Mount Carmel
Where is Mount Carmel? The ridge in northern Israel on which the city of Haifa stands, where Elijah faced the prophets of Baal, with key chapters.
- Today
- Haifa and surroundings, northern Israel
- Country
- Israel
- Status
- Mountain ridge: Carmel National Park, Stella Maris and Muhraqa monasteries
- Identification
- Certain
Mount Carmel is a wooded, fertile ridge running southeast from the Mediterranean coast; the prophets mention its beauty alongside Lebanon and Sharon. Its best-known scene is set here: Elijah gathered the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel and called the people to choose between the LORD and Baal; when fire from the LORD consumed the sacrifice, the people fell on their faces. Elijah then climbed to the top of the mountain, bowed to the ground, and the long drought ended in rain. His successor Elisha also stayed on Mount Carmel.
Read the chapters
- 1 Kings 18
A chapter recounting the dramatic confrontation in which the prophet Elijah stands alone against many opponents on Mount Carmel — a tense scene testing which power is real.
- 2 Kings 2
- 2 Kings 4
- Song of Songs 7
- Isaiah 35
- Amos 1
Related topics
Related people
Related verse collections
- Bible Verses About Hope
- Bible Verses of Comfort
- Bible Verses About Fear and Anxiety
- Bible Verses About Creation
- Bible Verses About Courage
- Bible Verses About Repentance
- Bible Verses About Jesus
- Bible Verses About Justice
- Bible Verses About Holiness
- Bible Verses About Waiting on God
- Bible Verses About Witness
- Bible Verses About Loneliness
- Bible Verses About New Beginnings
- Bible Verses About Guidance
- Bible Verses About God's Protection
- Bible Verses About Joy
- Bible Verses About Healing
- Bible Verses About Strength
- Bible Verses About Peace and Rest
- Bible Verses About God's Promises
- Bible Verses About Mercy
Reading plans
- The Bible for Beginners — 10 Days
- Advent — 24 Days to Christmas
- The Bible in a Year — 365 Days from Cover to Cover
Related guides
- What Is a Prophet?
What does "prophet" mean, what do prophets do in the Bible and which books contain them? A short, neutral guide to the meaning of prophecy, the major and minor prophets and where to start reading.
Books
Places in the Bible
Where is Mount Carmel, and in which country?
Mount Carmel today is a ridge about 40 kilometres long in northern Israel, running southeast from the coastal city of Haifa. In the Bible it is where Elijah confronted the prophets of Baal and fire from the LORD consumed the sacrifice (1 Kings 18:38). Much of the mountain is now Carmel National Park; visitors see the Stella Maris Monastery in Haifa and the Muhraqa monastery, which by tradition stands where the altar was built.
What did Elijah do on Mount Carmel?
On Mount Carmel Elijah stood alone against the prophets of Baal and proposed a test with two bulls: the God who answered by fire would be the true God. The cries of Baal's prophets went unanswered; when Elijah prayed, fire from the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood and the stones (1 Kings 18:38).
Where do the Carmelites get their name?
The Carmelite order takes its name from hermits who, following Elijah's example, began living on Mount Carmel in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. Today the Stella Maris Monastery in Haifa and the Muhraqa monastery on the southeastern part of the ridge are places where traditions about Elijah are remembered.