1 Kings 18:33

1Ki 18:33 And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid [him] on the wood, and said, Fill four barrels with water, and pour [it] on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood.

Ver. 33. Fill four barrels with water.] Which was got out of the sea, likely, which was nigh to mount Carmel, {Jer 4:18} in this wonderful drought, whereby the brooks were dried up. This was done that the miracle might be the more manifest, and beyond all exception.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18:33-35 Elijah avoided any hint of deception by dousing the offering and the wood with great quantities of water, perhaps taken from the nearby Mediterranean Sea or Kishon River.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 33. Fill four barrels] This was done to prevent any kind of suspicion that there was fire concealed under the altar. An ancient writer under the name of Chrysostom, quoted by Calmet, says that he had seen under the altars of the heathens, holes dug in the earth with funnels proceeding from them, and communicating with openings on the tops of the altars. In the former the priests concealed fire, which, communicating through the funnels with the holes, set fire to the wood and consumed the sacrifice; and thus the simple people were led to believe that the sacrifice was consumed by a miraculous fire. Elijah showed that no such knavery could be practiced in the present case. Had there been a concealed fire under the altar, as in the case mentioned above, the water that was thrown on the altar must have extinguished it most effectually. This very precaution has for ever put this miracle beyond the reach of suspicion.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(33) Fill four barrels—or pitchers. The filling of these at the time of drought has naturally excited speculation. A ready surmise, by those unacquainted with the country, was that the water was taken from the sea flowing at the base of Carmel; but a glance at the position and the height of the mountain puts this not unnatural surmise out of the question, as difficult, if not impossible. Examination of the locality has discovered a perennial spring in the neighbourhood of the traditional scene of the sacrifice, which is never known to fail in the severest drought. From this, no doubt (as indeed Josephus expressly says), the water was drawn, with, of course, the object of precluding all idea of fraud or contrivance, and bringing out strikingly the consuming fierceness of the fire from heaven, so emphatically described in 1Ki_18:38.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

33. and laid him [R.V. it] on the wood, and [R.V. and he] said] The former of these changes is in accordance with modern usage.

on the burnt sacrifice] R.V. burnt-offering. Which latter is the constant rendering of the Hebrew word. At the close of the verse the LXX. adds ‘And they did so.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the water ran round about the altar,.... There being such a large effusion of it on it;

and he filled the trench also with water; which surrounded the altar, so that it seemed impracticable that any fire should kindle upon it; and this gave full proof and demonstration there could be no collusion in this matter.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And he put the wood in order ... - He obeyed, that is, all the injunctions of the Law with respect to the offering of a burned sacrifice (marginal reference). He thus publicly taught that the ordinances of the Law were binding upon the kingdom of Israel.

Barrels - Rather, “pitchers” or “water-jars,” such as the maidens used to carry on their heads (Gen 24:14-20. Compare Jdg 7:16, Jdg 7:19). The flooding the sacrifice and the trench with water would at once do away with any suspicion of fraud, and greatly enhance in the eyes of the people the marvelousness of the miracle. The unfailing spring at the eastern end of Carmel 1Ki 18:19, was capable of furnishing as much water as he needed.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Fill four barrels with water; which they could quickly fetch, either from the river Kishon; or if that was dried up, from the sea; both which were at the foot of the mountain. See Jer 46:18.

Pour it on the burnt-sacrifice, and on the wood: this he did, to make the miracle more glorious, and more unquestionable, and so more successful.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

33. Fill four barrels — These barrels were the common water jars which are still used in the East for carrying water, and probably contained from three to five gallons apiece. The original word (כד) is the same as that used 1Ki_17:12, designating the vessel in which the widow kept her meal. It is translated pitcher in Gen_24:14-15, and Jdg_7:16. The object of flooding the bullock and the wood with these vessels of water was manifestly to place the miracle about to be wrought beyond all question.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And he put the wood in order, and cut the bullock in pieces, and laid him on the wood Rawlinson says "He obeyed, that is, all the injunctions of the law with respect to the offering of a burnt sacrifice, (see Lev_1:3-9) and adds, "He thus publicly taught that all the ordinances of the law were binding on the kingdom of Israel." But it is very probable that the priests of Baal had done the same things. All sacrifice involved such manual acts. Cf. Gen_22:9, where the same word is used. No doubt the prophet did everything in an orderly and regular way; but the people could hardly learn a lesson of obedience from such elementary acts as these, and the less so as the law provided, that the sacrifice should be offered only "by the priests, the sons of Aaron", (Lev_1:8) and Elijah"s ministrations, consequently, might seem to warrant or condone the ministrations of Jeroboam"s intrusive priesthood.

That they did not lend any real sanction to those irregularities is clear, however, to us. For, in the first place, priests were not to be had, all having long since left the kingdom. In the second place, the higher commission of the prophet embraced within itself the authority for all necessary priestly acts. Cf., 1Sa_16:2. Elijah acted, as Grotius well observes, (jure prophetico, minoribus legibus exsolutus, ut majores servaret) and said, Fill four barrels Heb. Cf. 1Ki_17:12. It designates the ordinary water-pitcher, generally carried then, as now, by women: (Gen_24:14-20; Jud_1:7:16; Ecc_12:6) with water, and pour it on the burnt sacrifice, and on the wood. The water, as already remarked, was doubtless brought from the adjoining spring (though it is clear from ver. 40 that the Kishon was not dry, and Thomson thinks that its sources, and particularly the fountain of Saadieh, furnished the supply). "In such springs the water remains always cool, under the shade of a vaulted roof, and with no hot atmosphere to evaporate it. While all other fountains were dried up, I can well understand that there might have been found here that superabundance of water which Elijah poured so profusely over the altar" (Van de Velde, 1. p. 325).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

With water - This they could quickly fetch, either from the river Kishon; or, if that was dried up, from the sea; both were at the foot of the mountain. This he did to make the miracle more glorious, and more unquestionable.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He arranged the wood for a fire

"On the altar" where he placed the wood is assumed in this sentence. AT: "He put the wood for a fire on the altar" (See: Ellipsis)

four jars

"4 jars" (See: Numbers)

jars

A jar is a container for water.

trench

See how you translated this in 1 Kings 18:30.

translationWords

fire

cow

burnt offering

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.