1 Kings 18:27

27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."

1 Kings 18:27 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 18:27

And it came to pass at noon
When they had been from the time of the morning sacrifice until now invoking their deity to no purpose:

that Elijah mocked them;
he jeered and bantered them:

and said, cry aloud;
your god does not hear you; perhaps, if you raise your voice higher, he may;

for he is a god;
according to your esteem of him, and, if so, he surely may hear you: unless

either he is talking;
with others about matters of moment and importance, who are waiting on him with their applications to him; or he is in meditation; in a deep study upon some things difficult to be resolved:

or he is pursuing;
his studies, or his pleasures, or his enemies, to overtake them; or he is employed on business ^F20:

or he is in a journey;
gone to visit his friends, or some parts of his dominions; so Homer ^F21 represents Jupiter gone to pay a visit to the Ethiopians, and as yesterday gone to a feast, and all the gods following him, from whence he would not return until twelve days; and in like manner Lucian ^F23 speaks of the gods, mocking at them:

or, peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked;
with a loud crying to him: it being now noon, Abarbinel thinks this refers to a custom of sleeping after dinner; Homer ^F24 also speaks of the sleep of the gods, and which used to be at noon; and therefore the worshippers of Baal ceased then to call upon him; and it is said ^F25, the Heathens feared to go into the temples of their gods at noon, lest they should disturb them; but such is not the true God, the God of Israel, he neither slumbers nor sleeps, ( Psalms 121:4 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 David de Pomis Lexic. fol. 211. 1.
F21 Iliad. ver. 1. 423.
F23 Jupiter Tragoedus.
F24 Ut supra, (Iliad. ver. 1. 423.) in fine, & Iliad. 2. ver. 1, 2.
F25 Meurs. Auctuar. Philol. c. 6. apud Quistorp. in loc.

1 Kings 18:27 In-Context

25 So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."

26 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.

27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."

28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.

29 When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.