom: but they went both of them away quickly, and came to a man's house in Bahurim, which had a well in his court; whither they went down.

“after” Hebrew H314 · used in 48 verses

  • Genesis 33:2 And he put the handmaids and their children foremost, and Leah and her children after, and Rachel and Joseph hindermost.
  • 1 Chronicles 23:27 For by the last words of David the Levites were numbered from twenty years old and above:
  • Psalms 78:6 That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be born; who should arise and declare them to their children:

“Elijah” Hebrew H452 · used in 65 verses

  • 1 Kings 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.
  • 1 Kings 18:31 And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
  • 2 Kings 1:13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight.