1 Kings 18:26

18:26 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.

1 Kings 18:29

18:29 Throughout the afternoon they were in an ecstatic frenzy, but there was no sound, no answer, and no response.


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

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

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

tn Heb “when noon passed they prophesied until the offering up of the offering.”

tc The Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta include the following words here: “When it was time to offer the sacrifice, Elijah the Tishbite spoke to the prophets of the abominations: ‘Stand aside for the time being, and I will offer my burnt offering.’ So they stood aside and departed.”

sn In 2 Kgs 4:31 the words “there was no sound and there was no response” are used to describe a dead boy. Similar words are used here to describe the god Baal as dead and therefore unresponsive.