1 Kings 18:21

18:21 Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long are you going to be paralyzed by indecision? ¹  If the Lord is the true God, ²  then follow him, but if Baal is, follow him!” But the people did not say a word.

1 Kings 18:26

18:26 So they took a bull, as he had suggested, ³  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 ⁴  around on the altar they had made. ⁵ 

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¹ tn Heb “How long are you going to limp around on two crutches?” (see HALOT 762 s.v. סְעִפִּים). In context this idiomatic expression refers to indecision rather than physical disability.

² tn Heb “the God.”

³ tn Heb “and they took the bull which he allowed them.”

⁴ tn Heb “limped” (the same verb is used in v. 21).

⁵ tc The MT has “which he made,” but some medieval Hebrew mss and the ancient versions have the plural form of the verb.