EasyEnglish Bible 2018
1 Kings 18:27
27At noon, Elijah began to laugh at them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘He is a god, isn't he? Maybe he is thinking about something else! Or has he left the room for a moment? Maybe he has gone away from home on a journey. Or perhaps he is asleep and you need to wake him up!’
1 Kings 18:27 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.
- New International Version (NIV)At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, "Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened."
- New King James Version (NKJV)And so it was, at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, “Cry aloud, for he is a god; either he is meditating, or he is busy, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened.”
Context of 1 Kings 18:27
25Elijah said to Baal's prophets, ‘There are many of you, so choose one of the bulls and prepare it first. Pray to your god, but do not light the fire.’ 26So Baal's prophets took a bull as Elijah had told them. They prepared it and they put it on the altar that they had made. Then they prayed to Baal all the time, from morning until noon. They shouted, ‘Baal, answer us!’ But there was no voice that answered them. They jumped and they danced around the altar. At noon, Elijah began to laugh at them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘He is a god, isn't he? Maybe he is thinking about something else! Or has he left the room for a moment? Maybe he has gone away from home on a journey. Or perhaps he is asleep and you need to wake him up!’ 28So Baal's prophets shouted louder. They cut themselves with swords and knives, as their customs taught them to do. Soon, there was blood all over them. 29They continued to shout and dance all the afternoon, until the time of the evening offering. But there was no voice to reply. There was no answer at all.
Read all of 1 Kings 181 Kings 18:27 word by word
וַיְהִ֨י בַֽצָּהֳרַ֜יִם וַיְהַתֵּ֧ל בָּהֶ֣ם אֵלִיָּ֗הוּ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ קִרְא֤וּ בְקוֹל־גָּדוֹל֙ כִּֽי־אֱלֹהִ֣ים ה֔וּא כִּ֣י שִׂ֧יחַ וְכִֽי־שִׂ֛יג ל֖וֹ וְכִֽי־דֶ֣רֶךְ ל֑וֹ אוּלַ֛י יָשֵׁ֥ן ה֖וּא וְיִקָֽץ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass at noonצֹ֫הַרtsôhar · middayH6672
- that Elijahאֵלִיָּה'êlîyâh 'êlîyâhû · ElijahH452
- mockedהָתַלhâthal · to mockH2048
- them, and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Cryקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- aloudקוֹלqôl qôl · voiceH6963
- aloudגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- a godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- either he is talkingשִׂיחַώîyach · complaintH7879
- or he is pursuingשִׂיגώîyg · pursuingH7873
- or he is in a journeyדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: journeyH1870
- peradventureאוּלַי'ûlay 'ûlay · perhapsH194
- he sleepethיָשֵׁןyâshên · sleepingH3463
- and must be awakedיָקַץyâqats · to awakeH3364
Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:27
- 1 Kings 22:15When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?’ Micaiah answered, ‘Yes, attack it. You will surely win the fight. The Lord will give it to you, our king.’
- 2 Chronicles 25:8The Lord will allow your enemies to win against you, even if you fight very well. God has the power to help you, but he can also cause your enemies to win against you.’
- Ecclesiastes 11:9Young people, enjoy your life while you are young. Do the things that you think are good. Enjoy the things that you see. But remember that God will judge you for all the things that you do.
- Isaiah 8:9You foreign nations must listen to this! Join together to fight. Shout as you go to battle. But you will never win! You people from countries that are far away, get ready for war. But you will be completely destroyed!
- Isaiah 44:15He uses some of the wood to burn. He makes himself warm beside the fire. He may light a fire and then he may bake bread on it. Then he uses some of the wood to make a god that he will worship! Yes, he makes an idol, and he bends down in front of it.
- Ezekiel 20:39Israel's people, this is what the Almighty Lord says to you: Now, every one of you, go to serve your idols! But after that, you will listen to me. You will no longer insult my holy name. You will no longer give gifts to your idols.
- Amos 4:4The Lord also says, ‘You like to go to Bethel. You say that it is your holy place. And when you go there, you do wrong things. So go there, if you must, and do your bad things. Go to Gilgal, if you must, and do more bad things there. You bring your sacrifices there every morning as a gift. But that does not make me happy. Every three days, you bring your gifts. But that also does not make me happy.
- Matthew 26:45When he returned to the disciples, he said, ‘You should not still be sleeping and resting. Look! The moment has arrived! Someone will now give me, the Son of Man, to my enemies.
- Mark 7:9He said to them, ‘You refuse to obey God's rules, because then you can keep your own ideas!
- Mark 14:41Then Jesus returned a third time to the disciples. He said to them, ‘You should not still be sleeping and resting. That is enough! The moment has arrived. Look! Someone will now give me, the Son of Man, to my enemies.
- Isaiah 41:23If they can tell us what will happen in future years, we will know that they really are gods. Tell them to do something, a good thing or a bad thing. That would really surprise us, or even frighten us!
- Psalms 44:23Lord, do something! Why are you sleeping? Wake up! Do not turn away from us for ever!
- Psalms 78:65Then the Lord woke up, like someone had woken him from sleep. He shouted loudly, like a soldier who has drunk a lot of wine.
- Psalms 121:4Yes! The Lord keeps Israel's people safe. He never gets tired or sleeps at all!
- Isaiah 51:9Wake up, Lord! Get ready to show your strength! Do great things, as you did in past days, when our ancestors were alive. Remember how you cut the monster, Rahab, into pieces.
- Mark 4:38Jesus was in a comfortable place at the back of the boat. He was sleeping. The disciples woke him. They said to him, ‘Teacher, we will die here in the water! Please do something!’
Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 27At 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 - הוא אלהים כי 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 honor and the credit of his votaries! A…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 27The 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…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-40Verses 21-40 Many of the people wavered in their judgment, and varied in their practice. Elijah called upon them to determine whether Jehovah or Baal was the self-existent, supreme God, the Creator, Governor, and Judge of the world, and to follow him alone. It is dangerous to halt between the service of God and the service of sin, the dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts. If Jesus be the only Saviour, let us cleave to him alone for every…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27occupied: Elijah mocked the false gods by speaking as if they had human needs. His sarcasm showed how powerless they were. In some religions, such as in Egypt, priests treated idols like people. They would wake up the idol, feed it, wash it, dress it in fresh clothes, put makeup on its face, and place a royal emblem on it.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-4021-40. Elijah said unto all the people, How long halt ye?--They had long been attempting to conjoin the service of God with that of Baal. It was an impracticable union and the people were so struck with a sense of their own folly, or dread of the king's displeasure, that they "answered not a word." Elijah proposed to decide for them the controversy between God and Baal by an appeal, not to the authority of the law, for that would have no weight, but by a…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 18:27
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Kings 18
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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