Contest at Mount Carmel

860 BC Northern Kingdom Status: ended Casualties: All the prophets of Baal slain by the brook Kishon

After three years of drought Elijah summoned all Israel to Carmel: 'How long halt ye between two opinions?' The prophets of Baal cried from morning till evening — no answer. Elijah drenched his altar thrice; fire fell from heaven and consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and licked up the water in the trench. 1 Kings 18.

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Belligerents

Elijah the Tishbite
450 prophets of Baal & 400 of Asherah

Casualties

All the prophets of Baal slain by the brook Kishon

Key events

Three years of drought at Elijah's word
Mount Carmel, all Israel gathered
The prophets cry from morning till noon, cut themselves with knives — no answer
Elijah's altar drenched; fire falls and licks up the water
The prophets of Baal slain at the brook Kishon
A cloud the size of a man's hand rises out of the sea; the rain returns

Aftermath

Jezebel swears Elijah's life; he flees to Horeb where the Lord passes by — not in wind, earthquake, or fire, but in a still small voice. Elisha is anointed; the dynasty of Ahab is doomed.

Weapons & matériel

Twelve stones for an altar
Four barrels of water poured thrice
Fire from heaven

Sources

1 Kings 17–19
James 5:17–18

From World at War, an interactive atlas by Jairus Pereira. Figures are approximate, drawn from Wikipedia, UCDP, ACLED and academic sources — a design artefact, not an authoritative register. Contact.