1 Kings 18:34 (YLT)

Passage

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;

Nearby Context

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;

1 Kings 18:35 and the water goeth round about the altar, and also, the trench he hath filled with water.

1 Kings 18:36 And it cometh to pass, at the going up of the <FI>evening-<Fi> present, that Elijah the prophet cometh nigh and saith, `Jehovah, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, to-day let it be known that Thou <FI>art<Fi> God in Israel, and I Thy servant, that by Thy word I have done the whole of these things;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "saith", "second", "time", and "third". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "saith" and "second", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 33's "And he arrangeth the wood and cutteth..." into verse 35's "and the water goeth round about the...", so "saith" and "second" 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 "saith" and "second" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.