My Thoughts on the Rendition of 1 Kings 18:27 Concerning Baal

One of the biggest objections done by KJV Onlyists against the Living Bible (TLB) is the rendition of 1 Kings 18:27. KJV Onlyists raise the objection that the rendition is utterly disgusting or inappropriate to read to our children. The TLB translation renders 1 Kings 18:27 as follows:

About noontime, Elijah began mocking them. “You’ll have to shout louder than that,” he scoffed, “to catch the attention of your god! Perhaps he is talking to someone, or is out sitting on the toilet, or maybe he is away on a trip, or is asleep and needs to be wakened!”

I find this a bit of a double standard since the KJV actually uses the phrase "pisseth against the wall" six times so how is that different from Baal sitting on the toilet? I do prefer the way the KJV, ESV, and NIV render it. The three renditions are as follows:

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he is a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. (KJV)

And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” (ESV)

At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” (NIV) 

Reading the Strong's Concordance can actually have the Hebrew word for pursuing as seeg. Seeg is defined by the Brown-Driver-Briggs' definition as a moving away or dross. It seems that Elijah was actually taunting the prophets of Baal that their god was really out there sitting on the toilet. The Contemporary English Version (CEV) also renders it as such. The ESV uses the words "relieving himself" while the KJV uses "he is pursuing" or "busy". I think the way the TLB and CEV render it can be rather inappropriate for younger audiences. The KJV's use of pursuing could have included italics saying "private matters" since Strong's Concordance says it also means "a withdrawal". The NIV uses the word "busy" which was probably intentional to hide the harshness of Elijah's language against the degenerate priests of Baal. 

The Old Testament also has other places where strong language is used. Rabshakeh in 2 Kings 18:27 and Isaiah 36:12 uses such a disgusting language of people eating their own body waste (which is also in the KJV), something I'd rather not elaborate here. It seems also that Elijah actually did taunt the prophets of Baal that their god was pursuing private matters or was actually relieving himself (as the ESV tends to use a literal translation). If Elijah did use such language then he was really showing that Baal worship should be treated as filthy as a toilet.