1 Kings 18:31 (YLT)

Passage

and Elijah taketh twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah was, saying, `Israel is thy name;'

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:29 and it cometh to pass, at the passing by of the noon, that they feign themselves prophets till the going up of the present, and there is no voice, and there is none answering, and there is none attending.

1 Kings 18:30 And Elijah saith to all the people, `Come nigh unto me;' and all the people come nigh unto him, and he repaireth the altar of Jehovah that is broken down;

1 Kings 18:31 and Elijah taketh twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of Jehovah was, saying, `Israel is thy name;'

1 Kings 18:32 and he buildeth with the stones an altar, in the name of Jehovah, and maketh a trench, as about the space of two measures of seed, round about the altar.

1 Kings 18:33 And he arrangeth the wood, and cutteth in pieces the bullock, and placeth <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and saith, `Fill ye four pitchers of water, and pour on the burnt-offering, and on the wood;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "taketh", "twelve", "stones", "number", "tribes", "sons", and "jacob". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "taketh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "And Elijah saith to all the people..." into verse 32's "and he buildeth with the stones an...", so "elijah" and "taketh" 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 "elijah" and "taketh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.