1 Kings 18:21

1 Kings 18:21 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Elijah came 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.
• New International Version (NIV)Elijah went before the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.” But the people said nothing.
• English Standard Version (ESV)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.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.

Context of 1 Kings 18:21

19Now then send and gather to me all Israel at Mount Carmel, together with 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of the Asherah, who eat at Jezebel’s table.” 20So Ahab sent a message among all the sons of Israel and brought the prophets together at Mount Carmel. Elijah came near to 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 did not answer him a word. 22Then Elijah said to the people, “I alone am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal’s prophets are 450 men. 23Now let them give us two oxen; and let them choose one ox for themselves and cut it up, and place it on the wood, but put no fire under it; and I will prepare the other ox and lay it on the wood, and I will not put a fire under it.

1 Kings 18:21 word by word

וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֗ם וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ עַד־מָתַ֞י אַתֶּ֣ם פֹּסְחִים֮ עַל־שְׁתֵּ֣י הַסְּעִפִּים֒ אִם־יְהוָ֤ה הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙ לְכ֣וּ אַחֲרָ֔יו וְאִם־הַבַּ֖עַל לְכ֣וּ אַחֲרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־עָנ֥וּ הָעָ֛ם אֹת֖וֹ דָּבָֽר׃Read the interlinear

• Elijahאֵלִיָּה'êlîyâh 'êlîyâhû · ElijahH452
• cameנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: approachH5066
• to allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• Howמָתַיmâthay · howH4970
• longעַד‛ad · tillH5704
• hesitateפָּסַחpâsach · to limpH6452
• betweenעַל‛al · uponH5921
• twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• Ifאִם'im · ifH518
• the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• is Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• followהָלַךְhâlak · to go: followH1980
• followאַחַר'achar · afterH310
• Baalבַּעַלba‛al · BaalH1168
• did not answerעָנָה‛ânâh · to answerH6030
• him a wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697

Cross-references for 1 Kings 18:21

• Deuteronomy 4:35To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.
• 2 Kings 17:41So while these nations feared the Lord, they also served their idols; their children likewise and their grandchildren, as their fathers did, so they do to this day.
• Zephaniah 1:5And those who bow down on the housetops to the host of heaven, And those who bow down and swear to the Lord and yet swear by Milcom,
• Matthew 6:24“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.
• Luke 6:13And when day came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also named as apostles:
• Romans 6:16Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?
• 1 Corinthians 10:21You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
• 2 Corinthians 6:14Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?
• Revelation 3:15‘I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot.
• 1 Kings 18:39When all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”
• Exodus 5:1And afterward Moses and Aaron came and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’”
• Joshua 24:15If it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
• 1 Samuel 7:3Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”
• 1 Chronicles 17:26Now, O Lord, You are God, and have promised this good thing to Your servant.
• 2 Chronicles 33:13When he prayed to Him, He was moved by his entreaty and heard his supplication, and brought him again to Jerusalem to his kingdom. Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God.
• Psalms 100:3Know that the Lord Himself is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 18:21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21How long halt ye between two opinions? - Literally, "How long hop ye about upon two boughs?" This is a metaphor taken from birds hopping about from bough to bough, not knowing on which to settle. Perhaps the idea of limping through lameness should not be overlooked. They were halt, they could not walk uprightly; they dreaded Jehovah, and therefore could not totally abandon him; they feared the king and queen, and therefore thought they must embrace the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21The people were mute. They could not but feel the logical force of Elijah‘s argument; but they were not prepared at once to act upon it. They wished to unite the worship of Yahweh with that of Baal - to avoid breaking with the past and completely rejecting the old national worship, yet at the same time to have the enjoyment of the new rites, which were certainly sensuous, and probably impure.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. 21The Hebrew word translated waver means “to be lame” or “to limp.” Elijah compared the people's indecision between worshiping the Lord and Baal to someone limping awkwardly from one foot to the other. Elijah might have also referred to the ritual dance performed by Baal's prophets as they tried to get the storm-god's attention (1 Kings 18:26).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 18:21

• Ahab
• Carmel
• Choice
• Decision
• Indecision
• Instability
• Reproof
• Revivals

In the dictionaries

• Baal
• Elijah
• God
• Ahab
• Answer
• Carmel
• Cut
• Either
• Follow
• Halt

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