The Meaning of 1 Kings 18:39 Explained

1 Kings 18:39

KJV: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

YLT: And all the people see, and fall on their faces, and say, 'Jehovah, He is the God, Jehovah, He is the God.'

Darby: And all the people saw it, and they fell on their faces and said, Jehovah, he is God! Jehovah, he is God!

ASV: And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, Jehovah, he is God; Jehovah, he is God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when all the people  saw  [it], they fell  on their faces:  and they said,  The LORD,  he [is] the God;  the LORD,  he [is] the God. 

What does 1 Kings 18:39 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 18:30-40 - The God That Answereth By Fire
Too many halt, or limp, between two opinions. The altar of consecration to Christ has been thrown down, 1 Kings 18:30. The worship of Baal, which stands for creature-energy, has secretly stolen away our allegiance from Him, who is very jealous of any strange affinities; and as the necessary result, our heart is drought-smitten and our sphere of service is like a parched land. The idolatrous priests had everything in their favor, for at noon the sun-god was on his throne; but there was no voice. It is an awful thing when a man listens for his god to speak, and there is no reply!
Elijah built again the ruined altar which for long years had stood on Carmel's height, 1 Kings 19:10-11. Let us build again the altars of personal consecration, of family piety, and of national religion. Elijah prayed; as the Apostle expressed it, James 5:17, he put all the passion of his mighty nature into prayer. As a result, because they had been shown to be deceivers, he destroyed the prophets of Baal with a ruthless hand. These are the conditions of revival and refreshing. Let any church give itself to consecration, fervent prayer, and the excision of wrong, and there need be no anxiety as to the result-there will be an abundance of rain. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 18:39 mean?

And when saw [it] all the people and they fell on their faces and they said Yahweh He [is] God Yahweh God
וַיַּרְא֙ כָּל־ הָעָ֔ם וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ עַל־ פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ יְהוָה֙ ה֣וּא הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים יְהוָ֖ה הָאֱלֹהִֽים

וַיַּרְא֙  And  when  saw  [it] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
הָעָ֔ם  the  people 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עַם 
Sense: nation, people.
וַֽיִּפְּל֖וּ  and  they  fell 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
פְּנֵיהֶ֑ם  their  faces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ  and  they  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
יְהוָה֙  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
ה֣וּא  He  [is] 
Parse: Pronoun, third person masculine singular
Root: הוּא 
Sense: he, she, it.
הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
יְהוָ֖ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
הָאֱלֹהִֽים  God 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).