Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Contemporary English Version

1 Kings 18:33

He placed the wood on the altar, then they cut the bull into pieces and laid the meat on the wood. He told the people, "Fill four large jars with water and pour it over the meat and the wood." After they did this,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ahab;   Barrel;   Carmel;   Faith;   Prayer;   Revivals;   Thompson Chain Reference - Animals;   Awakenings and Religious Reforms;   Awakenings, Religious;   Barrel;   Bullocks;   Elijah;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Priests;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Priest;   Sacrifice;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Miracle;   Persecution;   Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Altar;   Baal;   Barrel;   Cattle;   Conduit;   Elijah;   False Prophet;   False Worship;   Fertility Cult;   Gods, Pagan;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Mountain;   Prayer;   Waterpot;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Barrel;   Carmel;   Haggai;   House;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Living (2);   Waterpot ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahab ;   Baal, Baalim ;   Barrel;   Carmel ;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount carmel;   Obadiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Carmel;   Elijah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Car'mel;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Four;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Altar;   Priest;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Barrel;   Elijah;   Order;   Priesthood;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for July 25;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood. He said, “Fill four water pots with water and pour it on the offering to be burned and on the wood.”
Hebrew Names Version
He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.
King James Version
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
English Standard Version
And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."
New Century Version
Elijah put the wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood.
New English Translation
He arranged the wood, cut up the bull, and placed it on the wood.
Amplified Bible
Then he laid out the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.
New American Standard Bible
Then he laid out the wood, and he cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he put the wood in order, and hewed the bullocke in pieces, & layd him on the wood,
Legacy Standard Bible
Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and placed it on the wood.
Complete Jewish Bible
He arranged the wood, cut up the bull and laid it on the wood.
Darby Translation
and he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four pitchers with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
Easy-to-Read Version
Then Elijah put the wood on the altar. He cut the bull into pieces and laid the pieces on the wood.
George Lamsa Translation
And he put the wood in order and cut the bullock in pieces and laid it on the wood and said, Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.
Good News Translation
Then he placed the wood on the altar, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the offering and the wood." They did so,
Lexham English Bible
And he arranged the wood, cut the bull into pieces, and placed it on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."
Literal Translation
And he arranged the wood, and cut the bull in pieces, and placed it on the wood, and said, Fill four water jars of water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
& prepared the wod, & hewed ye bullock in peces, and layed him vpon the wod, & sayde: Fetch foure pitchers full of water, and poured it vpo the burntofferynge, and vpon the wod.
American Standard Version
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
Bible in Basic English
And he put the wood in order, and, cutting up the ox, put it on the wood. Then he said, Get four vessels full of water and put it on the burned offering and on the wood. And he said, Do it a second time, and they did it a second time;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he put the wood in order, and hewed the oxe in peeces, and layed him on the wood, and said: Fill foure barrels with water, and powre it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood.
King James Version (1611)
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullocke in pieces, and laide him on the wood, and said, Fill foure barrels with water, and powre it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he piled the cleft wood on the altar which he had made, and divided the whole-burnt-offering, and laid it on the wood, and laid it in order on the altar, and said, Fetch me four pitchers of water, and pour it on the whole-burnt-offering, and on the wood. And they did so.
English Revised Version
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.
Berean Standard Bible
Next, he arranged the wood, cut up the bull, placed it on the wood,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he dresside trees, and he departide the oxe bi membris, and puttide on the trees,
Young's Literal Translation
And he arrangeth the wood, and cutteth in pieces the bullock, and placeth [it] on the wood, and saith, `Fill ye four pitchers of water, and pour on the burnt-offering, and on the wood;
Update Bible Version
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. And he said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt-offering, and on the wood.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid [him] on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour [it] on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the wood.
World English Bible
He put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood.
New King James Version
And he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood, and said, "Fill four waterpots with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice and on the wood."
New Living Translation
He piled wood on the altar, cut the bull into pieces, and laid the pieces on the wood. Then he said, "Fill four large jars with water, and pour the water over the offering and the wood."
New Life Bible
Then he set the wood in place. He cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt gift and on the wood."
New Revised Standard
Next he put the wood in order, cut the bull in pieces, and laid it on the wood. He said, "Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and he put in order the wood, - and cut in pieces the bullock, and laid upon the wood. Then said he - Fill four pitchers with water, and pour out upon the ascending-sacrifice, and upon the wood. And they did so.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he laid the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid it upon the wood.
Revised Standard Version
And he put the wood in order, and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, "Fill four jars with water, and pour it on the burnt offering, and on the wood."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then he arranged the wood and cut the ox in pieces and laid it on the wood.

Contextual Overview

21 Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you try to have things both ways? If the Lord is God, worship him! But if Baal is God, worship him!" The people did not say a word. 22 Then Elijah continued: I am the Lord 's only prophet, but Baal has four hundred fifty prophets. 23 Bring us two bulls. Baal's prophets can take one of them, kill it, and cut it into pieces. Then they can put the meat on the wood without lighting the fire. I will do the same thing with the other bull, and I won't light a fire under it either. 24 The prophets of Baal will pray to their god, and I will pray to the Lord . The one who answers by starting the fire is God. "That's a good idea," everyone agreed. 25 Elijah said to Baal's prophets, "There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god." 26 They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no answer. 27 At noon, Elijah began making fun of them. "Pray louder!" he said. "Baal must be a god. Maybe he's day-dreaming or using the toilet or traveling somewhere. Or maybe he's asleep, and you have to wake him up." 28 The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped, 29 and they kept it up all afternoon. But there was no answer of any kind. 30 Elijah told everyone to gather around him while he repaired the Lord 's altar.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

he put: Genesis 22:9, Leviticus 1:6-8

Fill four: Daniel 3:19, Daniel 3:25, John 11:39, John 11:40, John 19:33, John 19:34

pour it: Judges 6:20

Reciprocal: Leviticus 1:8 - General Mark 9:2 - an high

Cross-References

Genesis 18:16
When the three men got ready to leave, they looked down toward Sodom, and Abraham walked part of the way with them.
Genesis 18:22
The men turned and started toward Sodom. But the Lord stayed with Abraham,
Genesis 31:55
Early the next morning, Laban kissed his daughters and his grandchildren good-by, then he left to go back home.
Genesis 32:26
They kept on wrestling until the man said, "Let go of me! It's almost daylight." "You can't go until you bless me," Jacob replied.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood,.... Just in such manner as sacrifices usually were:

and said, fill four barrels with water; either from the brook Kishon, or, if that was dried up, from the sea; for both were near this mountain, and so to be had, though a time of drought:

and pour it on the burnt sacrifice; that which was intended to be one:

and upon the wood: wherewith it was to be burnt, and so made unfit for it; and which would make the miracle appear the greater, when fire came down and consumed it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he put the wood in order ... - He obeyed, that is, all the injunctions of the Law with respect to the offering of a burned sacrifice (marginal reference). He thus publicly taught that the ordinances of the Law were binding upon the kingdom of Israel.

Barrels - Rather, “pitchers” or “water-jars,” such as the maidens used to carry on their heads (Genesis 24:14-20. Compare Judges 7:16, Judges 7:19). The flooding the sacrifice and the trench with water would at once do away with any suspicion of fraud, and greatly enhance in the eyes of the people the marvelousness of the miracle. The unfailing spring at the eastern end of Carmel 1 Kings 18:19, was capable of furnishing as much water as he needed.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 33. Fill four barrels — This was done to prevent any kind of suspicion that there was fire concealed under the altar. An ancient writer under the name of Chrysostom, quoted by Calmet, says that he had seen under the altars of the heathens, holes dug in the earth with funnels proceeding from them, and communicating with openings on the tops of the altars. In the former the priests concealed fire, which, communicating through the funnels with the holes, set fire to the wood and consumed the sacrifice; and thus the simple people were led to believe that the sacrifice was consumed by a miraculous fire. Elijah showed that no such knavery could be practiced in the present case. Had there been a concealed fire under the altar, as in the case mentioned above, the water that was thrown on the altar must have extinguished it most effectually. This very precaution has for ever put this miracle beyond the reach of suspicion.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile