Mount Carmel

In the Bible

Mount Carmel is best known for the events of 1 Kings 18. During the reign of King Ahab, Elijah called for the 450 prophets of Baal and the 400 prophets of Asherah to be gathered at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19). He then asked the people, "How long halt ye between two opinions?" (18:21). A contest followed in which the god who answered by fire upon the sacrifice would be acknowledged as the true God, and fire fell from heaven and consumed Elijah's offering on the altar (18:38). After the contest, Elijah went up to the top of the mountain and prayed. When his servant looked toward the sea for the seventh time, a little cloud "like a man's hand" arose, and after a long drought a great rain fell (18:42–45). The contest is treated in detail in the article Contest on Mount Carmel.

Elsewhere, Joshua 12:22 mentions "the king of Jokneam of Carmel," and Joshua 19:26 records Carmel as a boundary of the territory of the tribe of Asher. Elisha also stayed on Mount Carmel (2 Kings 2:25). When her son died, the Shunammite woman went to Elisha, who was at Mount Carmel (2 Kings 4:25).

Background

Mount Carmel begins at the Mediterranean coast near present-day Haifa and stretches inland toward the southeast. To the northeast of the range lie the brook Kishon and the Jezreel Valley (1 Kings 18:40, 46). The Hebrew word karmel is generally understood to mean "orchard" or "fruitful garden." Moist winds from the sea made its forests and pastures lush. For this reason the Bible uses Carmel as a symbol of beauty and abundance (Isaiah 35:2; Song of Solomon 7:5). Conversely, the image of Carmel withering signifies judgment (Amos 1:2; Isaiah 33:9).

Significance Across Scripture

Although the New Testament does not mention Mount Carmel by name, it takes up the events that occurred there. James 5:16–18 cites Elijah, whose prayer stopped the rain and whose renewed prayer brought it back, as an example of the power of a righteous man's prayer. Elijah appears with Moses at the Transfiguration. The New Testament presents John the Baptist as one who carries on Elijah's mission (Matthew 11:14).

Interpretation and Issues

• Length of the drought: 1 Kings 18:1 states that the rain returned "in the third year," whereas Luke 4:25 and James 5:17 describe the drought as lasting "three years and six months." Many explain the difference by holding that the two texts reckon the period differently.
• Location and later traditions: The text does not identify the exact site of the contest. A tradition reportedly identifies a place called Muhraqa, on the southeastern part of the range, as the site, but this is not certain. The explanation that the water poured on the altar during the drought was seawater is likewise a conjecture not found in the text.
• Confrontation with Baal: Scholars commonly explain that Baal was worshiped as the god who controlled rain and storms. On this view, the episode, centered on fire and rain, was a direct challenge to Baal worship.
• Differences in emphasis: The Presbyterian and Reformed traditions generally emphasize God's sovereignty and the rejection of idolatry. Pentecostal and Holiness traditions tend to associate the fire from heaven with the power of the Holy Spirit. Reading the fire as the Holy Spirit is not something the text states directly but an interpretation made in light of the New Testament.
• Another Carmel: The Carmel of 1 Samuel 15:12 and 25:2 is a town in the hill country of Judah where Nabal and Abigail lived. It is a different place from Mount Carmel in the north.
• The Catholic Carmelite Order: The name of this order is understood to derive from hermits who lived a monastic life on Mount Carmel in the Middle Ages.

In the Korean Church

Elijah's question "How long halt ye between two opinions?", his prayer during which he sent his servant to look toward the sea seven times, and the account of the cloud like a man's hand are frequently used as sermon texts on decisive faith and persevering prayer. The name "Mount Carmel" is also used for prayer retreat centers and prayer meetings.