Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, September 11th, 2025
the Week of Proper 18 / Ordinary 23
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Read the Bible

Literal Standard Version

1 Kings 18:32

and he builds an altar with the stones, in the Name of YHWH, and makes a trench, as about the space of two measures of seed, around the altar.

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;
Easy-to-Read Version
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.
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

21and Elijah comes near to all the people and says, "Until when are you leaping on the two branches? If YHWH [is] God, go after Him; and if Ba‘al, go after him"; and the people have not answered him a word. 22And Elijah says to the people, "I have been left, by myself, a prophet of YHWH; and the prophets of Ba‘al [are] four hundred and fifty men; 23and let them give two bullocks to us, and they choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and place [it] on the wood, and place no fire; and I prepare the other bullock, and have put [it] on the wood, and I do not place fire— 24and you have called in the name of your god, and I call in the Name of YHWH, and it has been, the god who answers by fire—He [is] the God." And all the people answer and say, "The word [is] good." 25And Elijah says to the prophets of Ba‘al, "Choose one bullock for yourselves, and prepare [it] first, for you [are] the multitude, and call in the name of your god, and place no fire." 26And they take the bullock that [one] gave to them, and prepare [it], and call in the name of Ba‘al from the morning even until the noon, saying, "O Ba‘al, answer us!" And there is no voice, and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made. 27And it comes to pass, at noon, that Elijah mocks at them and says, "Call with a loud voice, for he [is] a god, for he is meditating, or pursuing, or on a journey; it may be he is asleep, and awakes." 28And they call with a loud voice, and cut themselves, according to their ordinance, with swords and with spears, until a flowing of blood [is] on them; 29and it comes to pass, at the passing by of the noon, that they feign themselves prophets until the going up of the present, and there is no voice, and there is none answering, and there is none attending. 30And Elijah says to all the people, "Come near to me"; and all the people come near to him, and he repairs the altar of YHWH that is broken down;

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
And Abraham hurries toward the tent, to Sarah, and says, "Hurry three measures of flour-meal, knead, and make cakes";
Genesis 18:7
and Abraham ran to the herd, and takes a son of the herd, tender and good, and gives to the young man, and he hurries to prepare it;
Genesis 18:9
And they say to him, "Where [is] Sarah your wife?" And he says, "Behold—in the tent";
Genesis 18:10
and He says, "Returning I return to you, about the time of life, and behold, to Sarah your wife a son." And Sarah is listening at the opening of the tent, which is behind him;
Genesis 18:11
and Abraham and Sarah [are] aged, entering into days—the way of women has ceased to be to Sarah;
Genesis 18:13
And YHWH says to Abraham, "Why [is] this? Sarah has laughed, saying, Is it really true—I bear—and I am aged?
Genesis 18:14
Is anything too wonderful for YHWH? At the appointed time I return to you, about the time of life, and Sarah has a son."
Genesis 18:15
And Sarah denies, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she has been afraid; and He says, "No, but you did laugh."
Genesis 18:16
And the men rise from there, and look on the face of Sodom, and Abraham is going with them to send them away;
Genesis 18:17
and YHWH said, "Am I concealing from Abraham that which I am doing,

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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