1 Kings 18:24

Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.”

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Elijah addresses the prophets of Baal and the assembled Israelites on Mount Carmel during a public contest to identify the true deity. He establishes a test where both sides prepare a bull sacrifice without lighting the fire, demanding that each god reveal himself.

The words — The Hebrew קְרָאתֶם (qera'tem) means "you will call," paired with אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (eloheikhem), "your god," while Elijah contrasts this with calling on the name of יְהוָה (Yahweh). The clause וְהָיָה (ve'hayah), literally "and he will be," introduces the decisive criterion that the deity who answers by fire is truly God.

The thread — The fire criterion anticipates Leviticus 9:24, where fire consumes the burnt offering from the LORD's presence, and 1 Kings 18:38, where fire falls and consumes Elijah's sacrifice. The practice of calling on Yahweh's name recurs in 1 Chronicles 21:26 as a recorded pattern of seeking divine response through altar worship.

Why it lands — The text demands a public verification of divine authority through a visible, irreversible sign rather than ritual performance. It requires the reader to recognize that true deity is defined by sovereign action, not by human invocation.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

King James Version

And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the Lord: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

Cross-references

1 Kings 18:38 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.
1 Chronicles 21:26 And there he built an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. He called upon the LORD, who answered him with fire from heaven on the altar of burnt offering.
Leviticus 9:24 Fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed the burnt offering and the fat portions on the altar. And when all the people saw it, they shouted for joy and fell facedown.
2 Chronicles 7:1 When Solomon had finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.
2 Chronicles 7:3 When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD: “For He is good; His loving devotion endures forever.”
Judges 6:21 Then the angel of the LORD extended the tip of the staff that was in his hand and touched the meat and the unleavened bread. And fire flared from the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. Then the angel of the LORD vanished from his sight.
2 Samuel 14:19 So the king asked, “Is the hand of Joab behind all this?” The woman answered, “As surely as you live, my lord the king, no one can turn to the right or to the left from anything that my lord the king says. Yes, your servant Joab is the one who gave me orders; he told your maidservant exactly what to say.
Isaiah 39:8 But Hezekiah said to Isaiah, “The word of the LORD that you have spoken is good.” For he thought, “At least there will be peace and security in my lifetime.”