1 Kings 18:30

18:30 Elijah then told all the people, “Approach me.” So all the people approached him. He repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down. ¹ 

1 Kings 18:34

18:34 Then he said, “Fill four water jars and pour the water on the offering and the wood.” When they had done so, ²  he said, “Do it again.” So they did it again. Then he said, “Do it a third time.” So they did it a third time.

1 Kings 18:40

18:40 Elijah told them, “Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape!” So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed ³  them there.

1 Kings 18:43

18:43 He told his servant, “Go on up and look in the direction of the sea.” So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” ⁴  Seven times Elijah sent him to look. ⁵ 

[18:30]  ¹ sn Torn down. The condition of the altar symbolizes the spiritual state of the people.

[18:34]  ² tn The words “when they had done so” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

[18:40]  ³ tn Or “slaughtered.”

[18:43]  ⁴ sn So he went on up, looked, and reported, “There is nothing.” Several times in this chapter those addressed by Elijah obey his orders. In vv. 20 and 42 Ahab does as instructed, in vv. 26 and 28 the prophets follow Elijah’s advice, and in vv. 30, 34, 40 and 43 the people and servants do as they are told. By juxtaposing Elijah’s commands with accounts of those commands being obeyed, the narrator emphasizes the authority of the Lord’s prophet.

[18:43]  ⁵ tn Heb “He said, ‘Return,’ seven times.”