1-kings 18:28

Translations

King James Version (KJV)

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out on them.

American King James Version (AKJV)

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out on them.

American Standard Version (ASV)

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.

Basic English Translation (BBE)

So they gave loud cries, cutting themselves with knives and swords, as was their way, till the blood came streaming out all over them.

Webster's Revision

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.

World English Bible

They cried aloud, and cut themselves in their way with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.

English Revised Version (ERV)

And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.

Clarke's 1-kings 18:28 Bible Commentary

They cried aloud - The poor fools acted as they were bidden.

And cut themselves after their manner - This was done according to the rites of that barbarous religion; if the blood of the bullock would not move him they thought their own blood might; and with it they smeared themselves and their sacrifice. This was not only the custom of the idolatrous Israelites, but of the Syrians, Persians, Greeks, Indians, and in short of all the heathen world.

Barnes's 1-kings 18:28 Bible Commentary

Elijah's scorn roused the Baal-priests to greater exertions. At length, when the frenzy had reached its height, knives were drawn, and the blood spirted forth from hundreds of self-inflicted wounds, while an ecstasy of enthusiasm seized many, and they poured forth incoherent phrases, or perhaps an unintelligible jargon, which was believed to come from divine inspiration, and constituted one of their modes of prophecy.

The practice of inflicting gashes on their limbs, in their religious exercises, was common among the Carians, the Syrians, and the Phrygians. We may regard it as a modification of the idea of human sacrifice. The gods were supposed to be pleased with the shedding of human blood.

Lancets - Lancets, in our modern sense of the word, can scarcely have been intended by our translators. The Hebrew word is elsewhere always translated "spears," or "lances;" and this is probably its meaning here.

Wesley's 1-kings 18:28 Bible Commentary

18:28 Cut themselves - Mingling their own blood with their sacrifices; as knowing by experience, that nothing was more acceptable to their Baal (who was indeed the devil) than human blood; and hoping thereby to move their god to help them. And this indeed was the practice of divers Heathens in the worship of their false gods.

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