1 Kings 18:20

1 Kings 18:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.
• New International Version (NIV)So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.

Context of 1 Kings 18:20

18Elijah said, “I have not brought disaster on Israel, but you and your father’s household have, by abandoning (rejecting) the commandments of the Lord and by following the Baals. 19Now then, send word and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of [the goddess] Asherah, who eat at [Queen] Jezebel’s table.” So Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and assembled the [pagan] prophets together at Mount Carmel. 21Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone remain a prophet of the Lord, while Baal’s prophets are 450 men.

1 Kings 18:20 word by word

וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח אַחְאָ֖ב בְּכָל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץ אֶת־הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים אֶל־הַ֥ר הַכַּרְמֶֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So Ahabאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
• sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• unto all the childrenבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• and gatheredקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
• the prophetsנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• unto mountהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• Carmelכַּרְמֶלkarmel · (Mount) CarmelH3760

Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:20

• 1 Kings 22:9Then the king of Israel summoned an officer and said, “Bring quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah.”

Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:20

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Local tradition places the site of Elijah‘s sacrifice, not on the highest point of the mountain (1,728 ft.), but at the southeastern extremity (1,600 ft.) of the ridge, where a shapeless ruin, composed of great hewn stones, and standing amid thick bushes of dwarf-oak, in the near vicinity of a perennial spring, is known to the Arabs as “El-Maharrakah,” “the burning,” or “the sacrifice.” All the circumstances of the locality adapt it for the scene of the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-20Verses 17-20 One may guess how people stand affected to God, by observing how they stand affected to his people and ministers. It has been the lot of the best and most useful men, like Elijah, to be called and counted the troublers of the land. But those who cause God's judgments do the mischief, not he that foretells them, and warns the nation to repent.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-20Mount Carmel is on a ridge that separates the coastal plain of Palestine. The site was famous for Canaanite idol worship, and an altar to the Lord was also built there earlier (1 Kings 18:30). It was a natural place for the contest with Baal. The Septuagint (a Greek translation of the Old Testament) might suggest that the prophets of Asherah were present at the contest on Mount Carmel, but the Hebrew text does not confirm this (compare 1 Kings 18:22).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. mount Carmel--is a bold, bluff promontory, which extends from the western coast of Palestine, at the bay of Acre, for many miles eastward, to the central hills of Samaria. It is a long range, presenting many summits, and intersected by a number of small ravines. The spot where the contest took place is situated at the eastern extremity, which is also the highest point of the whole ridge. It is called El-Mohhraka, "the Burning," or "the Burnt Place."…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 18:20

• Ahab
• Carmel
• Elijah
• Reproof
• Revivals

In the dictionaries

• Ahab
• Carmel
• Israel
• Children of Israel
• Answer
• Cut
• Either
• Follow
• Halt
• Lord

Commentaries on 1 Kings 18

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings