1 Kings 18:40

Baal Elijah Kishon

³⁸ 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.

³⁹ When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

⁴¹ And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of a heavy rain.”

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

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Then Elijah ordered them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let a single one escape.” So they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.
KJV: And 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.
WEB: Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let one of them escape!” They seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there.
ASV: and 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.
DARBY: And Elijah said to them, Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape! And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the torrent of Kishon, and slaughtered them there.
BLB: And Elijah said to them, “Seize the prophets of the Baal! Let not a man escape of them.” And they seized them, and Elijah brought them down to the Kishon Valley and slaughtered them there.

ÅB: Da sa Elias til dem: Grip Ba'als profeter, la ingen av dem slippe herifra! Og de grep dem, og Elias førte dem ned til bekken Kison og lot dem drepe der.
OTB: Da sa Elia til dem: "Grip Baals profeter; la ikke én av dem slippe unna." Så grep de dem; og Elia førte dem ned til bekken Kishon, og henrettet dem der.
B1930: Da sa Elias til dem: Grip Ba'als profeter, la ingen av dem slippe herifra! Og de grep dem, og Elias førte dem ned til bekken Kison og lot dem drepe der.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Judges 4:7
And I will draw out Sisera the commander of Jabin’s army, his chariots, and his troops to the River Kishon, and I will deliver him into your hand.’”
Read in context
Deuteronomy 18:20
But if any prophet dares to speak a message in My name that I have not commanded him to speak, or to speak in the name of other gods, that prophet must be put to death.”
Read in context
Deuteronomy 13:5
Such a prophet or dreamer must be put to death, because he has advocated rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you from the house of slavery; he has tried to turn you from the way in which the LORD your God has commanded you to walk. So you must purge the evil from among you.
Read in context
Zechariah 13:2–3
And on that day, declares the LORD of Hosts, I will erase the names of the idols from the land, and they will no longer be remembered. I will also remove the prophets and the spirit of impurity from the land.
Read in context
Judges 5:21
The River Kishon swept them away, the ancient river, the River Kishon. March on, O my soul, in strength!
Read in context
Revelation 19:20
But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
Read in context
2 Kings 10:24–25
And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.”
Read in context
Jeremiah 48:10
Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
Read in context