1 Kings 18:21 (YLT)

Passage

and Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, `Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? --if Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' and the people have not answered him a word.

Nearby Context

1 Kings 18:19 and now, send, gather unto me all Israel, unto the mount of Carmel, and the prophets of Baal four hundred and fifty, and the prophets of the shrine, four hundred--eating at the table of Jezebel.'

1 Kings 18:20 And Ahab sendeth among all the sons of Israel, and gathereth the prophets unto the mount of Carmel;

1 Kings 18:21 and Elijah cometh nigh unto all the people, and saith, `Till when are ye leaping on the two branches? --if Jehovah <FI>is<Fi> God, go after Him; and if Baal, go after him;' and the people have not answered him a word.

1 Kings 18:22 And Elijah saith unto the people, `I--I have been left a prophet of Jehovah--by myself; and the prophets of Baal <FI>are<Fi> four hundred and fifty men;

1 Kings 18:23 and let them give to us two bullocks, and they choose for themselves the one bullock, and cut it in pieces, and place <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and place no fire; and I--I prepare the other bullock, and have put <FI>it<Fi> on the wood, and fire I do not place; --

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "elijah", "cometh", "nigh", "people", "saith", "till", "leaping", and "branches". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "elijah" and "cometh", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And Ahab sendeth among all the sons..." into verse 22's "And Elijah saith unto the people I--I...", so "elijah" and "cometh" 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 "elijah" and "cometh" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.