Zarephath(sarepta)
“Smelting place or place of refining”
Summary
A Phoenician coastal town between Sidon and Tyre where the prophet Elijah resided during the drought and performed miracles for a widow.
☩Location and Identification
Zarephath was a Phoenician town situated on the Mediterranean coast, approximately eight miles south of Sidon and thirteen miles north of Tyre. The town lay on the public coastal road and was dependent upon Sidon. The modern village of Sarafend preserves the ancient name, though the site has shifted about a mile inland from the original coastal location. The ancient town's ruins extend along the shore for a mile or more, with remains including columns, sarcophagi, and marble slabs indicating a city of considerable importance.
☩Elijah's Ministry
During the severe drought pronounced upon Israel, God directed Elijah to Zarephath, a Gentile territory, after the brook Cherith dried up. There Elijah encountered a widow gathering sticks and requested food and water. Despite her own desperate circumstances, she obeyed the prophet's instruction, and God miraculously sustained her household—the barrel of meal did not fail and the cruse of oil did not diminish throughout the drought. Later, when the widow's son died, Elijah stretched himself upon the child three times and prayed, and the Lord restored the boy to life.
☩New Testament Significance
Jesus referenced the widow of Zarephath during his sermon in the Nazareth synagogue to illustrate that God's grace extends beyond Israel to Gentiles. Luke, the only Gentile author among New Testament writers, particularly emphasized how God chose this pagan Phoenician widow over the many widows in Israel during Elijah's time. This message of divine favor toward Gentiles provoked such wrath among Jesus' hearers that they attempted to cast him off a cliff.
References
- 1.John McClintock and James Strong, "Zarephath," in Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X (Harper & Brothers, 1867–1887).
- 2.James Orr (ed.), "Zarephath," in International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, vol. V (Howard-Severance Company, 1915).
- 3.James Hastings (ed.), "Zarephath," in Dictionary of Christ and the Gospels, vol. II (T. & T. Clark, 1906–1908).