1 Kings 18:40 (YLT)

Passage

And Elijah saith to them, `Catch ye the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape of them;' and they catch them, and Elijah bringeth them down unto the stream Kishon, and doth slaughter them there.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:38 And there falleth a fire of Jehovah, and consumeth the burnt-offering, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and the water that <FI>is<Fi> in the trench it hath licked up.

1 Kings 18:39 And all the people see, and fall on their faces, and say, `Jehovah, He <FI>is<Fi> the God, Jehovah, He <FI>is<Fi> the God.'

1 Kings 18:40 And Elijah saith to them, `Catch ye the prophets of Baal; let not a man escape of them;' and they catch them, and Elijah bringeth them down unto the stream Kishon, and doth slaughter them there.

1 Kings 18:41 And Elijah saith to Ahab, `Go up, eat and drink, because of the sound of the noise of the shower.'

1 Kings 18:42 And Ahab goeth up to eat, and to drink, and Elijah hath gone up unto the top of Carmel, and he stretcheth himself out on the earth, and he placeth his face between his knees,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "saith", "catch", "prophets", "baal", and "escape". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 39's "And all the people see and fall..." into verse 41's "And Elijah saith to Ahab Go up...", so "elijah" and "saith" 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 "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.