1 Kings 18:32 (YLT)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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;

1 Kings 18:34 and he saith, `Do <FI>it<Fi> a second time;' and they do <FI>it<Fi> a second time; and he saith, `Do <FI>it<Fi> a third time;' and they do <FI>it<Fi> a third time;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "buildeth", "stones", "altar", "name", "jehovah", "maketh", "trench", and "space". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "buildeth" and "stones", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 31's "and Elijah taketh twelve stones according to..." into verse 33's "And he arrangeth the wood and cutteth...", so "buildeth" and "stones" 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 "buildeth" and "stones" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.