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Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 18:28

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

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ahab;   Carmel;   Elijah;   Idol;   Idolatry;   Knife;   Prayer;   Revivals;   Thompson Chain Reference - Awakenings and Religious Reforms;   Awakenings, Religious;   Beauty-Disfigurement;   Body;   Elijah;   Fanaticism;   Knives;   Mutilation;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Idolatry;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Carmel;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Funeral;   Miracle;   Persecution;   Prayer;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hospitality;   Zeal;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Cutting;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Arms;   Baal (1);   Cuttings;   Knife;   Madmen (2);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Baal;   Cattle;   Elijah;   False Prophet;   False Worship;   Fertility Cult;   Gash;   Gods, Pagan;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Knife;   Lance, Lancet;   Mountain;   Prayer;   Ugarit;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Baal (1);   Carmel;   Cuttings in the Flesh;   Haggai;   Lance, Lancet;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Prayer;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Circumcision;   Sacrifices ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Ahab ;   Baal, Baalim ;   Carmel ;   Lancet,;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount carmel;   Obadiah;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Armor;   Arms;   Baal;   Carmel;   Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Elijah;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Arms, Armor;   Ba'al,;   Car'mel;   Cuttings [in the Flesh];   Knife;   Lancet;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Altar;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Baal (1);   Cut;   Cuttings in the Flesh;   Elijah;   Idolatry;   Knife;   Lance;   Law in the Old Testament;   Prophecy;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Cuttings;  

Devotionals:

- Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life - Devotion for July 25;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
They shouted loudly, and cut themselves with knives and spears, according to their custom, until blood gushed over them.
Hebrew Names Version
They cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
King James Version
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them.
English Standard Version
And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.
New Century Version
The prophets prayed louder, cutting themselves with swords and spears until their blood flowed, which was the way they worshiped.
New English Translation
So they yelled louder and, in accordance with their prescribed ritual, mutilated themselves with swords and spears until their bodies were covered with blood.
Amplified Bible
So they cried out with a loud voice [to get Baal's attention] and cut themselves with swords and lances in accordance with their custom, until the blood flowed out on them.
New American Standard Bible
So they cried out with a loud voice, and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until blood gushed out on them.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they cryed loude, and cut them selues as their maner was, with kniues and launcers, till the blood gushed out vpon them.
Legacy Standard Bible
So they cried with a loud voice and gashed themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them.
Contemporary English Version
The prophets kept shouting louder and louder, and they cut themselves with swords and knives until they were bleeding. This was the way they worshiped,
Complete Jewish Bible
So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and knives, as their custom was, until blood gushed out all over them.
Darby Translation
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and spears, till the blood gushed out upon them.
Easy-to-Read Version
So the prophets prayed louder. They cut themselves with swords and spears. (This was the way they worshiped.) They cut themselves until they were bleeding all over.
George Lamsa Translation
And they cried with a loud voice and they cut themselves after their custom with daggers and lances, until their blood gushed out upon them.
Good News Translation
So the prophets prayed louder and cut themselves with knives and daggers, according to their ritual, until blood flowed.
Lexham English Bible
So they called out with a loud voice, and they cut themselves with swords and with spears as was their custom, until the blood poured out over them.
Literal Translation
And they called with a loud voice, and cut themselves, according to their way, with swords and with spears until blood gushed out on them.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they cried loude, and prouoked the selues with knyues & botkens, (as their maner was) tyll ye bloude folowed.
American Standard Version
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they cried lowde, and cut them selues as their maner was with kniues & launcers, till the blood folowed on the.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with swords and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
King James Version (1611)
And they cried loud, and cut themselues after their maner, with kniues, and lancers, till the blood gushed out vpon them.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves according to their custom with knives and lancets until the blood gushed out upon them.
English Revised Version
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, till the blood gushed out upon them.
Berean Standard Bible
So they shouted louder and cut themselves with knives and lances, as was their custom, until the blood gushed out upon them.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor thei crieden with greet vois, and thei kerueden hem silf with knyues and launcetis, bi her custom, til thei weren bisched with blood.
Young's Literal Translation
And they call with a loud voice, and cut themselves, according to their ordinance, with swords and with spears, till a flowing of blood [is] on them;
Update Bible Version
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
Webster's Bible Translation
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 after their manner with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
New King James Version
So they cried aloud, and cut themselves, as was their custom, with knives and lances, until the blood gushed out on them.
New Living Translation
So they shouted louder, and following their normal custom, they cut themselves with knives and swords until the blood gushed out.
New Life Bible
So they cried with a loud voice. They cut themselves as they had done in the past, with swords and spears until blood poured out on them.
New Revised Standard
Then they cried aloud and, as was their custom, they cut themselves with swords and lances until the blood gushed out over them.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And they cried, with a loud voice, and cut themselves, after their custom, with swords, and with lances, - until the blood gushed out upon them.
Douay-Rheims Bible
So they cried with a loud voice, and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till they were all covered with blood.
Revised Standard Version
And they cried aloud, and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
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.

Contextual Overview

21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, How long will you go on balancing between two opinions? if the Lord is God, then give worship to him; but if Baal, give worship to him. And the people said not a word in answer. 22 Then Elijah said to the people, I, even I, am the only living prophet of the Lord; but Baal's prophets are four hundred and fifty men. 23 Now, let them give us two oxen; and let them take one for themselves, and have it cut up, and put it on the wood, but put no fire under it; I will get the other ox ready, and put it on the wood, and put no fire under it. 24 And do you make prayers to your god, and I will make a prayer to the Lord: and it will be clear that the one who gives an answer by fire is God. And all the people in answer said, It is well said. 25 Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, Take one ox for yourselves and get it ready first, for there are more of you; and make your prayers to your god, but put no fire under. 26 So they took the ox which was given them, and made it ready, crying out to Baal from morning till the middle of the day, and saying, O Baal, give ear to us. But there was no voice and no answer. And they were jumping up and down before the altar they had made. 27 And in the middle of the day, Elijah made sport of them, saying, Give louder cries, for he is a god; he may be deep in thought, or he may have gone away for some purpose, or he may be on a journey, or by chance he is sleeping and has to be made awake. 28 So they gave loud cries, cutting themselves with knives and swords, as was their way, till the blood came streaming out all over them. 29 And from the middle of the day they went on with their prayers till the time of the offering; but there was no voice, or any answer, or any who gave attention to them. 30 Then Elijah said to all the people, Come near to me; and all the people came near. And he put up again the altar of the Lord which had been broken down.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cut themselves: Leviticus 19:28, Deuteronomy 14:1, Micah 6:7, Mark 5:5, Mark 9:22

the blood gushed out upon them: Heb. they poured out blood upon them

Reciprocal: Judges 10:14 - General Psalms 145:18 - nigh unto Jeremiah 47:5 - how Jeremiah 48:37 - cuttings Zechariah 13:6 - What

Cross-References

Genesis 18:3
And said, My Lord, if now I have grace in your eyes, do not go away from your servant:
Genesis 18:4
Let me get water for washing your feet, and take your rest under the tree:
Genesis 18:17
And the Lord said, Am I to keep back from Abraham the knowledge of what I do;
Genesis 18:19
For I have made him mine so that he may give orders to his children and those of his line after him, to keep the ways of the Lord, to do what is good and right: so that the Lord may do to Abraham as he has said.
Genesis 18:26
And the Lord said, If there are fifty upright men in the town, I will have mercy on it because of them.
Genesis 18:29
And again he said to him, By chance there may be forty there. And he said, I will not do it if there are forty.
Genesis 18:32
And he said, O let not the Lord be angry and I will say only one word more: by chance there may be ten there. And he said, I will have mercy because of the ten.
Genesis 18:33
And the Lord went on his way when his talk with Abraham was ended, and Abraham went back to his place.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they cried aloud,.... Trying to make him hear, if possible:

and cut themselves after their manner with knives and lancets, till the blood gushed out upon them; so the priests of Heathen deities used to slash themselves on their shoulders, arms, and thighs, in their devotions to them, as many writers observe z, fancying their gods were delighted with human blood; particularly the priests of Bellona a, and the worshippers of the Syrian goddess b, and of the Egyptian Isis c.

z Vid. Kipping. Antiqu. Roman. l. 1. c. 10. p. 202. a Tertul Apolog. c. 9. Lactant. Institut. l. 1. c. 21. b Apulei Metamorph. l. 8. c Herodot. Euterpe, c. 61. Manetho. Apotelesm. l. 1. ver. 243, 244. Seneca de vita beata, c. 27.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 28. 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.


 
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