Discovery BoxLuke 4:25 
Context4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, 1 when the sky 2 was shut up three and a half years, and 3 there was a great famine over all the land.
Luke 18:22
Context18:22 When Jesus heard this, he said to him, “One thing you still lack. Sell all that you have 4 and give the money 5 to the poor, 6 and you will have treasure 7 in heaven. Then 8 come, follow me.”
1 sn 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.
2 tn 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.
3 tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).
4 sn See Luke 14:33.
5 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
6 sn See Luke 1:50-53; 6:20-23; 14:12-14.
7 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: …you will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the conversation.
