1 Kings 18:25

And Elijah said unto the prophets of Baal, Choose you one bullock for yourselves, and dress [or offer , as in 1 Kings 18:23 ] it first; for ye are many [Heb. the many . Every pre-eminence and advantage which he gives to them will make his triumph, when it comes, all the greater. It is quite possible that he meant again to hint at their immense superiority in point of numbers. But no doubt he was only too glad to find a reason for their taking the lead. "He is anxious that their inability shall be fully manifested before he shows his own power" (Rawlinson). Whether the idea was also present in his mind that they "could prepare their victim in a much shorter time than he could prepare his" ( ib .) is by no means so certain]; and call on the name of your gods [or god, i.e; Baal], but put no fire under. [The repetition (cf. verse 24) shows that the ordeal was proposed separately to the people and the prophets.]