Lexical Summary
Tsarephath: Zarephath
Original Word:צֱרְפַת
Part of Speech:Proper Name Location
Transliteration:Tsarphath
Pronunciation:tsaw-reh'-fath
Phonetic Spelling:(tsaq-ref-ath')
KJV: Zarephath
NASB:Zarephath
Word Origin:[fromH6884 (צָּרַף - goldsmith)]
1. refinement
2. Tsarephath, a place in Israel
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Zarephath
Fromtsaraph; refinement; Tsarephath, a place in Palestine -- Zarephath.
see HEBREWtsaraph
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
tsaraphDefinition"smelting place," a city S. of Sidon
NASB TranslationZarephath (3).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
: on coast south of Sidon (?
smelting-place; on strange form compare Lag
BN 84; Assyrian
‚ariptu Dl
Pa 284 COT
1Kings 17:9; Egyptian
Da-ïra-pu-ti WMM
As.u.Eur.184); — Obadiah 20;
1 Kings 17:9,10 (so Gi; - van d. H. Baer); modern
‚arfend Rob
BR ii. 474 ff. Pietschm
Phön. 58 f..
Topical Lexicon
Location and BackgroundZarephath was a coastal town situated between Tyre and Sidon on the Mediterranean trade route, approximately fifteen kilometers south of Sidon in ancient Phoenicia (modern Ṣarfend in Lebanon). Its harbor and proximity to the Phoenician centers of metallurgy gave it commercial importance. The root of the place-name is linked to smelting or refining, a feature that both describes the local industry and provides a striking metaphor for God’s refining work in the narratives connected with the town.
Biblical Occurrences
•1 Kings 17:9–10 records the Lord’s instruction to Elijah during the drought: “Get up and go to Zarephath in Sidon and stay there. I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
•Obadiah 1:20 lists “the exiles of this host of the children of Israel who are among the Canaanites as far as Zarephath,” showing that the town lay on the outer edge of Israelite dispersion after the fall of the Northern Kingdom.
The Septuagint preserves the form “Sarepta,” a spelling echoed by Jesus when He cites Elijah’s miracle inLuke 4:26, underscoring the continuity of the biblical witness.
Historical and Archaeological Notes
Classical sources such as Josephus and Eusebius describe the site as Sarepta, famed for its wine, pottery, and metalwork. Excavations have uncovered Iron-Age occupation layers, Phoenician kilns, and Greek inscriptions, affirming its status as a cosmopolitan port frequented by traders from Israel and beyond.
Theological Themes
1. Divine Providence in Gentile Territory: By sending Elijah outside Israel to a Sidonian widow, the narrative anticipates the global scope of God’s redemptive plan and demonstrates His concern for individuals who trust Him, irrespective of nationality.
2. Resurrection Hope: The raising of the widow’s son (1 Kings 17:22) is the first recorded resurrection in Scripture, prefiguring later revelations of bodily resurrection and validating the prophet’s message.
3. Refinement Motif: The town’s name evokes the imagery of smelting ore. Elijah, the widow, and her son all pass through a process of refining—scarcity, obedience, death, and restored life—mirroring the Lord’s refining of a faithful remnant (compareZechariah 13:9).
4. Judgment and Restoration: Obadiah’s reference places Zarephath at the fringe of Israel’s exile, yet within the promised sphere of ultimate inheritance. The verse balances judgment upon Edom with restoration for Israel, affirming covenant faithfulness.
Typological and Prophetic Significance
Elijah’s stay at Zarephath typologically foreshadows the extension of grace to the Gentiles. Jesus cites the episode to confront unbelief in Nazareth and to signal the inclusion of outsiders in the gospel (Luke 4:25-27). The account therefore stands at a prophetic crossroads: judgment on covenant breakers, mercy to receptive foreigners, and authentication of the prophetic word.
Practical Ministry Lessons
• Faith and Obedience Precede Provision: The widow gives the last of her flour and oil before the miracle of supply, challenging believers to trust God with limited resources.
• The Sufficiency of God’s Word: “The bowl of flour was not exhausted and the jar of oil did not run dry, according to the word the Lord had spoken through Elijah” (1 Kings 17:16). Scripture’s reliability undergirds ministry in times of drought—literal or spiritual.
• Cross-Cultural Compassion: Elijah depends on a Gentile woman, illustrating that genuine ministry often requires humility to receive as well as to give, transcending ethnic and social barriers.
• Resurrection Power in Daily Life: The revival of the boy teaches that God’s power over death speaks not only to final destiny but to present crises, encouraging prayer that boldly appeals to the Lord’s character.
Summary of Key Points
Zarephath (Strong’s 6886) is a Phoenician town whose biblical mentions center on Elijah’s miracle and the exile’s far reach. Historically prosperous and archaeologically verified, it functions theologically as a furnace of refinement, a beacon of resurrection hope, and a prophetic sign of God’s inclusive grace and unfailing provision.
Forms and Transliterations
צָ֣רְפַ֔ת צָרְפַ֗תָה צָרְפַ֙תָה֙ צרפת צרפתה ṣā·rə·p̄a·ṯāh ṣā·rə·p̄aṯ ṣārəp̄aṯ ṣārəp̄aṯāh tzareFat tzareFatah
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