Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, July 27th, 2025
the Week of Proper 12 / Ordinary 17
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Read the Bible

Easy-to-Read Version

1 Kings 18:32

Elijah used these stones to repair the altar to honor the Lord . He dug a small ditch around the altar. It was wide enough and deep enough to hold about 4 gallons of water.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ahab;   Altar;   Carmel;   Faith;   Measure;   Prayer;   Revivals;   Thompson Chain Reference - Altars;   Awakenings and Religious Reforms;   Awakenings, Religious;   Elijah;   Trenches;   Worship;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Miracle;   Persecution;   Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Easton Bible Dictionary - River;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Altar;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Cattle;   Conduit;   Elijah;   False Prophet;   False Worship;   Fertility Cult;   Gods, Pagan;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Mountain;   Prayer;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Carmel;   Haggai;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Weights and Measures;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahab ;   Baal, Baalim ;   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;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Altar;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Elijah;   God;   Measure;   Priesthood;   Sanctuary;   Weights and Measures;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Altar;  

Devotionals:

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

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and he built an altar with the stones in the name of the Lord. Then he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold about four gallons.
Hebrew Names Version
With the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
King James Version
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord : and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
English Standard Version
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord . And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.
New Century Version
Elijah used these stones to rebuild the altar in honor of the Lord . Then he dug a ditch around the altar that was big enough to hold about thirteen quarts of seed.
New English Translation
With the stones he constructed an altar for the Lord . Around the altar he made a trench large enough to contain two seahs of seed.
Amplified Bible
So with the stones Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. He made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two measures of seed.
New American Standard Bible
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And with the stones he buylt an altar in the Name of the Lorde: and he made a ditch round about the altar, as great as woulde conteine two measures of seede.
Legacy Standard Bible
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
Complete Jewish Bible
With the stones he built an altar in the name of Adonai . Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough for half a bushel of grain.
Darby Translation
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah, and made a trench round about the altar, of the capacity of two measures of seed;
George Lamsa Translation
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Good News Translation
With these stones he rebuilt the altar for the worship of the Lord . He dug a trench around it, large enough to hold about four gallons of water.
Lexham English Bible
With them, he built an altar in the name of Yahweh, and he made a trench which would have held about two seahs of seed, all around the altar.
Literal Translation
And he built an altar with the stones in the name of Jehovah, and made a trench around the altar large as two seahs of seed in space.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and of ye stones he buylded an altare in the name of the LORDE, & made a pytt rounde aboute the altare, like two forowes in the corne londe,
American Standard Version
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Jehovah; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Bible in Basic English
And with the stones he made an altar to the name of the Lord; and he made a deep drain all round the altar, great enough to take two measures of seed.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And with the stones he made an aulter in the name of the Lorde: And he made a ditch about the aulter, as great as would conteyne two measures of seede.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
King James Version (1611)
And with the stones hee built an altar in the Name of the Lord, and hee made a trench about the altar, as great as would containe two measures of seed.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he built up the stones in the name of the Lord, and repaired the altar that had been broken down; and he made a trench that would hold two measures of seed round about the altar.
English Revised Version
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
Berean Standard Bible
And with the stones, Elijah built an altar in the name of the LORD. Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he bildide an auter of stonys, in the name of the Lord, and he made a ledyng to of watir, `ether a dich, as bi twei litle dichis in the cumpas of the auter.
Young's Literal Translation
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.
Update Bible Version
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed.
Webster's Bible Translation
And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD: and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
World English Bible
With the stones he built an altar in the name of Yahweh; and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
New King James Version
Then with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD; and he made a trench around the altar large enough to hold two seahs of seed.
New Living Translation
and he used the stones to rebuild the altar in the name of the Lord . Then he dug a trench around the altar large enough to hold about three gallons.
New Life Bible
With the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a ditch around the altar, big enough to hold twenty-two jars of seed.
New Revised Standard
with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord . Then he made a trench around the altar, large enough to contain two measures of seed.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and built, with the stones, an altar, in the name of Yahweh, - and he made a trench, as large as would contain two measures of seed, round about the altar;
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he built with the stones an altar to the name of the Lord: and he made a trench for water, of the breadth of two furrows, round about the altar.
Revised Standard Version
and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
So with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD, and he made a trench around the altar, large enough to hold two measures of seed.

Contextual Overview

21 Elijah came to all the people and said, "You must decide what you are going to do. How long will you keep jumping from one side to the other? If the Lord is the true God, follow him. But if Baal is the true God, then follow him!" The people said nothing. 22 So Elijah said, "I am the only prophet of the Lord here, but there are 450 prophets of Baal. 23 So bring us two bulls. Let the prophets of Baal have one bull. Let them kill it, cut it into pieces, and then put the meat on the wood. But don't start the fire. I will do the same with the other bull, and I will not start the fire either. 24 Prophets of Baal, pray to your god, and I will pray to the Lord . Whichever god answers the prayer and starts the fire is the true God." All the people agreed that this was a good idea. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "There are many of you, so you go first. Choose a bull and prepare it, but don't start your fire." 26 So the prophets took the bull that was given to them and prepared it. They started praying to Baal and prayed until noon. They said, "Baal, please answer us!" But there was no sound. No one answered. Then they began jumping around on the altar they had built. 27 At noon Elijah began to make fun of them. He said, "If Baal really is a god, maybe you should pray louder! Maybe he is busy. Maybe he is thinking about something, or maybe he stepped out for a moment! He could be sleeping! Maybe you should pray louder and wake him up!" 28 So the prophets prayed louder. They cut themselves with swords and spears. (This was the way they worshiped.) They cut themselves until they were bleeding all over. 29 The afternoon passed but the fire still had not started. The prophets were out of control and continued to act this way until the time came for the evening sacrifice. But nothing happened—there was no answer from Baal. There was no sound. There was no one listening. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, "Now come here." So they gathered around Elijah. The Lord 's altar had been torn down, so Elijah repaired it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

And with: Exodus 20:24, Exodus 20:25, Judges 6:26, Judges 21:4, 1 Samuel 7:9, 1 Samuel 7:17

in the name: 1 Corinthians 10:31, Colossians 3:17

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 27:5 - And there Joshua 8:31 - altar 1 Kings 18:35 - the trench Isaiah 37:16 - thou art Ezekiel 43:17 - and the border

Cross-References

Genesis 18:6
Abraham hurried to the tent. He said to Sarah, "Quickly, prepare enough flour for three loaves of bread."
Genesis 18:7
Then Abraham ran to his cattle. He took his best young calf and gave it to the servant there. He told the servant to quickly kill the calf and prepare it for food.
Genesis 18:9
Then the men said to Abraham, "Where is your wife Sarah?" Abraham said, "She is there, in the tent."
Genesis 18:10
Then one of them said, "I will come again in the spring. At that time your wife Sarah will have a son." Sarah was listening in the tent and heard these things.
Genesis 18:11
Abraham and Sarah were very old. Sarah was past the right age for women to have children.
Genesis 18:13
Then the Lord said to Abraham, "Sarah laughed and said she was too old to have a baby.
Genesis 18:14
But is anything too hard for the Lord ? I will come again in the spring, just as I said I would, and your wife Sarah will have a son."
Genesis 18:15
Sarah said, "I didn't laugh!" (She said this because she was afraid.) Then the Lord said, "No, I know that is not true. You did laugh!"
Genesis 18:16
Then the men got up to leave. They looked toward Sodom and began walking in that direction. Abraham walked with them to send them on their way.
Genesis 18:17
The Lord said to himself, "Should I tell Abraham what I am going to do now?

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And with the stones he built an altar in the same of the Lord,.... Whom the twelve tribes had formerly worshipped; and though now divided in their civil state, yet ought to be united in the worship of God:

and he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two measures of seed; or two seahs, one of which was the third part of an ephah, and two of them were more than half a bushel; and this trench or ditch round the altar was as broad as such a measure of seed would sow.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He built an altar in the name of the Lord - i. e., calling, as he built it, on the name of Yahweh, and so dedicating it to His service.

Two measures of seed - literally, “two seahs of seed.” The seah contained about three gallons.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 32. He made a trench — This was to detain the water that might fall down from the altar when the barrels should be poured upon it, 1 Kings 18:35.


 
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