1 Kings 18:20
New International Version
So Ahab sent word throughout all Israel and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

New Living Translation
So Ahab summoned all the people of Israel and the prophets to Mount Carmel.

English Standard Version
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Berean Standard Bible
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

King James Bible
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

New King James Version
So Ahab sent for all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together on Mount Carmel.

New American Standard Bible
So Ahab sent orders among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

NASB 1995
So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

NASB 1977
So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel, and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Legacy Standard Bible
So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Amplified Bible
So Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and assembled the [pagan] prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Christian Standard Bible
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and gathered the prophets at Mount Carmel.

American Standard Version
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

Contemporary English Version
Ahab got everyone together, then they went to meet Elijah on Mount Carmel.

English Revised Version
So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Ahab sent word to all the Israelites and brought the prophets together on Mount Carmel.

Good News Translation
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and the prophets of Baal to meet at Mount Carmel.

International Standard Version
Ahab sent for the Israelis and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel,

Majority Standard Bible
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel.

NET Bible
Ahab sent messengers to all the Israelites and had the prophets assemble at Mount Carmel.

New Heart English Bible
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel.

Webster's Bible Translation
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets to mount Carmel.

World English Bible
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to Mount Carmel.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And Ahab sends among all the sons of Israel, and gathers the prophets to the Mount of Carmel;

Young's Literal Translation
And Ahab sendeth among all the sons of Israel, and gathereth the prophets unto the mount of Carmel;

Smith's Literal Translation
And Ahab will send to all the sons of Israel and gather the prophets to mount Carmel.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Achab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered together the prophets unto mount Carmel.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Ahab sent to all the sons of Israel, and he gathered together the prophets on mount Carmel.

New American Bible
So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and had the prophets gather on Mount Carmel.

New Revised Standard Version
So Ahab sent to all the Israelites, and assembled the prophets at Mount Carmel.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Akhab sent to all the sons of Israel and gathered the men to the Mountain of Karmela.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto mount Carmel.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Achaab sent to all Israel, and gathered all the prophets to mount Carmel.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elijah on Mount Carmel
19Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20So Ahab summoned all the Israelites and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. 21Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him. But if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people did not answer a word.…

Cross References
James 5:17-18
Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. / Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth yielded its crops.

Matthew 17:3
Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Luke 4:25-26
But I tell you truthfully that there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and great famine swept over all the land. / Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to the widow of Zarephath in Sidon.

Romans 11:2-4
God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah, how he appealed to God against Israel: / “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”? / And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

Hebrews 11:32-34
And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, / who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, / quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight.

Revelation 11:3-6
And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.” / These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. / If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed. ...

Matthew 12:39-40
Jesus replied, “A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. / For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Mark 9:4
And Elijah and Moses appeared before them, talking with Jesus.

Luke 9:30-31
Suddenly two men, Moses and Elijah, began talking with Jesus. / They appeared in glory and spoke about His departure, which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

John 1:21
“Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”

2 Kings 1:8
“He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.

2 Kings 2:11-12
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind. / As Elisha watched, he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And he saw Elijah no more. So taking hold of his own clothes, he tore them in two.

2 Kings 4:38-41
When Elisha returned to Gilgal, there was a famine in the land. As the sons of the prophets were sitting at his feet, he said to his attendant, “Put on the large pot and boil some stew for the sons of the prophets.” / One of them went out to the field to gather herbs, and he found a wild vine from which he gathered as many wild gourds as his garment could hold. Then he came back and cut them up into the pot of stew, though no one knew what they were. / And they poured it out for the men to eat, but when they tasted the stew they cried out, “There is death in the pot, O man of God!” And they could not eat it. ...

2 Kings 6:17
Then Elisha prayed, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

2 Kings 9:36-37
So they went back and told Jehu, who replied, “This is the word of the LORD, which He spoke through His servant Elijah the Tishbite: ‘On the plot of ground at Jezreel the dogs will devour the flesh of Jezebel. / And Jezebel’s body will lie like dung in the field on the plot of ground at Jezreel, so that no one can say: This is Jezebel.’”


Treasury of Scripture

So Ahab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together to mount Carmel.

gathered

1 Kings 22:9
Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.

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Ahab Assembled Carmel Children Gathered Gathereth Israel Message Mount Prophets Throughout Together Word
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Ahab Assembled Carmel Children Gathered Gathereth Israel Message Mount Prophets Throughout Together Word
1 Kings 18
1. In the extremity of famine Elijah, sent to Ahab, meets good Obadiah
9. Obadiah brings Ahab to Elijah
17. Elijah, reproving Ahab, by fire from heaven convinces Baal's prophets
41. Elijah, by prayer obtaining rain, follows Ahab to Jezreel














So Ahab summoned
The phrase begins with King Ahab, a ruler of the northern kingdom of Israel, known for his idolatry and marriage to Jezebel, who promoted the worship of Baal. The Hebrew root for "summoned" is קָרָא (qara), meaning to call or proclaim. This action signifies Ahab's authority and his role in the unfolding drama. Despite his waywardness, God uses Ahab's authority to set the stage for a divine confrontation. This highlights the sovereignty of God, who can use even the unrighteous to fulfill His purposes.

all the Israelites
The term "all the Israelites" indicates the comprehensive nature of the gathering. It underscores the national significance of the event. Historically, Israel was divided into tribes, yet this assembly calls for unity among them. This moment is pivotal, as it is not just a local or tribal issue but a matter concerning the entire nation. Theologically, it reflects the call for God's people to witness His power and return to covenant faithfulness.

and assembled the prophets
The word "assembled" comes from the Hebrew root אָסַף (asaph), meaning to gather or collect. This gathering of prophets, specifically the prophets of Baal, sets the stage for a confrontation between the false prophets and the true prophet of God, Elijah. The presence of these prophets highlights the spiritual conflict in Israel, where false worship had taken root. It serves as a reminder of the constant battle between truth and falsehood, a theme prevalent throughout Scripture.

on Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel is a significant geographical location, known for its beauty and fertility. In ancient times, it was considered a sacred site, often associated with various deities. The choice of Mount Carmel as the venue for this confrontation is symbolic. It represents a high place of decision, where God would demonstrate His supremacy over Baal. Archaeologically, Mount Carmel's strategic location overlooking the Mediterranean Sea made it an ideal setting for a public demonstration of God's power. Spiritually, it serves as a reminder that God often calls His people to make decisive stands in places of cultural and spiritual significance.

Verse 20. - So Ahab sent unto all the children of Israel, and gathered the prophets together unto Mount Carmel, ["The persecuting king became a passive instrument in the hand of the persecuted prophet" (Stanley). His ready compliance with Elijah's request, notwithstanding the bitter hatred of the man which he had just betrayed, is easily explained. It was not so much that "he bowed before the spiritual supremacy of the prophet, which impressed him" (Bahr), as that he hoped, from his reappearance, that he was now about to speak the word (1 Kings 17:1) and give rain upon the earth, and Ahab was willing to take any measures which would conduce with that result. It would take some days to collect the representatives of the tribes.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
So Ahab
אַחְאָ֖ב (’aḥ·’āḇ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 256: Ahab -- 'father's brother', a king of Israel, also a false prophet

summoned
וַיִּשְׁלַ֥ח (way·yiš·laḥ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7971: To send away, for, out

all
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the Israelites
בְּנֵ֣י (bə·nê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

and assembled
וַיִּקְבֹּ֥ץ (way·yiq·bōṣ)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6908: To gather, collect

the prophets
הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים (han·nə·ḇî·’îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

on
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

Mount
הַ֥ר (har)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2022: Mountain, hill, hill country

Carmel.
הַכַּרְמֶֽל׃ (hak·kar·mel)
Article | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3760: Carmel -- a mountain promontory on the Mediterranean, also a city near Hebron


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OT History: 1 Kings 18:20 So Ahab sent to all the children (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 18:19
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