In response to the woman’s charge that Elijah was the instrument of God in bringing about the death of her son, Elijah acts sympathetically. He asked her to give him her son. Such an action is scarcely the action of merciless man. Elijah took the body to his own room and laid the dead son on his own bed. When we consider this in connection with 1 Kings 17:21, it appears that he was making preparation for what he was going to do in that verse.
19 And he said to her, “Give me your son.” And he took him from her arms and carried him up into the upper chamber where he lodged, and laid him on his own bed.