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Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

1 Kings 18:21

And Elijah came unto all the people, as they were assembled in a convenient place on the southeastern slopes of Mount Carmel, and said, How long halt ye between two opinions, being of a double mind, trying to harmonize the worship of Jehovah and that of Baal? If the Lord be God, follow Him; but if Baal, then follow him. This same argument is applicable to the unionistic tendencies of our day, no matter in what connection they crop out, for all such efforts to harmonize truth and falsehood are an abomination to the Lord. And the people answered him not a word, their silence conceding the actual antagonism between the two religions.

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See also 1 Kings 18:21 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 1 Kings 18:21. _HOW 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 o...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    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 -...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    2. ELIJAH ON CARMEL: THE ANSWERED PRAYER CHAPTER 18 _ 1. The command to see Ahab (1 Kings 18:1)_ 2. Elijah's response (1 Kings 18:2) 3. Ahab and Obadiah (1 Kings 18:3) 4. Elijah and Obadiah ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    ELIJAH'S MEETING WITH AHAB AND HIS CONTEST WITH THE PRIESTS OF BAAL. The history of Ahab's reign must have been something like the following: On his marriage with Jezebel he must have allowed the wors...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HOW LONG. ? Figure of speech _Erotesis._ App-6. HALT. leap. Compare 1 Kings 18:26....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _And Elijah came_ R.V. adds NEAR. The word is the same which is twice so rendered in 1 Kings 18:30. It indicates an approach for the purpose of conference and support. _How long halt ye between two op...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 345 DECISION OF CHARACTER 1 Kings 18:21. _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...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CONTEST 18:21-40 The story of the contest on Carmel is one that has excited the imagination of believers through the centuries. The narrative is somewhat lengthy and may for...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _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._ Elijah ca...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    JEHOVAH OR BAAL? 1. In the third year] in Luke 4:2; James 5:17 the duration of the famine is given as 3 years and 6 months....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    HALT] not in the sense of suspending judgment, but of pursuing a vacillating and irregular course, serving at one time Baal and at another time the Lord (Jehovah). The word literally means 'limping.'...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S LESSONS FROM HISTORY 1 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 18 GOD SENDS ELIJAH TO KING AHAB V1 After there had been no rain for three years, the *Lord spoke to Elijah. ‘Go and meet King Ahab. Then...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? — In this exclamation is expressed the very motto of Elijah’s life. It is that of righteous impatience of the “halting” (_i.e._, limping to and fro) “between two...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וַ יִּגַּ֨שׁ אֵלִיָּ֜הוּ אֶל ־כָּל ־הָ עָ֗ם

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    ELIJAH ON MOUNT CARMEL 1 Kings 18:20 "O for a sculptor's hand, That thou might'st take thy stand, Thy wild hair floating in the eastern breeze!" - KEBLE IT never occurred to Ahab to refuse the chal...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE GOD THAT ANSWERETH NOT 1 Kings 18:16 “The God that answereth by fire, let Him be God.” We are thrilled as we read these words. Our altars stand unkindled, our sacrifices are unconsumed, our churc...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    In this chapter we have perhaps one of the most familiar stories of the Old Testament. There are, however, certain points of interest especially to be noted. The first is Ahab's connection with Obadia...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And Elijah came unto all the people, and said, How long (g) 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. (g)...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Sides: sometimes adoring God; at other times the devil. (Calmet) --- Such an expostulation ought to be made to those who are indifferent about religion. (Worthington) --- You cannot serve two masters....

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (21) В¶ 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. Thi...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The days were very dark in Israel. Not only rebellion. And rebellion, always serious, was peculiarly so in Israel, for there it was insubordination in a direct manner against not only God's providence...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _RELIGIOUS INDECISION_ ‘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...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS CHAPTER S 17 AND 18. Elijah and Elisha, on the contrary (witnesses for God in the midst of a people that according to grace God still recognised as His own, but who had...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND ELIJAH CAME UNTO ALL THE PEOPLE,.... Assembled at Mount Carmel: AND SAID, HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? sometimes inclining to the one, and sometimes to the other: as a lame man in walki...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    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. Ver. 21...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _How long halt ye between two opinions?_ Hebrew, סעפים, _segnipim_, thoughts or considerations. Why do ye walk so lamely and unevenly, being so unsteady in your opinions and practices, as doubtful whi...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 In the extremitie of famine Eliiah sent to Ahab, meeteth good Obadiah. 9 Obadiah bringeth Ahab to Eliiah. 17 Eliiah reprouing Ahab, by fire from heauen conuinceth Baals prophets. 41 Eliiah by pra...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    ELIJAH'S RETURN TO FACE AHAB (vs.1-20) The famine lasted three and a half years (James 5:17), the same length of time the Great Tribulation will last. But the rain would not be sent until Elijah gave...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    OPINIONS?: Or, thoughts...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    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, Governo...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    HOW LONG HALT YE BETWEEN TWO OPINIONS? why do you not make straight paths with your feet? as the phrase is, HEBREWS 12:13; why do you walk so lamely and unevenly, being so unsteady in your opinions an...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    1 Kings 18:21 Elijah H452 came H5066 (H8799) people H5971 said H559 (H8799) long H5921 falter H6452 ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THE CONTEST ON MOUNT CARMEL: YHWH VERSUS BAAL (1 KINGS 18:21). In this vivid description of the contest on Mount Carmel Ahab is deliberately not mentioned. This was because it was not a contest betwee...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    1 Kings 18:21 Most of us are so conscious of some lurking weakness, and so fearful of ourselves, that we are reluctant to pledge ourselves to any definite course of action. The fact is plain, we do n...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Elijah goes to meet Ahab and gives challenge. Contests with the priests of Baal. CHARACTERS: God, Elijah, Jezebel, Obadiah, Baal, priests. CONCLUSION: The man of faith need not be afraid to...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    1 Kings 18:1. _After many days._ About the end of the third year, leaving six months more for the crops to be sown and ripened, which harmonizes the new testament with the old. Luke 4:25; James 5:17....

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _How long halt ye between two opinions?_ ELIJAH’S APPEAL TO THE UNDECIDED I. First, you will note that the prophet insisted upon the distinction which existed between the worship of Baal and the wor...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Now therefore send, and gather to me all Israel unto Mount Carmel._ THE PRIESTS OF BAAL Mendelssohn has wrought the harmonies and discords of this scene into a grand oratorio, and the painter or poe...

  • The children's great texts of the Bible by James Hastings

    LAME MINDS How long halt ye between two opinions? 1 Kings 18:21. I expect most of you when you were very small, oh, a _long_ time ago, played a game called “Oranges or Lemons.” You know how two peop...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 18:1 In ch. 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah has lived privately, first in the Transjordanian wilderness and then in Zarephath. Now he reappears in public. The drought will end, but not bef

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 18:21 LIMPING BETWEEN... OPINIONS. Compare v. 1 Kings 18:26, where the prophets of Baal “limped around the altar.” The worship of the people is

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.— 1 Kings 18:19. PROPHETS OF BAAL, &c.—Soothsayers and oracle príests. GROVES—Asherah. Baal and Astarte were the male and female divinities. Jezebel was the patroness o...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ELIJAH'S RETURN AND THE ORDEAL OF MOUNT CARMEL.—The preceding chapter having been exclusively occupied with the fortunes of Elijah during his enforced absence of three and a half years from...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    So our introduction to Elijah. Now it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, Go, show yourself to Ahab; and I will send rain upon the eaRuth...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Chronicles 17:26; 1 Corinthians 10:21; 1 Corinthians 10:22; 1 Kings 18:39;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    ELIJAH AT MOUNT CARMEL 1 Kings 18:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS There are three things which we wish to consider: 1. JUDGMENT AND JUSTICE. The opening verse of chapter 18 says, "And it came to pass after ma...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    And said — Why do you walk so lamely and unevenly, being so unsteady in your opinions and practices, and doubting whether it is better to worship God or Baal? If the Lord — Whom you pretend to worship...

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