1 Kings 18:20-40

God or Baal on Mount Carmel

20 So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

21 Elijah came near to all the people and said, "¹How long * will you hesitate between two opinions? ²If the LORD is God, follow * Him; but if Baal, follow * him." But the people did not answer him a word.

22 Then Elijah said to the people, "I ³alone am left a prophet of the LORD, but Baal's prophets are 450 * * men.

23 "Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.

24 "Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD, and ⁴the God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people said, "That is a good idea."

25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was ⁵no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.

27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."

28 So they cried with a loud voice and ⁶cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.

29 When midday was past, they raved ⁷until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come near to me." So all the people came near to him. And ⁸he repaired the altar of the LORD which had been torn down.

31 Elijah took twelve * stones according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD had come, saying, "⁹Israel shall be your name."

32 So with the stones he built an altar in ¹⁰the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.

33 ¹¹Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

34 And he said, "Fill four pitchers with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood." And he said, "Do it a second time," and they did it a second time. And he said, "Do it a third time," and they did it a third time.

35 The water flowed around the altar and he also filled the trench with water.

Elijah's Prayer

36 ¹²At the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet came near and said, "¹³O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that ¹⁴You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and ¹⁵I have done all these things at Your word.

37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again."

38 Then the ¹⁶fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "¹⁷The LORD, He is God; the LORD, He is God."

40 Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; do not let one of them escape." So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to ¹⁸the brook Kishon, ¹⁹and slew them there.

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1 Kings 18:20-40 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 18

In this chapter Elijah has an order from the Lord to show himself to Ahab, who, going first, and meeting with a servant of his, Obadiah, charges him to tell his master where he was, that he might meet him, 1Ki 18:1-16, and, upon meeting him, desires that all Israel, and the prophets of Baal, might be convened, which was accordingly done, 1Ki 18:17-20, when he expostulated with the people of Israel for their idolatry, mocked and confounded the prophets of Baal, and gave the strongest proofs, to the conviction of the people, that Jehovah is the true God, 1Ki 18:21-39, on which all the prophets of Baal were slain, 1Ki 18:40, and rain in great abundance was given at the prayer of the prophet, 1Ki 18:41-46.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 20

1. 2 Kings 17:41; Matthew 6:24
2. Joshua 24:15
3. 1 Kings 19:10, 14
4. 1 Kings 18:19
5. 1 Kings 18:38
6. Psalms 115:4, 5; Jeremiah 10:5
7. Leviticus 19:28; Deuteronomy 14:1
8. Exodus 29:39, 41
9. 1 Kings 19:10, 14; 2 Chronicles 33:16
10. Genesis 32:28; Genesis 35:10; 2 Kings 17:34
11. Colossians 3:17
12. Genesis 22:9; Leviticus 1:7, 8
13. 1 Kings 18:29
14. Genesis 28:13; Exodus 3:6; Exodus 4:5; Matthew 22:32
15. 1 Kings 8:43
16. Numbers 16:28-32
17. Genesis 15:17; Leviticus 9:24; Leviticus 10:1, 2; Judges 6:21; 2 Kings 1:12; 1 Chronicles 21:26; 2 Chronicles 7:1; Job 1:16
18. 1 Kings 18:21, 24
19. Judges 4:7; Judges 5:21
20. Deuteronomy 13:5; Deuteronomy 18:20; 2 Kings 10:24, 25

Footnotes 8

[a]. Lit "limp on the two divided opinions"
[b]. Lit "The matter is good"
[c]. Lit "he gave"
[d]. Lit "limped;" i.e. a type of ceremonial dance
[e]. So some mss and the ancient versions; M.T. "he"
[f]. Lit "prophesied"
[g]. Lit "attentiveness"
[h]. Heb "seahs;" i.e. one seah equals approx 11 qts