But what is the divine response to him? “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But how does God answer him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- KJV But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal.
- BSB And what was the divine reply to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- NKJV But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
- NLT And do you remember God’s reply? He said, “No, I have 7,000 others who have never bowed down to Baal!”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
God answers Elijah that he has kept for himself seven thousand who never bowed to Baal.
Overview
Quoting 1 Kings 19:18, Paul highlights that the faithful remnant exists because God 'reserved' them for himself, an act of sovereign grace rather than human resolve alone. This corrects Elijah's despair and grounds hope in God's keeping power. It anticipates Paul's argument that a believing Jewish remnant in his own day likewise proves God has not abandoned Israel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 1 Kgs 19:18Yet I reserved seven thousand in Israel, all the knees of which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.”
- Num 25:3Israel joined himself to Baal Peor. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel.
- 2 Kgs 10:19–20Now therefore call to me all the prophets of Baal, all of his worshipers, and all of his priests. Let no one be absent; for I have a great sacrifice to Baal. Whoever is absent, he shall not live.” But Jehu did deceptively, intending to destroy the worshipers of Baal.
- Zeph 1:4I will stretch out my hand against Judah, and against all the inhabitants of Jerusalem. I will cut off the remnant of Baal from this place: the name of the idolatrous and pagan priests,
- Hos 13:1When Ephraim spoke, there was trembling. He exalted himself in Israel, but when he became guilty in Baal, he died.
- Hos 2:8For she did not know that I gave her the grain, the new wine, and the oil, and multiplied to her silver and gold, which they used for Baal.
- Judg 2:13They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth.
- Jer 19:5and have built the high places of Baal, to burn their sons in the fire for burnt offerings to Baal; which I didn’t command, nor spoke it, neither came it into my mind:
- 1 Kgs 16:31As if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, he took as wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him.
- Deut 4:3Your eyes have seen what Yahweh did because of Baal Peor; for all the men who followed Baal Peor, Yahweh your God has destroyed them from among you.
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 11:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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