Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

1 KINGS 18:38KJV
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1 Kings 18:38 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 18:38 mean?

1 Kings 18:38 describes how fire from the LORD came down and completely burned up the offering, the wood, the stones, the dust, and even the water in the trench around the altar. This dramatic event showed that the LORD answered Elijah’s prayer and demonstrated His power in front of the people.

The scene takes place on Mount Carmel, where Elijah, a prophet of Israel, is challenging the prophets of Baal to prove whose god is real. Elijah calls on the LORD (the God of Israel), and in response, fire falls from heaven and consumes everything on the altar. This overwhelming display is meant to show the people that the LORD alone is God, not Baal.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 18:38

  • fire (אֵשׁ, ’esh): This word means fire, and in this context, it refers to a supernatural fire sent directly from God, not a natural flame. The use of this word highlights the miraculous nature of what happened.
  • LORD (יְהוָה, Yahweh): This is the personal name of the God of Israel. The verse makes clear that it is Yahweh, not any other god, who sends the fire.
  • consumed (אָכַל, ’akal): This word means to eat or consume. Here, it emphasizes how completely the fire destroyed everything on the altar, leaving nothing behind.
  • trench (תְּעָלָה, te‘alah): This word refers to the ditch or trench dug around the altar, which had been filled with water. The fire’s ability to even “lick up” the water shows the totality of the miracle.

Why 1 Kings 18:38 matters

  • 1 Kings 18:38 clears up any doubt about which god has real power, as the fire from the LORD consumes even the stones and water, things that normally would not burn.
  • The verse emphasizes the completeness of God’s response, showing that nothing is too difficult for Him—not even burning up water and stones.
  • This moment is a turning point in the story, convincing the people watching that the LORD is truly God, which is the main point Elijah wants to prove in this contest with the prophets of Baal.

Where else these words appear

“up” Hebrew H3897 · used in 5 verses

  • Numbers 22:4 And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
  • Psalms 72:9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust.
  • Isaiah 49:23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD: for they shall not be ashamed that wait for me.

“trench” Hebrew H8585 · used in 11 verses

  • 1 Kings 18:32 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.
  • 2 Kings 20:20 And the rest of the acts of Hezekiah, and all his might, and how he made a pool, and a conduit, and brought water into the city, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
  • Isaiah 36:2 And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field.

“dust” Hebrew H6083 · used in 103 verses

  • Genesis 2:7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
  • Job 4:19 How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?
  • Psalms 103:14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.