1 Kings 18:27

Contextual Overview

²¹ And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, How long do you go limping between the two sides? if Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. ²¹ Then Elijah stood in front of them and said, "How much longer will you waver, hobbling between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him! But if Baal is God, then follow him!" But the people were completely silent. ²¹ And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word. ²¹ Elijah approached the people and said, "How long will you not decide between two choices? If the Lord is the true God, follow him, but if Baal is the true God, follow him!" But the people said nothing. ²¹ Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? If the Lord is the true God, then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!" But the people did not say a word. ²¹ And Elijah came to all the people, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions? if the LORD [is] God, follow him: but if Baal, [then] follow him. And the people answered him not a word. ²¹ Elijah came near to all the people, and said, How long go you limping between the two sides? if Yahweh is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. The people answered him not a word. ²¹Elijah approached all the people and said, "How long will you hesitate between two opinions? If the LORD is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him." But the people [of Israel] did not answer him [so much as] a word. ²¹ And Elijah came near to all the people and said, "How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word. ²¹ Forsothe Elie neiyede to al the puple of Israel, and seide, Hou long halten ye in to twey partis? If the Lord is God, sue ye hym; forsothe if Baal is God, sue ye hym. And the puple answeride not o word to hym.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Elijah: 1 Kings 22:15, 2 Chronicles 25:8, Ecclesiastes 11:9, Isaiah 8:9, Isaiah 8:10, Isaiah 44:15-17, Ezekiel 20:39, Amos 4:4, Amos 4:5, Matthew 26:45, Mark 7:9, Mark 14:41

aloud: Heb. with a great voice

for he is a god: Isaiah 41:23

either: Such were the absurd and degrading notions which the heathens entertained of their gods. "Vishnoo sleeps four months in the year; and to each of the gods some particular business is assigned. Vayoo manages the winds; Vuroonu the waters, etc. According to a number of fables in the pooranus, the gods are often out on journeys or expeditions." Ward's Views of the Hindoos, vol. ii. p. 324.

he is talking: or, he meditateth

is pursuing: Heb. hath a pursuit

must be awaked: Psalms 44:23, Psalms 78:65, Psalms 78:66, Psalms 121:4, Isaiah 51:9, Mark 4:38, Mark 4:39

Reciprocal: Genesis 11:6 - Behold Deuteronomy 18:20 - in the name Judges 6:31 - if he be Judges 10:14 - General 1 Kings 8:36 - give rain 2 Kings 4:33 - prayed 2 Chronicles 18:14 - Go ye up Job 26:2 - How hast thou Psalms 145:18 - nigh unto John 13:27 - That

Cross-References

Genesis 2:7
then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Genesis 2:7
And Yahweh God formed the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7
Then the Lord God took dust from the ground and formed a man from it. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nose, and the man became a living person.

Genesis 2:7
The Lord God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Genesis 2:7
And the LORD God formed man [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7
Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

Genesis 2:7
then the LORD God formed [that is, created the body of] man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].

Genesis 2:7
Therfor the Lord God formede man of the sliym of erthe, and brethide in to his face the brething of lijf; and man was maad in to a lyuynge soule.

Genesis 2:7
And Jehovah God formeth the man -- dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.

Genesis 2:7
Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at noon,.... When they had been from the time of the morning sacrifice until now invoking their deity to no purpose:

that Elijah mocked them; he jeered and bantered them:

and said, cry aloud; your god does not hear you; perhaps, if you raise your voice higher, he may;

for he is a god; according to your esteem of him, and, if so, he surely may hear you: unless

either he is talking; with others about matters of moment and importance, who are waiting on him with their applications to him; or he is in meditation; in a deep study upon some things difficult to be resolved:

or he is pursuing; his studies, or his pleasures, or his enemies, to overtake them; or he is employed on business t:

or he is in a journey; gone to visit his friends, or some parts of his dominions; so Homer u represents Jupiter gone to pay a visit to the Ethiopians, and as yesterday gone to a feast, and all the gods following him, from whence he would not return until twelve days; and in like manner Lucian w speaks of the gods, mocking at them:

or, peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked; with a loud crying to him: it being now noon, Abarbinel thinks this refers to a custom of sleeping after dinner; Homer x also speaks of the sleep of the gods, and which used to be at noon; and therefore the worshippers of Baal ceased then to call upon him; and it is said y, the Heathens feared to go into the temples of their gods at noon, lest they should disturb them; but such is not the true God, the God of Israel, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, Psalms 121:4.

t David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 211. 1. u Iliad. ver. 1. 423. w Jupiter Tragoedus. x Ut supra, (Iliad. ver. 1. 423.) in fine, & Iliad. 2. ver. 1, 2. y Meurs. Auctuar. Philol. c. 6. apud Quistorp. in loc.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The object of Elijah’s irony was two-fold;

(1) to stimulate the priests to greater exertions, and so to make their failure more complete, and

(2) to suggest to the people that such failure would prove absolutely that Baal was no God.

The force of the expressions seems to be, “Cry on, only cry louder, and then you will make him hear, for surely he is a god; surely you are not mistaken in so regarding him.” He is “talking,” or “meditating;” the word used has both senses, for the Hebrews regarded “meditation” as “talking with oneself;” “or he is pursuing;” rather, perhaps, “he hath a withdrawing,” i. e., “he hath withdrawn himself into privacy for awhile,” as a king does upon occasions. The drift of the whole passage is scornful ridicule of the anthropomorphic notions of God entertained by the Baal-priests and their followers (compare Psalms 50:21). The pagan gods, as we know from the Greek and Latin classics, ate and drank, went on journeys, slept, conversed, quarrelled, fought. The explanations of many of these absurdities were unknown to the ordinary worshipper, and probably even the most enlightened, if his religion was not a mere vague Pantheism, had notions of the gods which were largely tainted with a false anthropomorphism.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 18:27. At noon - Elijah mocked them — Had not Elijah been conscious of the Divine protection, he certainly would not have used such freedom of speech while encompassed by his enemies.

Cry aloud — Make a great noise; oblige him by your vociferations to attend to your suit.

For he is a god — כי אלהים הוא ki Elohim hu, he is the supreme God, you worship him as such, he must needs be such, and no doubt jealous of his own honour and the credit of his votaries! A strong irony.

He is talking — He may be giving audience to some others; let him know that he has other worshippers, and must not give too much of his attention to one. Perhaps the word שיח siach should be interpreted as in the margin, he meditateth; he is in a profound revery; he is making some god-like projects; he is considering how he may best keep up his credit in the nation. Shout! let him know that all is now at stake.

He is pursuing — He may be taking his pleasure in hunting, and may continue to pursue the game in heaven, till he have lost all his credit and reverence on earth.

The original words, שיג לו sig lo, are variously translated; He is in a hotel, in diversorio, VULGATE. Perhaps he is delivering oracles, μη ποτε χρηματιζει αυτος, SEPTUAGINT. Or, he is on some special business. Therefore, cry aloud!

He is in a journey — He has left his audience chamber, and is making some excursions; call aloud to bring him back, as his all is at stake.

Peradventure he sleepeth — Rab. S. Jarchi gives this the most degrading meaning; I will give it in Latin, because it is too coarse to be put in English; Fortassis ad locum secretum abiit, ut ventrem ibi exomeret; "Perhaps he is gone to the ______." This certainly reduces Baal to the lowest degree of contempt, and with it the ridicule and sarcasm are complete.

Among Asiatic idolaters their gods have different functions to fulfil, and require sleep and rest. Vishnoo sleeps four months in the year. Budhoo is represented in his temple as sleep, though his eyes are open. Vayoo manages the winds; Varoona, the waters; Indra, the clouds, c. and according to many fables in the Pooranas, the gods are often out on journeys, expeditions, &c.