Raising of the son of the widow of Nain

The raising of the son of the widow of Nain is an account of a miracle by Jesus, recorded in the Gospel of Luke. Jesus arrived at the village of Nain during the burial ceremony of the son of a widow, and raised the young man from the dead. (Luke 7:11–17)

The location is the village of Nain, Israel, two miles south of Mount Tabor. This is the first of three miracles of Jesus in the canonical gospels in which he raises the dead, the other two being the raising of Jairus' daughter and of Lazarus.

Biblical account

The miracle is described thus:

16 Then they all were filled with awe and praised God. And they said, “A great prophet has risen among us”, and “God has visited His people”.

17 This news about Jesus went out through all the country and the surrounding territory.

Interpretation

The raising of the son of the widow of Zarephath, by the Old Testament prophet Elijah, is seen by Fred Craddock as the model for this miracle, as there are several parallels in the details.