God’s Word Translation
1 Kings 18:27
27At noon Elijah started to make fun of them. “Shout louder, since he is a god. Maybe he’s thinking, relieving himself, or traveling! Maybe he’s sleeping, and you have to wake him!”
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 told the prophets of Baal, “Choose one bull for yourselves. Prepare yours first, because there are more of you. Call on the name of your god, but don’t set the wood on fire.” 26They took the bull he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon. They said, “Baal, answer us!” But there wasn’t a sound or an answer. So they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah started to make fun of them. “Shout louder, since he is a god. Maybe he’s thinking, relieving himself, or traveling! Maybe he’s sleeping, and you have to wake him!” 28So they shouted louder. They also cut themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed. (This is what their ritual called for.) 29In the afternoon they continued to rant and rave until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no sound, no answer, no attention given to them.
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 he came to the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth in Gilead or not?” Micaiah said to him, “Attack and you will win. The Lord will hand it over to you.”
- 2 Chronicles 25:8If you go into battle with them, no matter how courageous you are, God will use the enemy to defeat you, because God has the power to help you or to defeat you.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:9You young people should enjoy yourselves while you’re young. You should let your hearts make you happy when you’re young. Follow wherever your heart leads you and whatever your eyes see. But realize that God will make you give an account for all these things when he judges everyone.
- Isaiah 8:9Be broken, you people. Be terrified. Listen, all you distant parts of the earth. Prepare for battle, but be terrified. Prepare for battle, but be terrified.
- Isaiah 44:15These trees become ⌞fuel⌟ for people to burn. So they take some of them and warm themselves with them. They start fires and bake bread. They also make gods from these trees and worship them. They make them into carved statues and bow in front of them.
- Ezekiel 20:39“ ‘Nation of Israel, this is what the Almighty Lord says: Serve your disgusting idols. But afterwards, you will listen to me. You will no longer dishonor my holy name with your gifts and your disgusting idols.
- Amos 4:4Go to Bethel and sin. Go to Gilgal and sin even more. Bring your sacrifices every morning. Bring a tenth of your income every three days.
- Matthew 26:45Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. The time is near for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.
- Mark 7:9He added, “You have no trouble rejecting the commandments of God in order to keep your own traditions!
- Mark 14:41He came back a third time and said to them, “You might as well sleep now. It’s all over. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners.
- Isaiah 41:23Tell us what’s going to happen so that we may know that you are gods. Yes, do something, good or evil, to intimidate us and make us afraid.
- Psalms 44:23Wake up! Why are you sleeping, O Lord? Awake! Do not reject us forever!
- Psalms 78:65Then the Lord woke up like one who had been sleeping, like a warrior sobering up from ⌞too much⌟ wine.
- Psalms 121:4Indeed, the Guardian of Israel never rests or sleeps.
- Isaiah 51:9Wake up! Wake up! Clothe yourself with strength, O Lord! Wake up as you did in days long past, as in generations long ago. Didn’t you cut Rahab into pieces and stab the serpent?
- Mark 4:38But he was sleeping on a cushion in the back of the boat. So they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to die?”
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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