Mt Carmel Elijah Statue 2

Mt. Carmel is the tallest peak in a collection of mountains near modern-day Haifa. To the north, the Jezreel Valley and the Kishon are immediately below the relatively short mountain (1,724 feet, 525 m). Elijah called for a public battle between himself and the prophets of Baal on Carmel. Elijah represented Israel’s one, true God, while the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (1 Kings 18:19) were sponsored by Ahab, the Israelite king, and his wife Jezebel. The mountain would have provided an unhindered view of clouds rising on the horizon to the west (1 Kings 18:44). It was also not that difficult for people in the region to reach. Elijah climbed the mountain once for the confrontation, descended for the execution of the false prophets, climbed it again to pray for rain, and finally descended a final time at the conclusion of that fateful day.