Bible Strands

1 Kings 18:30

Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” So all the people approached him, and he repaired the altar of the LORD that had been torn down.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Elijah addresses the assembled crowd immediately after the prophets of Baal fail to receive a response. He commands the people to approach him so he can restore the destroyed altar of the LORD.

The words — The text highlights גְּשׁוּ (ge.Shu), meaning "draw near," and וַ/יִּגְּשׁ֥וּ (va/i.yi.ge.Shu), meaning "and they drew near." These verbs mark the physical movement of the people toward Elijah in direct response to his command.

The thread — The act of repairing a torn-down altar echoes the restoration described in 2 Chronicles 33:16. Elijah’s subsequent defense of his zeal for the LORD in 1 Kings 19:10 and 1 Kings 19:14 builds directly on this moment of altar restoration.

Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that physical restoration of worship precedes divine intervention. It demands a willingness to approach the mediator and participate in the reestablishment of covenant practice before expecting a response.

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

וַיֹּ֨אמֶרva/i.Yo.merand/ he saidאֵלִיָּ֤הוּ'e.li.Ya.huElijahלְכָל־le./kholto/ allהָעָם֙ha./'Amthe/ peopleגְּשׁ֣וּge.Shudraw nearאֵלַ֔י'e.La/ito/ meוַיִּגְּשׁ֥וּva/i.yi.ge.Shuand/ they drew nearכָל־khol-allהָעָ֖םha./'Amthe/ peopleאֵלָ֑יו'e.La/vto/ himוַיְרַפֵּ֛אva/y.ra.Pe'and/ he repairedאֶת־'et-<obj.>מִזְבַּ֥חmiz.Bach[the] altar ofיְהוָ֖הYah.wehYahwehהֶהָרֽוּס׃he./ha.Rusthat/ was torn down

King James Version

And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

Cross-references

People named

Elijah