1 Kings 18:26
New International Version
So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made.

New Living Translation
So they prepared one of the bulls and placed it on the altar. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning until noontime, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no reply of any kind. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

English Standard Version
And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made.

Berean Standard Bible
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

King James Bible
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

New King James Version
So they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying, “O Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice; no one answered. Then they leaped about the altar which they had made.

New American Standard Bible
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it, and they called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.

NASB 1995
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.

NASB 1977
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, “O Baal, answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they limped about the altar which they had made.

Amplified Bible
So they took the bull that was given to them and prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, hear and answer us.” But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they had made.

Christian Standard Bible
So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us! ” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced around the altar they had made.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
So they took the bull that he gave them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound; no one answered. Then they danced, hobbling around the altar they had made.

American Standard Version
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they took the bull that was given to them, and they prepared it, and they were calling on the name of Baal from morning and until noon: “Baala, answer us!” And there was no voice, also no one who answered, and they were fighting on the altar that they had made.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And they took the calf and drest it, and called on the name of Baal from morning till noon, and said, hear us, O Baal, hear us. And there was no voice, neither was there hearing, and they ran up and down on the alter which they had made.

Contemporary English Version
They chose their bull, then they got it ready and prayed to Baal all morning, asking him to start the fire. They danced around the altar and shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" But there was no answer.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they took the bullock which he gave them, and dressed it: and they called on the name of Baal from morning even till noon, saying: O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered: and they leaped over the altar that they had made.

English Revised Version
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped about the altar which was made.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They 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.

Good News Translation
They took the bull that was brought to them, prepared it, and prayed to Baal until noon. They shouted, "Answer us, Baal!" and kept dancing around the altar they had built. But no answer came.

International Standard Version
So they took the ox that was given to them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from early morning until noon. "Baal! Answer us!" they cried. But there was no response. Nobody answered. So they kept on dancing around the altar that they had made.

JPS Tanakh 1917
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying: 'O Baal, answer us.' But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they danced in halting wise about the altar which was made.

Literal Standard Version
And they take the bullock that [one] gave to them, and prepare [it], and call in the name of Ba‘al from the morning even until the noon, saying, “O Ba‘al, answer us!” And there is no voice, and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made.

Majority Standard Bible
And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made.

New American Bible
Taking the young bull that was turned over to them, they prepared it and called upon Baal from morning to noon, saying, “Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answering. And they hopped around the altar they had prepared.

NET Bible
So they took a bull, as he had suggested, and prepared it. They invoked the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no sound and no answer. They jumped around on the altar they had made.

New Revised Standard Version
So they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, crying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no answer. They limped about the altar that they had made.

New Heart English Bible
And they took the bull which was given them, and they prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, "Baal, answer us." But there was no voice, nor any who answered. And they limped about the altar they had made.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped upon the altar which was made.

World English Bible
They took the bull which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, “Baal, hear us!” But there was no voice, and nobody answered. They leaped about the altar which was made.

Young's Literal Translation
And they take the bullock that one gave to them, and prepare, and call in the name of Baal from the morning even till the noon, saying, 'O Baal, answer us!' and there is no voice, and there is none answering; and they leap on the altar that one had made.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Elijah on Mount Carmel
25Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26And they took the bull that was given them, prepared it, and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon, shouting, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no sound, and no one answered as they leaped around the altar they had made. 27At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”…

Cross References
Matthew 6:7
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.

1 Kings 18:25
Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Since you are so numerous, choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first. Then call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire."

1 Kings 18:27
At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, "Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!"

Psalm 115:4
Their idols are silver and gold, made by the hands of men.

Psalm 115:5
They have mouths, but cannot speak; they have eyes, but cannot see;

Isaiah 44:17
From the rest he makes a god, his graven image. He bows down to it and worships; he prays to it and says, "Save me, for you are my god."

Jeremiah 10:5
Like scarecrows in a cucumber patch, their idols cannot speak. They must be carried because they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, and neither can they do any good."


Treasury of Scripture

And they took the bullock which was given them, and they dressed it, and called on the name of Baal from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us. But there was no voice, nor any that answered. And they leaped on the altar which was made.

from morning

Matthew 6:7
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

hear.

1 Kings 18:24
And call ye on the name of your gods, and I will call on the name of the LORD: and the God that answereth by fire, let him be God. And all the people answered and said, It is well spoken.

Psalm 115:4-8
Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's hands…

Psalm 135:15-20
The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the work of men's hands…

answered.

Zephaniah 1:9
In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit.

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1 Kings 18
1. In the extremity of famine Elijah, sent to Ahab, meets good Obadiah
9. Obadiah brings Ahab to Elijah
17. Elijah, reproving Ahab, by fire from heaven convinces Baal's prophets
41. Elijah, by prayer obtaining rain, follows Ahab to Jezreel














(26) O Baal, hear us.--This repeated cry--the ever-recurring burden of the prayer, uttered probably first in measured chant, afterwards in a wild excited cry--stands in an instructive contrast (which has been splendidly emphasised in Mendelssohn's music) with the simple, earnest solemnity of the prayer of Elijah. It has been obvious to see m it an illustration of our Lord's condemnation of the worship of the heathen, who "think that they shall be heard for their much speaking" (Matthew 6:7). There is a grave irony in the notice of the blank silence which followed this frenzied cry. "There was no voice, nor any to answer, nor any that regarded."

They leaped upon--properly, leaped up and down at the altar, in one of those wild dances, at once expressing and stimulating frenzy, in which Oriental religions delight, even to this day.

Verse 26. - And they took the bullock which was given them [Heb. which he (or one) gave; i.e., they declined to choose], and they dressed it, and called on the name of from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal, hear us [Heb. answer us. Same word as below. They thought they would be heard for their much speaking]. But there was no voice [Heb. and not a voice], nor any that answered. And they leaped [or limped. Same word as that translated "halt" in ver. 21. Gesenius thinks the word is "used scornfully of the awkward dancing of the priests of Baal." But it seems more natural to understand it as descriptive of what actually occurred, i.e., of the reeling, swaying, bacchantie dance of the priests, which was probably not unlike that of the dancing dervishes or the Indian devil worshippers of our own time] upon [or near, i.e., around] the altar which was made, [Heb. he, that is, one made, עָשָׂה impersonal. But some MSS. and most versions read עָשׁוּ].

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And they took
וַ֠יִּקְחוּ (way·yiq·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 3947: To take

the bull
הַפָּ֨ר (hap·pār)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6499: Young bull, steer

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

was given
נָתַ֣ן (nā·ṯan)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

them,
לָהֶם֮ (lā·hem)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

prepared [it],
וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֒ (way·ya·‘ă·śū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6213: To do, make

and called
וַיִּקְרְא֣וּ (way·yiq·rə·’ū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7121: To call, proclaim, read

on the name
בְשֵׁם־ (ḇə·šêm-)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 8034: A name

of Baal
הַ֠בַּעַל (hab·ba·‘al)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1168: Baal -- a heathen god

from morning
מֵהַבֹּ֨קֶר (mê·hab·bō·qer)
Preposition-m, Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1242: Dawn, morning

until
וְעַד־ (wə·‘aḏ-)
Conjunctive waw | Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

noon,
הַצָּהֳרַ֤יִם (haṣ·ṣā·ho·ra·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 6672: A light, double light, noon

shouting,
לֵאמֹר֙ (lê·mōr)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 559: To utter, say

“O Baal,
הַבַּ֣עַל (hab·ba·‘al)
Article | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1168: Baal -- a heathen god

answer us!”
עֲנֵ֔נוּ (‘ă·nê·nū)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common plural
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

But there was no
וְאֵ֥ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

sound,
ק֖וֹל (qō·wl)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6963: A voice, sound

and no one
וְאֵ֣ין (wə·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Adverb
Strong's 369: A non-entity, a negative particle

answered
עֹנֶ֑ה (‘ō·neh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6030: To answer, respond

as they leaped
וַֽיְפַסְּח֔וּ (way·p̄as·sə·ḥū)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6452: To hop, skip over, to hesitate, to limp, to dance

around
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the altar
הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ (ham·miz·bê·aḥ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4196: An altar

they had made.
עָשָֽׂה׃ (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make


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OT History: 1 Kings 18:26 They took the bull which was given (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 18:25
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