1 Kings 18:25
New International Version
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

New Living Translation
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “You go first, for there are many of you. Choose one of the bulls, and prepare it and call on the name of your god. But do not set fire to the wood.”

English Standard Version
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”

Berean Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

King James Bible
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

New King James Version
Now Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.

New American Standard Bible
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose the one ox for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under the ox.

NASB 1995
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

NASB 1977
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

Legacy Standard Bible
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but place no fire under it.”

Amplified Bible
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves and prepare it first, since there are many of you; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

Christian Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god but don’t light the fire.”

American Standard Version
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Elyah said to the sons of Baala: “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, because you are many.”

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Eliu said to the prophets of shame, Choose to yourselves one calf, and dress it first, for ye are many; and call ye on the name of your god; but apply no fire.

Contemporary English Version
Elijah said to Baal's prophets, "There are more of you, so you go first. Pick out a bull and get it ready, but don't light the fire. Then pray to your god."

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then Elias said to the prophets of Baal: Choose you one bullock and dress it first, because you are many: and call on the names of your gods, but put no fire under.

English Revised Version
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves. Prepare yours first, because there are more of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't set the wood on fire."

Good News Translation
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since there are so many of you, you take a bull and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but don't set fire to the wood."

International Standard Version
So Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose an ox for yourselves and you prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but don't set fire to the offering."

JPS Tanakh 1917
And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal: 'Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under.'

Literal Standard Version
And 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.”

Majority Standard Bible
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.”

New American Bible
Elijah then said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one young bull and prepare it first, for there are more of you. Call upon your gods, but do not start the fire.”

NET Bible
Elijah told the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls for yourselves and go first, for you are the majority. Invoke the name of your god, but do not light a fire."

New Revised Standard Version
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many; then call on the name of your god, but put no fire to it.”

New Heart English Bible
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one bull for yourselves, and prepare it first, for you are the majority, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for ye are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

World English Bible
Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves, and dress it first, for you are many; and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Elijah saith to the prophets of Baal, 'Choose for you the one bullock, and prepare first, for ye are the multitude, and call ye in the name of your god, and place no fire.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elijah on Mount Carmel
24Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God.” And all the people answered, “What you say is good.” 25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.…

Cross References
1 Kings 18:24
Then you may call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of the LORD. The God who answers by fire, He is God." And all the people answered, "What you say is good."

1 Kings 18:26
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, "O Baal, answer us!" But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.


Treasury of Scripture

And Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress it first; for you are many; and call on the name of your gods, but put no fire under.

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Baal Ba'al Bull Bullock Bulls Choose Dress Elijah Eli'jah Fire First Gods Light Multitude Ox Prayers Prepare Prophets Ready Yourselves
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Baal Ba'al Bull Bullock Bulls Choose Dress Elijah Eli'jah Fire First Gods Light Multitude Ox Prayers Prepare Prophets Ready Yourselves
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














Verse 25. - And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [or offer, as in ver. 23] it first; for ye are many [Heb. the many. Every pre-eminence and advantage which he gives to them will make his triumph, when it comes, all the greater. It is quite possible that he meant again to hint at their immense superiority in point of numbers. But no doubt he was only too glad to find a reason for their taking the lead. "He is anxious that their inability shall be fully manifested before he shows his own power" (Rawlinson). Whether the idea was also present in his mind that they "could prepare their victim in a much shorter time than he could prepare his" (ib.) is by no means so certain]; and call on the name of your gods [or god, i.e., Baal], but put no fire under. [The repetition (cf. ver. 24) shows that the ordeal was proposed separately to the people and the prophets.]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Then Elijah
אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ (’ê·lî·yā·hū)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 452: Elijah -- 'Yah is God', a well-known prophet of Israel, also three other Israelites

said
וַיֹּ֨אמֶר (way·yō·mer)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to the prophets
לִנְבִיאֵ֣י (lin·ḇî·’ê)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

of Baal,
הַבַּ֗עַל (hab·ba·‘al)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1168: Baal -- a heathen god

“Since
כִּ֥י (kî)
Conjunction
Strong's 3588: A relative conjunction

you
אַתֶּ֖ם (’at·tem)
Pronoun - second person masculine plural
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

are so numerous,
הָרַבִּ֑ים (hā·rab·bîm)
Article | Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

choose
בַּחֲר֨וּ (ba·ḥă·rū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 977: To try, select

for yourselves
לָכֶ֜ם (lā·ḵem)
Preposition | second person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

one
הָֽאֶחָד֙ (hā·’e·ḥāḏ)
Article | Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

bull
הַפָּ֤ר (hap·pār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6499: Young bull, steer

and prepare
וַעֲשׂ֣וּ (wa·‘ă·śū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

it first.
רִאשֹׁנָ֔ה (ri·šō·nāh)
Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 7223: First, in place, time, rank

Then call
וְקִרְאוּ֙ (wə·qir·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

on the name
בְּשֵׁ֣ם (bə·šêm)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of your god,
אֱלֹהֵיכֶ֔ם (’ĕ·lō·hê·ḵem)
Noun - masculine plural construct | second person masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

but do not
לֹ֥א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

light
תָשִֽׂימוּ׃ (ṯā·śî·mū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural
Strong's 7760: Put -- to put, place, set

the fire.”
וְאֵ֖שׁ (wə·’êš)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire


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OT History: 1 Kings 18:25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 18:24
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