The proud words of the army captain contradicted themselves. Elijah showed this: If Elijah was truly a man of God (a prophet of God), then his authority came from God. To ignore him was to invite danger (see Deuteronomy 18:15–19).
Fire often represents God's presence in the Scriptures (see Exodus 3:1–6; 19:18; compare 1 Kings 18:38).
Fifty soldiers was a typical group size (1 Kings 18:4); here it shows a division in Israel's military organization.