1 Kings 18:19 (DBY)

Passage

And now send, gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:17 And it came to pass when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said to him, Is it thou, the troubler of Israel?

1 Kings 18:18 And he said, I have not troubled Israel, but thou and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of Jehovah, and thou hast followed the Baals.

1 Kings 18:19 And now send, gather to me all Israel to mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the Asherah four hundred, who eat at Jezebel's table.

1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:21 Then Elijah drew near to all the people, and said, How long do ye halt between two opinions? if Jehovah be God, follow him; and if Baal, follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "send", "gather", "israel", "mount", "carmel", "prophets", "baal", and "four". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "send" and "gather", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "And he said I have not troubled..." into verse 20's "So Ahab sent to all the children...", so "send" and "gather" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "send" and "gather" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.