1 Kings 18:21 (DRB)

Passage

And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:19 Nevertheless send now, and gather unto me all Israel, unto Mount Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the groves four hundred, who eat at Jezabel's table.

1 Kings 18:20 Achab sent to all the children of Israel, and gathered together the prophets unto mount Carmel.

1 Kings 18:21 And Elias coming to all the people, said: How long do you halt between two sides? If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then follow him. And the people did not answer him a word.

1 Kings 18:22 And Elias said again to the people: I only remain a prophet of the Lord: but the prophets of Baal are four hundred and fifty men.

1 Kings 18:23 Let two bullocks be given us, and let them choose one bullock for themselves, and cut it in pieces, and lay it upon wood, but put no fire under: and I will dress the other bullock, and lay it on wood, and put no fire under it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elias", "coming", "people", "said", "long", "halt", "between", and "sides". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elias" and "coming", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Achab sent to all the children of..." into verse 22's "And Elias said again to the people...", so "elias" and "coming" belong inside that flow. In 1 Kings context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "elias" and "coming" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.