Bible Strands
1 Kings 18:19
Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elijah speaks to King Ahab during a direct confrontation in Samaria, immediately following his declaration that the king and his house have abandoned the Lord’s commandments. The command initiates a public assembly on Mount Carmel to confront the opposing prophetic factions.
The words — The Hebrew imperative קְבֹ֥ץ (ke.Votz) means "gather," paired with שְׁלַ֨ח (she.Lach) "send," forming a direct command to assemble the people. These verbs frame the subsequent public challenge as an official royal summons rather than a spontaneous event.
The thread — Mount Carmel appears again in Joshua 19:26 as a territorial boundary and in 2 Kings 2:25 as a location Elisha visits. The presence of Asherah’s prophets directly echoes the pole Ahab erected in 1 Kings 16:33.
Why it lands — The text demands a reader to observe how Elijah forces a public reckoning by listing the exact number and allegiance of opposing religious leaders. It requires acknowledging that the challenge is structured around verifiable counts and specific loyalties rather than abstract debate.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table.
Cross-references
- Joshua 19:26 Allammelech, Amad, and Mishal. On the west the border touched Carmel and Shihor-libnath,
- 1 Kings 16:33 Then he set up an Asherah pole. Thus Ahab did more to provoke the LORD, the God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel before him.
- 2 Kings 2:25 And Elisha went on to Mount Carmel, and from there he returned to Samaria.
- 2 Peter 2:1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
- 1 Samuel 15:12 Early in the morning Samuel got up to confront Saul, but he was told, “Saul has gone to Carmel, and behold, he has set up a monument for himself and has turned and gone down to Gilgal.”
- 1 Kings 15:13 He also removed his grandmother Maacah from her position as queen mother because she had made a detestable Asherah pole. Asa chopped down the pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley.
- 1 Kings 18:22 Then Elijah said to the people, “I am the only remaining prophet of the LORD, but Baal has four hundred and fifty prophets.
- 1 Kings 18:42 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.
- 1 Kings 19:1 Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
- 1 Kings 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.”