How Many Miracles Did Elijah Perform? – Answered!

You’re asking, How many miracles did Elijah perform in his lifetime? Let me give you a quick answer.

In total, there are 16 miraculous events in Elijah’s life recorded in the Old Testament. This includes his four prophecies. The total amount hinges on the definition of the prophetic words as “miracles of Elijah.” Therefore, some thought leaders list only 7, 8, 12, or even 14 miracle accounts.

Below, I want to elaborate more on the types of these supernatural acts and unpack the similarities and differences between Elijah, Jesus, Elisha, and John the Baptist.

What are the three types of miracles of Elijah?

If you include all of Elijah’s miraculous events reported in the Old Testament, you end up with 1 resurrection of the dead, 4 prophecies, and 11 wondrous miracles.

I refer here to the chronological overview I put together of all 16 miracles of Elijah.

Once listed, I categorized them into these three different types.

1 Resurrection of the Dead:

• Elijah Revives The Widow’s Son (1 Kings 17:17-24)

4 Prophecies:

• Judgment on Ahab (1 Kings 21:17-24)
• Judgment diverted from Ahab to his son Ahaziah (1 Kings 21:28-29)
• Judgment on Jezebel (1 Kings 21:20-24; 2 Kings 9:30-37)
• Judgment on Jehoram (2 Chronicles 21:12)

11 Wondrous Miracles:

• Ceased The Rain And Brought A Drought (1 Kings 17:1,7)
• Ravens Feed Elijah (1 Kings 17:4-6)
• Flour And Oil Never Run Out (1 Kings 17:8-16)
• Elijah Prays Fire From Heaven (1 Kings 18:20-40)
• Elijah Releases Rain From Heaven & Ends The Drought (1 Kings 18:41-45)
• Elijah Outruns Ahab (1 Kings 18:46)
• God’s Food And Drink Strengthens Elijah For 40 Days & Nights (1 Kings 19:8)
• Elijah Releases Fire That Consumes The First Captain And His Men (2 Kings 1:10)
• Elijah Releases Fire That Consumes The Second Captain And His Men (2 Kings 1:12)
• Elijah Divides The Water In The River (2 Kings 2:8)
• Elijah is Taken Up by a Whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11)

At this point, you might also be thinking: Well, Yesh. What do YOU think about how many miracles Elijah did?

In my research, I have seen some people come up with a list of seven miracles. Others with only 8. Again, some tally 12, and some people say Elijah did 14 wondrous acts. 

But if you include Elijah’s four prophecies, you end up with the number 16. 16 miraculous events which are recorded in 1 Kings 17 – 2 Kings 2, and 2 Chronicles 21:12-15.

I personally would leave the 4 prophecies out.

They are prophetic words of God that – yes – did come true. But in my opinion, they are not a miracle per se. Maybe you just have to look through the scriptures and decide for yourself.

In any case, Elijah was a great prophet.

Granted, he had his low moments when he ran away from Jezebel (1 Kings 19). Nevertheless, he was a mighty man of God. For good reason, his Hebrew name means “my God is Jehova”. (Source: Blueletterbible.org)

I believe Elijah was so cool, I even named my son after this guy.

Again, having Elijah’s (not my son’s) miracles in chronological order can be a real-time-saver for your Bible Study. So, I curated them for you in a helpful overview.

Miracles of Elijah VS Miracles of Jesus: Who’s got more?

To put Elijah’s miracles in comparison to Jesus’ miracles: Jesus outnumbers Elijah by a long shot. There are 42 of Jesus’ miracles recorded in the four gospels. Compared to 16 (or 12) miracles of Elijah.

And even when we look at the types of miracles, Jesus obviously had more variety.

I categorized them into about 4 types – Healings, Exorcisms, Raising the dead, and Wondrous Miracles (like calming the storm). Compared to Elijah’s 3 categories.

Speaking of which. For your Bible study, it might be helpful to have a chronological overview of Jesus’ miracles.

A while back, I listed all 42 Miracles Of Jesus In Chronological Order.

Throughout this text, you might have also remembered the scripture “the spirit and the power of Elijah.” That’s in the New Testament. When John the Baptist was introduced (Luke 1:17). These two actually had some similarities. Let’s look at them.

Similarities between Elijah and John the Baptist

John the Baptist and Elijah have a few things in common. According to Luke 1:17, John “has the spirit and the power of Elijah.” How similar their lives looked, I discovered in a helpful list of my Dake’s Study Bible. It lists 14 similarities between the two powerful men of God.

1. Both were anointed with the same Spirit and power (2 Kings 1:9; Luke 1:17)
2. Both were familiar with desert and solitude (1 Kings 17:3, 19:4; Luke 1:80)
3. They wore similar garments and lived simply (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4)
4. Both were fearless and bold to rebuke kings (1 Kings 18:17-18; 2 Kings 1; Matthew 14:4)
5. Kings wanted to kill them (2 Kings 1:9-16; Matthew 14:3-4)
6. Both were prone to discouragement (1 Kings 19:4; Matthew 11:1-6)
7. They were preachers of righteousness (1 Kings 18:20-24; Matthew 21:32)
8. Both incurred the enmity of a queen (1 Kings 19:1-7; Matthew 14:3-12)
9. Both were fruitful in ministry (1 Kings 18:17-41; Matthew 3:4-6)
10. Both had a great influence over Israel (1 Kings 18:25-41; Mark 11:32)
11. They were subjects of prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6; Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1)
12. They have been or will be forerunners of the Messiah – John before the first advent (Malachi 3:1), and Elijah before the Second Advent (Malachi 4:5-6)
13. Both had a lapse of faith but quickly recovered (1 Kings 19:1-7, 18; Romans 11:1-4; Matthew 11:1-6)
14. Both were prophets (1 Kings 18:22; Matthew 11:9)

(Source: Dake’s Annotated Reference Bible © Copyright 2013, p. 630)

Who did more miracles, Elijah or Elisha?

In total, Elisha did 32 miracles compared to Elijah, who performed 16. This shows, how God honored Elisha’s wish for Elijah’s double portion in 2 Kings 2:9: “Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.””

I did a comprehensive comparison of Elijah and Elisha in this article and listed all of Elisha’s 32 miracles in chronological order in another. Check them out to learn the similarities and differences between the two prophets.

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