2 Kings 1:1-8

1 Forsooth Moab trespassed against Israel, after that Ahab was dead. (After Ahab died, Moab rebelled against Israel.)

2 And Ahaziah felled through the alures of his solar, which he had in Samaria, and was (made) sick; and he sent messengers, and said to them, Go ye, and counsel (with) Baalzebub, [the] god of Ekron, whether I may live after this sickness of me. (And Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his solarium, which he had in Samaria, and was injured; and he sent out messengers, and said to them, Go ye, and counsel with Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, to see whether I shall recover from this injury of mine.)

3 Forsooth the angel of the Lord spake to Elijah of Tishbe, and said, Rise thou, and go down into the meeting of the messengers of the king of Samaria; and thou shalt say to them, Whether God is not in Israel, that ye go to counsel Baalzebub, [the] god of Ekron? (Is God not in Israel, so that ye must go to counsel with Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?)

4 For which thing the Lord saith these things, Thou shalt not go down off the bed, on which thou ascendedest, (but thou shalt die). And Elijah went (forth).

5 And the messengers turned again to Ahaziah. And he said to them, Why turned ye again? (And the messengers returned to Ahaziah. And he said to them, Why have ye returned?)

6 And they answered to him, A man met us, and said to us, Go ye, turn ye again to the king, that sent you; and ye shall say to him, The Lord saith these things, Whether for God was not in Israel, thou sendest, that Baalzebub, [the] god of Ekron, be counselled? Therefore thou shalt not go down off the bed, on which thou ascendedest, but thou shalt die by death. (And they answered to him, A man met us, and said to us, Go ye, return ye to the king, who sent you; and ye shall say to him, The Lord saith these things, Thinkest thou that God was not in Israel, and thou sentest out messengers, so that Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, could be counselled with? And so thou shalt not go down off the bed, on which thou liest, but thou shalt die.)

7 Which Ahaziah said to them, Of what figure and habit is that man, that met you, and spake to you these words?

8 And they said, An hairy man, and gird with a girdle of leather in the reins. Which said to them, It is Elijah of Tishbe. (And they said, A hairy man, and girded with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said to them, It is Elijah of Tishbe.)

2 Kings 1:1-8 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.