Luke 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;
Luke 4:25 in other translations
| BSB | But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. |
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| WEB | But truly I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up three years and six months, when a great famine came over all the land. |
| ASV | But of a truth I say unto you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; |
| YLT | and of a truth I say to you, Many widows were in the days of Elijah, in Israel, when the heaven was shut for three years and six months, when great famine came on all the land, |
| DARBY | But of a truth I say to you, There were many widows in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, so that a great famine came upon all the land, |
| BBE | Truly I say to you, There were a number of widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months and there was no food in the land; |
| Webster | But I tell you in truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut three years and six months when great famine was throughout all the land: |
What does Luke 4:25 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Luke 4:25-27
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain
Barnes' Notes
In Israel. In the land of Israel, or Judea. It was therefore the more remarkable, since there were so many in his own country whom he might have helped, that the prophet should have gone to a heathen city and aided a poor widow there.
The days of Elias. The days of Elijah. See the account of this in 1Kgs 17:8-24.
Three years and six months. From 1Kgs 18:1,45, it would seem that the rain fell on the third year--that is, at the end of the third year after the rain had ceased to fall at the usual time. There were two seasons of the year when rains fell in Judea--in October and April, called the early and latter rain; consequently there was an interval between them of six months. To the three years, therefore, when rain was withheld at the usual times, are to be added the previous six months, when no rain fell as a matter of course, and consequently three years and six months elapsed without rain.
A great famine. A great want of food, from long-continued and distressing drought.
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Luke 4:14-30
Christ taught in their synagogues, their places of public worship, where they met to read, expound, and apply the word, to pray and praise. All the gifts and graces of the Spirit were upon him and on him, without measure. By Christ, sinners may be loosed from the bonds of guilt, and by his Spirit and grace from the bondage of corruption. He came by the word of his gospel, to bring light to those that sat in the…
Luke 4:25 in the original Greek
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Cross references for Luke 4:25
- James 5:17
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
- 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.
- Matthew 20:15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
- 1 Kings 18:1-2
And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth. And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.
- Mark 7:26-29
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
- Isaiah 55:8
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
- Romans 9:15
For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
- Luke 10:21
In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
- Romans 9:20
Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
- Ephesians 1:11
In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
- Ephesians 1:9
Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Context
- Luke 4:24
And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.
- Luke 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;
- Luke 4:26
But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.
Luke 4:25 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Mas en verdad os digo, que muchas viudas había en Israel en los días de Elías, cuando el cielo fué cerrado por tres años y seis meses, que hubo una grande hambre en toda la tierra; |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et, en vérité, je vous dis qu’il y avait plusieurs veuves en Israël, aux jours d’Élie, lorsque le ciel fut fermé trois ans et six mois, de sorte qu’il y eut une grande famine par tout le pays; |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | In Wahrheit aber sage ich euch: Viele Witwen waren in den Tagen Elias in Israel, als der Himmel drei Jahre und sechs Monate verschlossen war, so daß eine große Hungersnot über das ganze Land kam; |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | In veritate dico vobis, multæ viduæ erant in diebus Eliæ in Israël, quando clausum est cælum annis tribus et mensibus sex, cum facta esset fames magna in omni terra: |