1 Kings 18:38 (DBY)

Passage

And the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:36 And it came to pass at [the time of] the offering up of the oblation, that Elijah the prophet drew near, and said, Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things by thy word.

1 Kings 18:37 Answer me, Jehovah, answer me, that this people may know that thou Jehovah art God, and [that] *thou* hast turned their heart back again.

1 Kings 18:38 And the fire of Jehovah fell, and consumed the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1 Kings 18:39 And all the people saw [it], and they fell on their faces and said, Jehovah, he is God! Jehovah, he is God!

1 Kings 18:40 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fire", "jehovah", "fell", "consumed", "burnt-offering", "wood", "stones", and "dust". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fire" and "jehovah", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "Answer me Jehovah answer me that this..." into verse 39's "And all the people saw it and...", so "fire" and "jehovah" 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 "fire" and "jehovah" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.