1 Kings 18:21 BSB — MannaFest

1 Kings 18:21

Then Elijah approached all 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 did not answer a word.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And Elijah came near unto all the people, and said, How long go ye limping between the two sides? if Jehovah be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him. And the people answered him not a word.

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.

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Commentary

2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

The 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.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The service of God and the service of sin, the dominion of Christ and the dominion of our lusts, these are the two thoughts which it is dangerous halting between.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

27 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
וַיִּגַּ֨שׁ	vai.yi.Gash	and he drew near	H5066 →
אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ	'e.li.Ya.hu	Elijah	H452 →
אֶל־	'el-	to	H413 →
כָּל־	kol-	all	H3605 →
הָעָ֗ם	ha.'Am	the people	H5971 →
וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙	vai.Yo.mer	and he said	H559 →
עַד־	'ad-	until	H5704 →
מָתַ֞י	ma.Tai	when?	H4970 →
אַתֶּ֣ם	'a.Tem	[will] you	H859 →
פֹּסְחִים֮	po.se.Chim	[be] limping	H6452 →
עַל־	'al-	on	H5921 →
שְׁתֵּ֣י	she.Tei	[the] two	H8147 →
הַסְּעִפִּים֒	ha.se.'i.Pim	the crutches	H5587 →
אִם־	'im-	if	H518 →
יְהוָ֤ה	Yah.weh	Yahweh	H3068 →
הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙	ha.'E.lo.Him	[is] <the> God	H430 →
לְכ֣וּ	le.Khu	walk	H1980 →
אַחֲרָ֔יו	'a.cha.Rav	after him	H310 →
וְאִם־	ve.'im-	and if	H518 →
הַבַּ֖עַל	ha.Ba.'al	<the> Baal	H1168 →
לְכ֣וּ	le.Khu	walk	H1980 →
אַחֲרָ֑יו	'a.cha.Rav	after him	H310 →
וְלֹֽא־	ve.lo'-	and not	H3808 →
עָנ֥וּ	'a.Nu	they answered	H6030 →
הָעָ֛ם	ha.'Am	the people	H5971 →
אֹת֖וֹ	'o.To	<obj.> him	H853 →
דָּבָֽר׃	da.Var	a word	H1697 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
1 Samuel 7:3
Then Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and Ashtoreths among you, prepare your hearts…
leads to
- Luke 4:8
  But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
- Deuteronomy 13:4
  You are to follow the LORD your God and fear Him. Keep His commandments and listen to His voice; serve Him and hold fast to Him.
- Matthew 4:10
  “Away from Me, Satan!” Jesus declared. “For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.’”
- Deuteronomy 6:13
  Fear the LORD your God, serve Him only, and take your oaths in His name.
Through
Joshua 24:15
But if it is unpleasing in your sight to serve the LORD, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods…
leads to
- John 6:67–68
  So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?”
- Ruth 1:15–16
  “Look,” said Naomi, “your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and her gods; follow her back home.”
Through
Matthew 6:24
No one can serve two masters: Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and…
leads to
- 1 John 2:15–16
  Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
- Luke 16:13
  No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and…