1 Kings 18:38

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1 Kings 18:38 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 18:38

Then the fire of the Lord fell
An extraordinary fire from God out of heaven, as the effects of it show:

and consumed the burnt sacrifice;
as it had done in former instances, ( Leviticus 9:24 ) ( Judges 6:21 ) ( 1 Chronicles 21:26 ) ( 2 Chronicles 7:1 2 Chronicles 7:3 ) , and besides this, which is still more extraordinary,

and the wood, and the stones, and the dust;
of the altar, thereby signifying that even such were not to be used any more:

and licked up the water that was in the trench;
around the altar, see ( 1 Kings 18:32 ) .

1 Kings 18:38 In-Context

36 And when it was now time to offer the holocaust, Elias, the prophet, came near and said: O Lord God of Abraham, and Isaac, and Israel, shew this day that thou art the God of Israel, and I thy servant, and that according to thy commandment I have done all these things.

37 Dear me, O Lord, hear me: that this people may learn that thou art the Lord God, and that thou hast turned their heart again.

38 Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

39 And when all the people saw this, they fell on their faces, and they said: The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.

40 And Elias said to them: Take the prophets of Baal, and let not one of them escape. And when they had taken them, Elias brought them down to the torrent Cison, and killed them there.