New International Version
1 Kings 18:31
31Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.”
1 Kings 18:31 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And 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:
- English Standard Version (ESV)Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, "Israel shall be your name,"
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Israel shall be your name.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)He took twelve stones, one to represent each of the tribes of Israel,
Context of 1 Kings 18:31
29Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. 30Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come here to me.” They came to him, and he repaired the altar of the Lord, which had been torn down. Elijah took twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord had come, saying, “Your name shall be Israel.” 32With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of seed. 33He arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, “Fill four large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood.”
Read all of 1 Kings 181 Kings 18:31 word by word
וַיִּקַּ֣ח אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ שְׁתֵּ֤ים עֶשְׂרֵה֙ אֲבָנִ֔ים כְּמִסְפַּ֖ר שִׁבְטֵ֣י בְנֵֽי־יַעֲקֹ֑ב אֲשֶׁר֩ הָיָ֨ה דְבַר־יְהוָ֤ה אֵלָיו֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל יִהְיֶ֥ה שְׁמֶֽךָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Elijahאֵלִיָּה'êlîyâh 'êlîyâhû · ElijahH452
- tookלָקַחlâqach · to take: takeH3947
- twelveעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
- twelveשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
- stonesאֶ֫בֶן'eben · stoneH68
- according to the numberמִסְפָּרmispâr · numberH4557
- of the tribesשֵׁ֫בֶטshêbeţ · tribeH7626
- of the sonsבֵּןbên · son: descendant/peopleH1121
- of Jacobיַעֲקֹבya‛ăqôb · JacobH3290
- unto whom the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- came, sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- shall be thy nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:31
- Exodus 24:4Moses then wrote down everything the Lord had said. He got up early the next morning and built an altar at the foot of the mountain and set up twelve stone pillars representing the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Joshua 4:3and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight.”
- Ezra 6:17For the dedication of this house of God they offered a hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred male lambs and, as a sin offering for all Israel, twelve male goats, one for each of the tribes of Israel.
- Jeremiah 31:1“At that time,” declares the Lord, “I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be my people.”
- Ezekiel 37:16“Son of man, take a stick of wood and write on it, ‘Belonging to Judah and the Israelites associated with him.’ Then take another stick of wood, and write on it, ‘Belonging to Joseph (that is, to Ephraim) and all the Israelites associated with him.’
- Ezekiel 47:13This is what the Sovereign Lord says: “These are the boundaries of the land that you will divide among the twelve tribes of Israel as their inheritance, with two portions for Joseph.
- Ephesians 2:20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
- Ephesians 4:4There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called;
- Revelation 7:4Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
- Revelation 21:12It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.
- Genesis 32:28Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”
- Genesis 33:20There he set up an altar and called it El Elohe Israel.
- Genesis 35:10God said to him, “Your name is Jacob, but you will no longer be called Jacob; your name will be Israel.” So he named him Israel.
- 2 Kings 17:34To this day they persist in their former practices. They neither worship the Lord nor adhere to the decrees and regulations, the laws and commands that the Lord gave the descendants of Jacob, whom he named Israel.
- Isaiah 48:1“Listen to this, you descendants of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and come from the line of Judah, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and invoke the God of Israel— but not in truth or righteousness—
Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:31
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Took twelve stones - He did this to show that all the twelve tribes of Israel should be joined in the worship of Jehovah.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. 31-32The twelve stones Elijah used to rebuild the altar for the Lord should have reminded the people that God was the redeemer of all Israel (compare Joshua 4:1–11; see Isaiah 41:14; 49:26).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 18:31
In the dictionaries
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
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