1 Kings 18:38

38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and the water which [was] in the trench it licked up!

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 It happened at the offering of the [evening] oblation, Elijah the prophet went near, and he said, "O Yahweh, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel; let it be known today that you [are] God in Israel and [that] I [am] your servant and [that] I have done all of these things by your words.

37 Answer me, O Yahweh, answer me; that this people may know that you, O Yahweh, [are] God and that you have turned their hearts back again."

38 Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and the water which [was] in the trench it licked up!

39 When all the people saw, they fell on their faces and said, "Yahweh, he [is] God! Yahweh, he [is] God!"

40 Then Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; don't let any man of them escape!" So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the wadi of Kishon and killed them there.