1 Kings 18:24

18:24 Then you ¹  will invoke the name of your god, and I will invoke the name of the Lord. The god who responds with fire will demonstrate that he is the true God.” ²  All the people responded, “This will be a fair test.” ³ 

Leviticus 10:2

10:2 So fire went out from the presence of the Lord ⁴  and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.

Leviticus 10:2

10:2 So fire went out from the presence of the Lord ⁵  and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.

Leviticus 1:12

1:12 Next, the one presenting the offering ⁶  must cut it into parts, with its head and its suet, and the priest must arrange them on the wood which is in the fire, on the altar.

Job 1:16

1:16 While this one was still speaking, ⁷  another messenger arrived ⁸  and said, “The fire of God ⁹  has fallen from heaven ¹⁰  and has burned up the sheep and the servants – it has consumed them! And I – only I alone – escaped to tell you!”

Isaiah 31:9

31:9 They will surrender their stronghold ¹¹  because of fear; ¹² 

their officers will be afraid of the Lord’s battle flag.” ¹³ 

This is what the Lord says –

the one whose fire is in Zion,

whose firepot is in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ 

¹ tn Elijah now directly addresses the prophets.

² tn Heb “the God.”

³ tn Heb “The matter [i.e., proposal] is good [i.e., acceptable].”

⁴ tn See the note on 9:24a.

⁵ tn See the note on 9:24a.

⁶ tn Heb “Then he”; the referent (the offerer) has been specified in the translation for clarity (so also in v. 13).

⁷ tn The particle עוֹד (’od, “still”) is used with the participle to express the past circumstances when something else happened (IBHS 625-26 §37.6d).

⁸ tn The Hebrew expression is literally “yet/this/speaking/and this/ arrived.” The sentence uses the two demonstratives as a contrasting pair. It means “this one was still speaking when that one arrived” (IBHS 308-9 §17.3c). The word “messenger” has been supplied in the translation in vv. 16, 17, and 18 for clarity and for stylistic reasons.

⁹ sn The “fire of God” would refer to lightning (1 Kgs 18:38; 2 Kgs 1:12; cf. NAB, NCV, TEV). The LXX simply has “fire.” The first blow came from enemies; the second from heaven, which might have confused Job more as to the cause of his troubles. The use of the divine epithet could also be an indication of the superlative degree; see D. W. Thomas, “A Consideration of Some Unusual Ways of Expressing the Superlative in Hebrew,” VT 3 (1953): 209-24.

¹⁰ tn Or “from the sky.” The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven[s]” or “sky” depending on the context.

¹¹ tn Heb “rocky cliff” (cf. ASV, NASB “rock”), viewed metaphorically as a place of defense and security.

¹² tn Heb “His rocky cliff, because of fear, will pass away [i.e., “perish”].”

¹³ tn Heb “and they will be afraid of the flag, his officers.”

¹⁴ sn The “fire” and “firepot” here symbolize divine judgment, which is heating up like a fire in Jerusalem, waiting to be used against the Assyrians when they attack the city.