1 Kings 18:24

24 Call ye the name of your gods, and I shall call the name of my God; and the God that heareth by fire falling down, given from heaven to waste the sacrifice, be he God. And all the people answered, and said, The reason is best, that Elijah hath spoken. (Then call ye on the name of your god, and I shall call on the name of my God; and the God who answereth with fire falling down, that is, with fire given from heaven to consume the sacrifice, he is God. And all the people answered, and said, What Elijah hath spoken is reasonable.)

1 Kings 18:24 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 18:24

And call ye on the name of your gods
The Baalim, the many lords and gods they served:

and I will call on the name of the Lord;
the one true Jehovah and God of Israel, whom I serve:

and the God that answereth by fire;
by causing fire to come down upon the sacrifice, and consume it:

let him be God;
accounted, owned, and acknowledged as the true God, and so afterwards worshipped as such:

and all the people answered and said, it is well spoken;
they thought it a very reasonable proposal, a very good method to determine the controversy, and come at the truth, and know who was the true God, and who not.

1 Kings 18:24 In-Context

22 And Elijah said again to the people, I dwelled alone a prophet of the Lord; soothly the prophets of Baal be four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the maumet woods be four hundred men. (And Elijah said to the people, I am the only prophet of the Lord still left; but there be four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and four hundred prophets of Asherah.)

23 (Let) Twain oxes be given to us; and choose they one ox, and they shall cut (it) into gobbets, and put it on wood, but put they not fire under (it); and I shall make (ready) the tother ox into sacrifice (and I shall prepare the other ox for sacrifice), and I shall put (it) on the wood, and I shall not put fire under (it either).

24 Call ye the name of your gods, and I shall call the name of my God; and the God that heareth by fire falling down, given from heaven to waste the sacrifice, be he God. And all the people answered, and said, The reason is best, that Elijah hath spoken. (Then call ye on the name of your god, and I shall call on the name of my God; and the God who answereth with fire falling down, that is, with fire given from heaven to consume the sacrifice, he is God. And all the people answered, and said, What Elijah hath spoken is reasonable.)

25 Therefore Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose ye one ox to you, and make ye (ready) first your sacrifice, for ye be the more; and call ye the names of your gods, and put ye not fire under. (And so Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose ye one ox for yourselves, and prepare ye first your sacrifice, for ye be the more; and then call ye on the name of your god, but put ye no fire under it.)

26 And when they had taken the ox, whom Elijah gave to them, they made (ready the) sacrifice, and called the name of Baal, from the morrowtide till to midday, and said, Baal, hear us! And no voice was, neither any that answered; and they skipped over the altar, which they had made. (And when they had taken the ox, which was given to them, they prepared the sacrifice, and called on the name of Baal, from the morning until midday, and said, Baal, hear us! But there was no voice, nor anyone who answered; even as they leapt all around the altar, which they had made.)