Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, which eat at Jezebel’s table. (1 Kings 18:19)
These were the priests and teachers of Baal, and the prophets of the groves were the priests connected with the worship of Astarte. The number gives an idea of the extent to which these degrading cults had taken hold of the people of Israel.
Eat at Jezebel’s table.
That is, they received their support from the hands of the queen. They were Jezebel’s subsidized clergy.
Gather to me.
It is the prophet, not the king, who gives the orders. Ahab recognized the divine origin of the command, and obeyed at once.
Mount Carmel.
A range of hills 15 mi. (9.3 km.) long, with its northwestern promontory jutting out into the Mediterranean. The hills are about 550 ft. (167.7 m.) high at the promontory and about 1,700 ft. (518.3 m.) high at the southeast. The height affords a beautiful view of the Mediterranean, the plains of Esdraelon and Sharon, and of much of Samaria.