Luke 4:25-27

4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days,¹ when the sky² was shut up three and a half years, and³ there was a great famine over all the land. 4:26 Yet⁴ Elijah was sent to none of them, but only to a woman who was a widow at Zarephath in Sidon.⁵ 4:27 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha,⁶ yet⁷ none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.”⁸

¹sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.

²tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.

³tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).

⁴tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

⁵sn Zarephath in Sidon was Gentile territory (see 1 Kgs 17:9-24). Jesus’ point was that he would be forced to minister elsewhere, and the implication is that this ministry would ultimately extend (through the work of his followers) to those outside the nation.

map For location see Map1-A1; JP3-F3; JP4-F3.

⁶sn On Elisha see 2 Kgs 5:1-14.

⁷tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

⁸sn The reference to Naaman the Syrian (see 2 Kgs 5:1-24) is another example where an outsider and Gentile was blessed. The stress in the example is the missed opportunity of the people to experience God’s work, but it will still go on without them.