Verse 18
Seven thousand in Israel - That is, many thousands; for seven is a number of perfection, as we have often seen: so, The barren has borne seven - has had a numerous off-spring; Gold seven times purified - purified till all the dross is perfectly separated from it. The court and multitudes of the people had gone after Baal; but perhaps the majority of the common people still worshipped in secret the God of their fathers.
Every mouth which hath not kissed him - Idolaters often kissed their hand in honor of their idols; and hence the origin of adoration - bringing the hand to the mouth after touching the idol, if it were within reach; and if not, kissing the right hand in token of respect and subjection. The word is compounded of ad , to, and os , oris , the mouth. Dextera manu deum contingentes, ori admovebant : "Touching the god with their right hand, they applied it to their mouth." So kissing the hand, and adoration, mean the same thing -
Thus Pliny,
Inter adorandum, dexteram ad osculum referimus, totum corpus circumagimus : Nat. Hist. lib. xxviii., cap. 2. -
"In the act of adoration we kiss the right hand, and turn about the whole body."
Cicero mentions a statue of Hercules, the chin and lips of which were considerably worn by the frequent kissing of his worshippers:
Ut rictus ejus, et mentum paulo sit attritius, quod in precibus et gratulationibus, non solum id venerari, sed etiam osculari solent . - Orat. in Verrem.
I have seen several instances of this, especially in the paintings of old saints: the lips and mouth of beautiful paintings literally worn away by the unmerciful osculations of devotees.
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