SEV Biblia, Chapter 18:31
Y tomando Elías doce piedras, conforme al número de las tribus de los hijos de Jacob, al cual había sido dada palabra del SEÑOR, diciendo: Israel será tu nombre;
Clarke's Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 18:31
Verse 31. Took twelve stones] He did this to show that all the twelve tribes of Israel should be joined in the worship of Jehovah.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 31. And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob , etc.] Which he might very easily come at from the mountain: unto whom the word of the Lord came, saying, Israel shall be thy name , which signifies one that has power with God, as Jacob had, when the word came to him to make a change in his name at Penuel, ( Genesis 32:28), and as Elijah hoped and believed he should have at this time, being a prophet, and a worshipper of Israel’s God.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-40 - Many of the people wavered in their judgment, and varied in their practice. Elijah called upon them to determine whether Jehovah or Baa was the self-existent, supreme God, the Creator, Governor, and Judge of the world, and to follow him alone. It is dangerous to halt between the service of God and the service of sin, the dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts. If Jesus be the only Saviour, let us cleave to him alone for every thing; if the Bible be the world of God, let u reverence and receive the whole of it, and submit our understanding to the Divine teaching it contains. Elijah proposed to bring the matter to a trial. Baal had all the outward advantages, but the event encourage all God's witnesses and advocates never to fear the face of man. The God that answers by fire, let him be God: the atonement was to be mad by sacrifice, before the judgment could be removed in mercy. The God therefore that has power to pardon sin, and to signify it by consumin the sin-offering, must needs be the God that can relieve from the calamity. God never required his worshippers to honour him in the manner of the worshippers of Baal; but the service of the devil, thoug sometimes it pleases and pampers the body, yet, in other things, reall is cruel to it, as in envy and drunkenness. God requires that we mortify our lusts and corruptions; but bodily penances and severitie are no pleasure to him. Who has required these things at your hands? few words uttered in assured faith, and with fervent affection for the glory of God, and love to the souls of men, or thirstings after the Lord's image and his favour, form the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man, which availeth much. Elijah sought not his own glory but that of God, for the good of the people. The people are all agreed convinced, and satisfied; Jehovah, he is the God. Some, we hope, ha their hearts turned, but most of them were convinced only, no converted. Blessed are they that have not seen what these saw, yet have believed, and have been wrought upon by it, more than they that saw it.
Original Hebrew
ויקח 3947 אליהו 452 שׁתים 8147 עשׂרה 6240 אבנים 68 כמספר 4557 שׁבטי 7626 בני 1121 יעקב 3290 אשׁר 834 היה 1961 דבר 1697 יהוה 3068 אליו 413 לאמר 559 ישׂראל 3478 יהיה 1961 שׁמך׃ 8034
