1 Kings 18:38

1 Kings 18:38 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then 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.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

Context of 1 Kings 18:38

36The time came for the evening offering. Then God's prophet Elijah came to the front of the altar. He prayed, ‘Lord, you are the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel. Show people clearly today that you are the God who rules over Israel. Show that I am your servant. Show that I have done all these things because you commanded me to do them. 37Please answer me, Lord! Answer me so that these people will know that you, Lord, are the true God. They will know that you have caused them to turn back to serve you again.’ Then the Lord sent fire down from above. It burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the dirt. It made all the water in the hole around the altar disappear! 39When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down on the ground. They shouted, ‘The Lord is the true God! Yes, the Lord is God!’ 40Then Elijah said, ‘Take hold of Baal's prophets! Do not let any of them run away!’ So they caught them. Then Elijah took the prophets down to the Kishon Valley. There, he punished them with death.

1 Kings 18:38 word by word

וַתִּפֹּ֣ל אֵשׁ־יְהוָ֗ה וַתֹּ֤אכַל אֶת־הָֽעֹלָה֙ וְאֶת־הָ֣עֵצִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָאֲבָנִ֖ים וְאֶת־הֶעָפָ֑ר וְאֶת־הַמַּ֥יִם אֲשֶׁר־בַּתְּעָלָ֖ה לִחֵֽכָה׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then the fireאֵשׁ'êsh · fireH784
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• fellנָפַלnâphal · to fall: fallH5307
• and consumedאָכַל'âkal · to eatH398
• the burnt sacrificeעֹלָה‛ôlâh ‛ôlâh · burnt offeringH5930
• and the woodעֵץ‛êts · tree: woodH6086
• and the stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
• and the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• and licked upלָחַךְlâchak · to lickH3897
• the waterמַיmayim · waterH4325
• in the trenchתְּעָלָהte‛âlâh · conduitH8585

Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:38

• Genesis 15:17Then the sun went down and it became dark. Abram saw a pot that had coals in it. The coals were burning and making smoke. There was also a branch that burned with bright fire. These passed between the halves of the animals that Abram had cut in two pieces.
• Leviticus 9:24Then the Lord sent a fire to show that he accepted the gifts. It completely burnt all the fat and the offerings that were on the altar. The people were very happy when they saw this. They shouted and they fell down with their faces to the ground.
• Judges 6:21Then the Lord's angel touched the meat and the bread with the end of the stick that he held in his hand. Fire came from the rock and it burnt up the meat and the bread. Then the Lord's angel disappeared.
• 1 Chronicles 21:26Then he built an altar there to worship the Lord. He offered burnt offerings and friendship offerings on it. He prayed to the Lord and the Lord answered him. The Lord sent fire from the sky to burn up the sacrifice on the altar.
• 2 Chronicles 7:1When King Solomon had finished his prayer, fire came down from heaven. It destroyed the burnt offerings and the other sacrifices. The Lord's bright glory filled the temple.
• 1 Kings 18:24Then, you pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord. The god who answers and who sends fire to light the wood, he is the true God!’ All the people agreed that this was a good idea.
• Leviticus 10:2The Lord was angry and he sent fire to burn them. They died there in front of the Lord's altar.
• 2 Kings 1:12Elijah answered, ‘If I am really a man of God, fire will come down from the sky. It will destroy you and your 50 soldiers.’ Then fire from God did come down from the sky. It destroyed the captain and his 50 soldiers.
• Job 1:16That servant was still speaking, when another servant arrived. He said to Job, ‘God has sent lightning down from the sky. It has killed your sheep and your servants. I was the only one who escaped. I ran here to tell you what has happened.’
• Isaiah 31:9Their strongest soldiers will run away because they are afraid. The officers of their army will be afraid when they see the Lord's battle flag.’ That is what the Lord says. His fire is in Zion. Yes, his hot oven is in Jerusalem.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Then the fire of the Lord fell - It did not burst out from the altar; this might still, notwithstanding the water, have afforded some ground for suspicion that fire had been concealed, after the manner of the heathens, under the altar. Pindar's account of the Rhodians' settling is the isle of Rhodes, and their first sacrifice there, bears a near affinity to the account here given: the shower of gold descending on the sacrifice offered up without fire, to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38The fire of the Lord fell - This cannot have been a flash of lightning. It was altogether, in its nature as well as in its opportuneness, miraculous. Compare the marginal references for the conduct of the people.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-40Verses 21-40 Many of the people wavered in their judgment, and varied in their practice. Elijah called upon them to determine whether Jehovah or Baal was the self-existent, supreme God, the Creator, Governor, and Judge of the world, and to follow him alone. It is dangerous to halt between the service of God and the service of sin, the dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts. If Jesus be the only Saviour, let us cleave to him alone for every…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 38-39The Lord sent fire that burned everything, even the water in the trench. This showed clearly that the Lord is truly God. The story that follows makes it certain that the Lord, not Baal, rules over fire, water, and the weather.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-4021-40. Elijah said unto all the people, How long halt ye?--They had long been attempting to conjoin the service of God with that of Baal. It was an impracticable union and the people were so struck with a sense of their own folly, or dread of the king's displeasure, that they "answered not a word." Elijah proposed to decide for them the controversy between God and Baal by an appeal, not to the authority of the law, for that would have no weight, but by a…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 18:38

• Ahab
• Carmel
• Elijah
• Faith
• Fire
• High Places
• Miracles
• Prayer
• Revivals

In the dictionaries

• Burnt Sacrifice
• Ahab
• Answer
• Carmel
• Cut
• Either
• Fire
• 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