מלכים א, פרק י״ח, פסוק כ״ב

Before the dramatic test at Mount Carmel begins, Elijah stands before the people and highlights the completely unequal balance of power. He does this intentionally to make the upcoming proof of faith even stronger.

Elijah declares that he is the only remaining prophet of God. This statement might seem confusing, as there were actually other prophets hidden away in caves. While Elijah certainly knew of their existence, these hidden individuals were not actively serving. Because they were forced into hiding under the threat of a death sentence from Jezebel, they could no longer publicly function as prophets whose lives were safe and secure [ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Pointing out this massive numerical gap of one lone man standing against four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal serves a very specific tactical purpose. Elijah wants to completely remove any possible excuse the idol worshippers might use after they inevitably fail. By making it clear that the prophets of Baal hold a huge advantage in numbers, he stops them from later claiming that Baal and God have equal power. They will not be able to argue that their failure was just a random mistake in their rituals, or that Elijah simply performed his service better [מלבי״ם].