2 Kings 1:1-7

Ahaziah's Messengers Meet Elijah

1 Now ¹Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.

2 And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, ²inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ³whether I will recover from this sickness."

3 But the angel of the LORD said to ⁴Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, 'Is it because * there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of ⁵Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?'

4 "Now therefore thus says the LORD, '^[a]⁶You shall not come down from the bed where * you have gone up, but you shall surely die.' " Then Elijah departed.

5 When the messengers returned to him he said to them, "^[b]Why have you returned?"

6 They said to him, "A man came up to meet us and said to us, 'Go, return to the king who sent you and say to him, "Thus says the LORD, 'Is it because * there is no God in Israel that you are sending ⁷to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore ^[c]you shall not come down from the bed where * you have gone up, but shall surely die.' ""'

7 He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?"

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2 Kings 1:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS

\\COMMONLY CALLED THE FOURTH BOOK OF THE KINGS\\

This, and the preceding book, are properly but one book divided into two parts, because of the size of it, as the book of Samuel; it is a continuation of the history of the kings of Israel and Judah; and for a further account of it the reader is referred to the title of the preceding book.

\\INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 1\\

This chapter begins with the rebellion of Moab against Israel, 2Ki 1:1, relates a fall of the king of Israel in his house, which brought on him a sickness, about which he sent messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron, who were stopped by Elijah, and bid to return, as they did; and upon the king's examination of them about the cause of their return, he perceived it was Elijah that forbad them, 2Ki 1:2-8, upon which the king sent to him two captains, with fifty men each, one after another, to bring him to him, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 2Ki 1:9-12, but a third with fifty men sent to him were spared, and he is bid to go along with them with a message to the king, as he did, 2Ki 1:13-16 and the chapter is closed with the death of Ahaziah, 2Ki 1:17,18.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. 2 Samuel 8:2; 2 Kings 3:5
2. 2 Kin 1:3, 6, 16; Matthew 10:25; Mark 3:22
3. 2 Kings 8:7-10
4. 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 21:17
5. 2 Kings 1:2
6. 2 Kings 1:6, 16
7. 2 Kings 1:2

Footnotes 3

[a]. Lit "The bed where you went up, you shall not come down from it"
[b]. Lit "What is this that you have returned?"
[c]. V 4, note 1