The number 450 is best known as the count of Baal prophets that the prophet Elijah confronted on Mount Carmel, but it also appears in connection with Solomon's gold from Ophir and the period of the judges in Israel.
In 1 Kings 18:19, Elijah challenges the 450 prophets of Baal to a dramatic confrontation on Mount Carmel to prove who is the true God. The number thus symbolizes the massive scale of idolatry and the overwhelming opposition to true faith. Elijah's victory over the 450 prophets underscores God's sovereignty and power even when faith appears hopelessly outnumbered. In 2 Chronicles 8:18, 450 talents of gold are mentioned as being brought from Ophir for King Solomon—an immense wealth that testifies to Solomon's golden age and God's blessing upon Israel. In Acts 13:20, Paul refers to a period of about 450 years covering the time from the entry into the land to the era of the judges, linking the number to God's faithful leadership of His people through a long and turbulent epoch. In Jewish tradition, the story of Elijah on Carmel is used as a classic example that one righteous person with God on their side can overcome even the greatest opposition—a principle found in several rabbinic commentaries to 1 Kings 18. The 450 talents of gold from Ophir (2 Chron. 8:18) represent an enormous amount—estimated at around 15 tons of gold based on common calculations of a biblical talent. The exact location of Ophir is disputed, with proposed sites in South Arabia, East Africa, and India. The time reference of 450 years in Acts 13:20 has been the subject of textual critical debate. Some manuscripts place the period from the patriarchs to the land distribution, while others interpret it as the judges' era alone. The chronology is difficult to harmonize with 1 Kings 6:1, which states 480 years from the Exodus to the building of the temple.*