1 Kings 18:38

The NET Bible®

Then fire from the Lord fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then the Lord’s fire fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

Hebrew Names Version
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.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
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 Century Version
Then fire from the Lord came down and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. It also dried up the water in the ditch.

Amplified Bible
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and even the stones and the dust; it also licked up the water in the trench.

New American Standard Bible
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood, and the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water that was in the trench.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt offring, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked vp the water that was in the ditche.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the fire of Yahweh 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.

Contemporary English Version
The Lord immediately sent fire, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones. It scorched the ground everywhere around the altar and dried up every drop of water in the ditch.

Complete Jewish Bible
Then the fire of Adonai fell. It consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones and the dust; and it licked up the water in the trench.

Darby Translation
And the fire of Jehovah 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.

Easy-to-Read Version
Then fire came down from the Lord and burned the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the ground around the altar. Then it dried up all the water in the ditch.

George Lamsa Translation
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.

Good News Translation
The Lord sent fire down, and it burned up the sacrifice, the wood, and the stones, scorched the earth and dried up the water in the trench.

Lexham English Bible
Then the fire of Yahweh fell, and it consumed the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; and the water which was in the trench it licked up!

Literal Translation
And fire fell from Jehovah and burned up the burnt offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and the water in the trench was licked up.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then fell downe the fyre of the LORDE, and consumed the burntofferinge, the wodd, the stones and the earth, and licked vp the water that was in the pytt.

American Standard Version
Then the fire of Jehovah 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.

Bible in Basic English
Then the fire of the Lord came down, burning up the offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and drinking up the water in the drain.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And the fire of the Lord fel, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the duste, and licked vp the water that was in the pit.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
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.

King James Version (1611)
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked vp the water that was in the trench.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Then fire fell from the Lord out of heaven, and devoured the whole-burnt-offerings, and the wood and the water that was in the trench, and the fire licked up the stones and the earth.

English Revised Version
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.

Berean Standard Bible
Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli fier of the Lord felde doun, and deuouride brent sacrifice, and trees, and stonus, and lickide vp also the poudre, and the water that was in the `leding of water.

Young's Literal Translation
And there falleth a fire of Jehovah, and consumeth the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and the water that [is] in the trench it hath licked up.

Update Bible Version
Then the fire of Yahweh 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.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
Then the fire of Yahweh 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
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.

New Living Translation
Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench!

New Life Bible
Then the fire of the Lord fell. It burned up the burnt gift, the wood, the stones and the dust. And it picked up the water that was in the ditch.

New Revised Standard
Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and even licked up the water that was in the trench.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then fell fire from Yahweh, and consumed the ascending-sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, - even the water that was in the trench, it licked up.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the holocaust, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Revised Standard Version
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.

THE MESSAGE
Immediately the fire of God fell and burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dirt, and even the water in the trench.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
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.

Contextual Overview

²¹ Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word. ²² Elijah said to them: "I am the only prophet of the Lord who is left, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. ²³ Let them bring us two bulls. Let them choose one of the bulls for themselves, cut it up into pieces, and place it on the wood. But they must not set it on fire. I will do the same to the other bull and place it on the wood. But I will not set it on fire. ²⁴ Then you will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord . The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God." All the people responded, "This will be a fair test." ²⁵ Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire." ²⁶ So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made. ²⁷ At noon Elijah mocked them, "Yell louder! After all, he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or perhaps he stepped out for a moment or has taken a trip. Perhaps he is sleeping and needs to be awakened." ²⁸ So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood. ²⁹ Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response. ³⁰ Elijah then told all the people, "Approach me." So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Then the: Genesis 15:17, Leviticus 9:24, Judges 6:21, 1 Chronicles 21:26, 2 Chronicles 7:1

fire: 1 Kings 18:24, Leviticus 10:2, 2 Kings 1:12, Job 1:16, Isaiah 31:9

Reciprocal: Genesis 4:4 - had Exodus 29:18 - a burnt offering Judges 13:19 - did wonderously 1 Kings 18:35 - the trench 1 Kings 19:12 - a fire 2 Chronicles 31:1 - all Israel Hebrews 11:4 - he obtained Revelation 13:13 - he maketh

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then the fire of the Lord fell,.... An extraordinary fire from God out of heaven, as the effects of it show:

and consumed the burnt sacrifice; as it had done in former instances, Leviticus 9:24, and besides this, which is still more extraordinary,

and the wood, and the stones, and the dust; of the altar, thereby signifying that even such were not to be used any more:

and licked up the water that was in the trench; around the altar, see

1 Kings 18:32.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The 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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 18:36. Then 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 show the approbation of their god, is little more than a poetic account of the above transactions.

Καιτοι γαρ αιθουσας εχοντεςπ

Σπερμ ' ανεβαν φλογος ου

Τευξαν δ ' απυροις ἱεροις

Αλσος εν ακροπολει· κεινοισι μεν ξαν -

θαν αγαγων νεφελαι·

Πολυν ὑσε χρυσον

Pind. Olymp. Od. 7, ver. 86.

The Rhodians, mindful of their sire's behest,

Straight in the citadel an altar reared;

But with imperfect rites the Power addressed,

And without fire their sacrifice prepared;

Yet Jove, approving, o'er the assembly spread

A yellow cloud, that dropped with golden dews.

WEST.

Consumed the burnt-sacrifice — The process of this consumption is very remarkable, and all calculated to remove the possibility of a suspicion that there was any concealed fire.

1. The fire came down from heaven.

2. The pieces of the sacrifice were first consumed.

3. The wood next, to show that it was not even by means of the wood that the flesh was burned.

4. The twelve stones were also consumed, to show that it was no common fire, but one whose agency nothing could resist.

5. The dust, the earth of which the altar was constructed, was burned up.

6. The water that was in the trench was, by the action of this fire, entirely evaporated.

7. The action of this fire was in every case downward, contrary to the nature of all earthly and material fire. Nothing can be more simple and artless than this description, yet how amazingly full and satisfactory is the whole account!