The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Kings — Section 413

leo.d. "He is o.nxious tho.t their inability frantic cries of the Greek Easter (see Porter ehall be fully manifested before he shows i. 168: Conder, 176-178) in Jerusalem, th~ )lis own power" (Rawlinson). Whether the prayers of the pilgrims for the descent of 1dc11 was nlso present in hie mind that the holy fire, may help ue to realize the they " could prepo.re their victim in a much scene here described], a.nd cut themselves shorter time than he could prepare his " [cf. Dent. xiv. 1; Jer. xvi. 6; xli. 5; xlvii. 5] (ib.) is by 110 means so certo.in] : and call on after their manner [Keil quotes from the name of your gods [or god, i.e., Ba.a.I], Movers, Phoniz. i. pp. 682-83, a description but put no fire under. [The repetition (cf. of the religions dances offered to the Dea ver. 2-1) shows that the ordeal was proposed Syria. " A discordant howling opens the separately to the people and the prophets.] scene. Then they rush wildly about in Ver. 26.-And they took the bullock perfect confusion, with their heads bowed which was given them [Heb. which he (or down to the ground, but always revolving one) gave; i.e., they declined to choose], and in circles, so that the loosened hair drags they dressed 1t, a.nd caJled on the name of through the mire ; then they begin to bite Baal from morning even until noon, saying, their arms, and end with cutting themselves 0 Baal, hear us [Heb. answer us. Same with the two-edged swords which they are word as below. They thougM they would in the habit of carrying. A new scene then be beard for their much speaking]. But opens. One of them, who surpasses all the there was no voice [Heh. and not a voice], rest in frenzy, begins to prophesy with sighs nor any that answered. And they leaped and groans," &c. In the " Contemporary [or limped. Same word as that translated Review," vol. xxvii. pp. 371 sqq., Bishop " halt" in ver. 21. Gesenius thinks the word Caldwell has graphically described the is " used scornfully of the awkward dancing devil-dances of Southern India-a descrip- of the priests of Bo.a.I." But it seems more tion which may be read with profit in this natural to underst!IDd it as descriptive of connexion. One sentence may be tran- what actually occurred, i.e., of the reeling, scribed here: " He cuts and hacks nnd swaying, bncchantic dance of the priests, hews himself, and not nnfrequently kills which was probably not unlike that of the himself there and then." Kitto mentions d1mcing dervishes or the Indian devil-wor- " the furious gashes which the Persians shippern of our own time] upon [or near, inflict upon themselves in their frantic i.e., arou7!d] t-he altar which was made. annual lamentation for Hosseiu." Rawlin- [Heb. he, that is, one made, il~V i.mpers~nal. son says this was also common among the But some MSS. and most versions read~~~]. Cn.rians·and Phrygians] with knives (Reh. Ver. 27.-And it came to pass at noon, swords] and lancets [Heb. lances, spear.,. that Elljah mocked [or deceived] them, a.nd The A. V. is mislendi1Jg. '.fh2 instruments said, Cry aloud [Heh. with a great voice]: they used were weapons of heavy-armed for he 1s a god [i.e., in your estimation. troops. For ti•no,, see Num. xxv. 7; "Here is one of Lhe few examples of irony Judg. v. 8: Jer: ;!~. 4], till the blood in Scripture" (Wr.rdsworth)] ; either he 1s gushed out' upon them. [Heb. until the telld.ng [the mn.rg. he mcditateth is prefer- she1ldi11g of blood upon the-in. It is perfectly able. Cf.1 Sn.m. i. 16; Psa. cxlii. 3. But the olear that their faith in Bnal was siucere word ~as both meanings (see 2 Kings ix. and profound. Mukwg due allowance for 11), fairly preserved in the LXX. aooX,crx,a the fact that they were under the eyes of aimp lcrn], or he ie pursuing [Heb. for he their king and patron, and of representa- ha(h ~- wi(hdrawal, i.e., for the purpose of tives of the entiro people, it is still impos- !.~henng lnmself. -t,. euphemism. Cf. Judg. sible to doubt their sincerity. Somo of 111. 21; 2 Sam. xuv. 3. Stanley attempts them, it is probable, were Phocnicinns. "Of to preserve the paronomasia, n•?', J'~, by one thing I am assured-the devil-dancer never shams excitement" (Caldwell).] the translrition, "he has his head full" and " he has his stom~oh full "] , or he 1s in a Ver. 2!>.-And it ea.me to pass, when m!d- Journey [the thrice repeated ,:., must be day was past [Elijah allowed them all the time ho oould, consistently with the grcnt noticed. It heightens the eff~ct of the work he had himself to do, which would mookery], or peradventure he sleepeth absorb nll tho rest of the day], and they [Though it was noon, it is not olee.r that prophesied [Notice the striking cowcideuce there is e. reference to the usual midday with the description of the worship of siesta of the East], and must be awaked. Ashtoreth given above. We nre not to Ver. 28.-And they cried aloud [Heb. in think of vaticinations, but of frenzied cries a great voice, ns nbove. It was not that &o. It is not clear, however, that any fresh they took Elijah's words au sfrieux, but his ele~~nt i1;1 their worship is intended, as scorn led them to redouble their elI01tH, ii Keil unngmes. Their service as a whole only to testify their faith in their god. The • seeing they were prophets, would be called  424 THE FIRST BOOK OF KINOS. (oB, XVIII, 1--48.