# Kill a bull, divide the meat into pieces, and put it on an altar for a sacrifice, but do not light the fire.

Elijah commanded exactly how the prophets of Baal should prepare their sacrifice in order to test and see if Baal was a real god.

# if God sends fire on the altar

The connecting word **If** indicates a hypothetical conditional relationship. If God sends fire, then it proves that he is real. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-condition-hypothetical]])

# the real God

This means the one and only true God.

# So the prophets of Baal prepared a sacrifice but did not light the fire.

The connecting word **So** connects the result (the prophets of Baal made the sacrifice but didn’t light a fire), with the reason (Elijah told them to do it that way). (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/grammar-connect-logic-result]])