1 Kings 18

A long time went by. Then, in the third year of the drought, the LORD spoke to Elijah. He said, "Go and let King Ahab see you. Then I will send rain on the land."

1And it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, shew thyself unto Ahab; and I will send rain upon the earth.

NoteThe drought began at Elijah's word in the previous chapter; "the third year" counts from then. In this region rain falls only between roughly October and April, so three years without it meant no harvests at all.

2So Elijah went to let Ahab see him. At that time the lack of food was very bad in Samaria.

2And Elijah went to shew himself unto Ahab. And there was a sore famine in Samaria.

NoteSamaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom of Israel, which had split from Judah in the south. "Israel" throughout this chapter means that northern kingdom, ruled from Samaria by Ahab.

3Ahab sent for Obadiah, the man in charge of the king's palace. (Obadiah had deep respect for the LORD and obeyed him.

3And Ahab called Obadiah, which was the governor of his house. (Now Obadiah feared the LORD greatly:

Note"Governor of his house" was not a household servant but the highest official at court, the manager of the king's palace, lands and revenues, something like a chief of staff. In the King James Version "feared the LORD" means loyal reverence, not being afraid of him.

4When Queen Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred of them and hidden them in caves, fifty in each one, and he gave them food and water.)

4For it was so, when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the LORD, that Obadiah took an hundred prophets, and hid them by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water.)

NoteJezebel was Ahab's queen, daughter of the king of Sidon on the Phoenician coast, and she promoted the worship of her own country's gods in Israel. "Prophets of the LORD" here means members of an organized body of religious spokesmen, not lone visionaries; killing them was a purge of a rival institution.

5Ahab said to Obadiah, "Go all through the land, to every spring and every valley. Maybe we can find grass to keep the horses and mules alive, so we do not have to kill any of our animals."

5And Ahab said unto Obadiah, Go into the land, unto all fountains of water, and unto all brooks: peradventure we may find grass to save the horses and mules alive, that we lose not all the beasts.

NoteHorses and mules were expensive military and state property, chariot teams and pack animals, which is why they are singled out ahead of ordinary livestock.

6So they split the land between them to search it. Ahab went one way alone, and Obadiah went the other way alone.

6So they divided the land between them to pass throughout it: Ahab went one way by himself, and Obadiah went another way by himself.

7As Obadiah was walking along, Elijah suddenly met him. Obadiah knew who he was. He bowed with his face to the ground and said, "Is it really you, my lord Elijah?"

7And as Obadiah was in the way, behold, Elijah met him: and he knew him, and fell on his face, and said, Art thou that my lord Elijah?

NoteFalling face down was the standard gesture of respect before a superior in this culture, used for kings and high officials as well as in worship. It signals that Obadiah recognizes Elijah's rank as a prophet, not that he is worshiping him.

8"It is I," Elijah answered. "Go and tell your master, 'Elijah is here.'"

8And he answered him, I am: go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

9Obadiah said, "What wrong have I done, that you would hand me, your servant, over to Ahab to be killed?

9And he said, What have I sinned, that thou wouldest deliver thy servant into the hand of Ahab, to slay me?

10As surely as the LORD your God lives, there is no nation or kingdom where my master has not sent people to look for you. When they said you were not there, he made that kingdom or nation swear they had not found you.

10As the LORD thy God liveth, there is no nation or kingdom, whither my lord hath not sent to seek thee: and when they said, He is not there; he took an oath of the kingdom and nation, that they found thee not.

Note"As the LORD thy God liveth" is a fixed oath formula, roughly "I swear by the living God." Notice Obadiah says "your God," the normal way of speaking to someone whose god you acknowledge but do not serve as closely.

11And now you tell me, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here.'

11And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here.

12As soon as I leave you, the Spirit of the LORD may carry you off somewhere I do not know. Then I will go and tell Ahab, and he will not find you, and he will kill me. But I, your servant, have honored the LORD since I was young.

12And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the LORD shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the LORD from my youth.

NoteIt was commonly assumed that a prophet could be physically snatched away and set down elsewhere by God's spirit. Obadiah's fear is practical: if Elijah vanishes after the announcement, Ahab will assume Obadiah lied.

13Has no one told my lord what I did when Jezebel was killing the LORD's prophets? I hid a hundred of the LORD's prophets in caves, fifty in each one, and I gave them food and water.

13Was it not told my lord what I did when Jezebel slew the prophets of the LORD, how I hid an hundred men of the LORD’s prophets by fifty in a cave, and fed them with bread and water?

14And now you tell me, 'Go and tell your master that Elijah is here.' He will kill me!"

14And now thou sayest, Go, tell thy lord, Behold, Elijah is here: and he shall slay me.

15Elijah said, "As surely as the LORD who commands armies lives, the one I serve, I will show myself to Ahab today."

15And Elijah said, As the LORD of hosts liveth, before whom I stand, I will surely shew myself unto him to day.

Note"The LORD of hosts" is a title meaning the LORD who commands armies, heavenly ones, and in older usage Israel's as well. "Before whom I stand" is court language: a courtier stands in the presence of his king, so the phrase means "whose servant I am."

16So Obadiah went and told Ahab, and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

16So Obadiah went to meet Ahab, and told him: and Ahab went to meet Elijah.

17When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, "Is that you, the man who brings trouble on Israel?"

17And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel?

NoteThe Hebrew word behind "troubler" means someone who brings disaster on his own community, a person whose presence poisons things for everyone. It is an accusation of causing the drought, not a complaint about being a nuisance.

18Elijah answered, "I have not brought trouble on Israel. You and your father's family have. You have turned away from the LORD's commands and have followed the Baals.

18And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father’s house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the LORD, and thou hast followed Baalim.

NoteBaal was the storm god of the Canaanites and Phoenicians, the god believed to bring rain and make crops grow. The plural "Baals" reflects the fact that individual towns had their own local versions of him. The rain contest that follows takes place on exactly the ground Baal was supposed to control.

19Now send word and gather all Israel to meet me at Mount Carmel. Bring the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table."

19Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.

NoteMount Carmel is a wooded ridge running to the Mediterranean coast, on the border between Israelite and Phoenician territory, neutral ground between the two religions. Asherah was a Canaanite mother goddess, often worshiped alongside Baal; the King James Version calls her prophets "prophets of the groves" because her emblem was a wooden pole or stylised tree. "Eat at Jezebel's table" means these prophets were on the royal payroll, fed at the queen's expense.

20So Ahab sent word to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

20So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

21Elijah went up to all the people and said, "How long will you go back and forth between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him. But if Baal is God, follow him." The people did not say a word.

21And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

NoteThe Hebrew word translated "halt" means to limp or hop, and the picture is of someone hobbling first onto one leg and then the other, unable to put steady weight on either side. The same verb reappears in verse 26 for the dance of Baal's prophets.

22Then Elijah said to the people, "I am the only prophet of the LORD left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.

22Then said Elijah unto the people, I, even I only, remain a prophet of the LORD; but Baal’s prophets are four hundred and fifty men.

NoteElijah says he alone is left even though Obadiah has just told him about a hundred hidden prophets. He most likely means he is the only one still operating in public; the text lets the tension stand without explaining it.

23Bring us two bulls. Let them pick one bull for themselves, cut it in pieces, and lay it on the wood, but light no fire under it. I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood, and light no fire under it.

23Let them therefore give us two bullocks; and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under:

NoteA "bullock" is a young bull, the most valuable animal in the standard sacrificial system. The procedure described (killing the animal, cutting it up, laying the pieces on wood and burning the whole thing) is a burnt offering, in which nothing is eaten and the entire carcass goes up in smoke.

24Then you call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by sending fire, he is God." All the people said, "That is a good plan."

24And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

NoteFire falling from the sky was a recognized sign that a god had accepted an offering. The test is pointed, because Baal was himself worshiped as the god of lightning and storm.

25Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Pick one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Then call on the name of your god, but light no fire under it."

25And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

26They took the bull they were given and prepared it. They called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, "Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound, and no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

26And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

Note"They leaped upon the altar" describes a ritual dance around it, using the same limping-hopping verb Elijah used in verse 21. Calling on a god's name repeatedly for hours was ordinary practice, not a sign of desperation.

27At noon Elijah began making fun of them. He said, "Shout louder! He is a god, after all. Maybe he is deep in thought, or busy, or away on a trip. Maybe he is asleep and has to be woken up."

27And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

NoteEach of Elijah's suggestions is a jab at the idea of a god with human limitations. The word behind "he is pursuing" is uncertain: it can mean he has stepped aside on business, and many readers have taken it as a crude joke about going to the toilet. The Hebrew leaves the insult open.

28So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and spears, as they usually did, until their blood poured out over them.

28And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

NoteGashing the skin was a known religious practice in the region, used in mourning rites and in working oneself into a prophetic frenzy; Israelite law forbade it. "Lancets" in the King James Version means lances or spear blades, not surgical instruments.

29Noon passed, and they kept raving on until the time for the evening offering. But there was no sound, no one answered, and no one paid attention.

29And it came to pass, when midday was past, and they prophesied until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that there was neither voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded.

Note"Prophesied" here means the ecstatic, frenzied behavior prophets fell into, not predicting the future. The evening sacrifice was offered in the late afternoon, around three o'clock, so the prophets of Baal have been at this since dawn, roughly nine hours.

30Then Elijah said to all the people, "Come here to me." All the people came to him, and he rebuilt the LORD's altar, which had been torn down.

30And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down.

NoteAltars to the LORD stood at various sites around the country, not only at the temple in Jerusalem, and this one on Carmel had been deliberately pulled down at some earlier point.

31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob's sons. The LORD had spoken to Jacob and said, "Your name will be Israel."

31And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:

NoteThe twelve tribes were each descended from one of Jacob's twelve sons. Jacob was renamed Israel, and the twelve stones assert that the northern kingdom and southern kingdom together still make up a single people.

32With those stones he built an altar to honor the LORD. Then he dug a ditch around the altar big enough to hold two seahs of seed.

32And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.

NoteThe Hebrew says the trench would hold "two seahs of seed." A seah was a dry measure of about seven quarts, so two seahs is roughly three or four gallons. The phrase may instead mean a trench enclosing as much ground as two seahs of seed would sow, the Hebrew can be read either way.

33He stacked the wood in place, cut the bull into pieces, and laid it on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood."

33And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

NoteThe "barrels" are the large clay water jars carried on the shoulder or head, holding a few gallons each. Twelve jars of water poured out during a three-year drought is a deliberately extravagant waste; Carmel's nearness to the sea and its springs is the usual explanation for where it came from.

34"Do it a second time," he said, and they did it a second time. "Do it a third time," he said, and they did it a third time.

34And he said, Do it the second time. And they did it the second time. And he said, Do it the third time. And they did it the third time.

35The water ran down all around the altar, and it even filled the ditch.

35And the water ran round about the altar; and he filled the trench also with water.

36At the time for the evening offering, Elijah the prophet stepped forward and said, "LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel, that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things because you told me to.

36And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word.

NoteAbraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) were the ancestors of all twelve tribes. Naming them addresses the God of the whole nation rather than of one kingdom.

37Answer me, LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, the LORD, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back to you."

37Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again.

38Then fire from the LORD fell. It burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and it dried up the water in the ditch.

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

39When all the people saw it, they bowed down with their faces to the ground and said, "The LORD, he is God! The LORD, he is God!"

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

NoteFalling face down is the same gesture Obadiah made to Elijah in verse 7, here directed to God. The doubled cry is a formal acclamation, the kind of phrase a crowd shouts in unison.

40Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal. Do not let a single one get away." They seized them, and Elijah took them down to the brook Kishon and killed them there.

40And Elijah said unto them, Take the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape. And they took them: and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and slew them there.

NoteThe Kishon is a stream running along the foot of Carmel, dry or nearly dry for most of the year and liable to flash flooding when the rains come. Israelite law treated leading the nation into the worship of other gods as a capital offense, and Elijah is acting on that law.

41Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink, because I hear the sound of a heavy rain coming."

41And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.

42So Ahab went up to eat and drink. But Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, bent down to the ground, and put his face between his knees.

42So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees,

NoteBending down with the face between the knees is a posture of intense, concentrated prayer, folding the body in on itself.

43He said to his servant, "Go up and look toward the sea." The servant went up, looked, and said, "There is nothing there." Seven times Elijah told him, "Go back again."

43And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times.

NoteThe sea is the Mediterranean, to the west. Rain in this region arrives from the west off the sea, so that is the horizon to watch.

44The seventh time, the servant said, "A small cloud, about the size of a man's hand, is rising out of the sea." Elijah said, "Go and tell Ahab to hitch up his chariot and go down before the rain stops him."

44And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.

NoteChariots ran on hard ground. Once heavy rain hit, the plain below Carmel and the Kishon crossing would turn to mud and floodwater, stranding Ahab, hence the urgency.

45Meanwhile the sky turned black with clouds and wind, and a heavy rain began to fall. Ahab got in his chariot and rode to Jezreel.

45And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.

NoteJezreel was a second royal residence of Ahab's, about seventeen miles east of Carmel across the valley that bears its name.

46The power of the LORD came on Elijah. He tucked his robe into his belt and ran ahead of Ahab all the way to the entrance of Jezreel.

46And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.

Note"The hand of the LORD" is a standing idiom for a surge of divine power coming on a prophet. Tucking the long robe up into the belt freed the legs for running. Running ahead of the king's chariot was the recognized job of a royal herald or honor guard, so Elijah is publicly acting as Ahab's escort.