2 Kings 1:8

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 1:8 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 1:8

And they answered him, he was an hairy man
Either the hair of his head and beard were grown very long, having been much neglected for a great while; or he had an hairy garment on, either of goats' hair, such as the Chinese wear ^F6, whose women spin it, see ( Exodus 35:26 ) and of which garments are made; or of camels' hair, such as John the Baptist wore, who came in his spirit and power, and imitated him in his dress, being also, as Elijah here, girt with a girdle of leather about his loins:
for more expeditious travelling, not for warmth, the climate being hot: and he said, it is Elijah the Tishbite;
for he had seen him formerly in his father's court in this dress.

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FOOTNOTES:

F6 Semedo's History of China, part 1. ch. 3.

2 Kings 1:8 In-Context

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.)

9 And he sent to Elijah a prince of fifty, and [the] fifty men that were under him. Which prince ascended to him, and said to him, sitting in the top of the hill, Man of God, the king commandeth, that thou come down. (And he sent to Elijah a leader of fifty men, and the fifty men who were under him. Which leader went up to him, and said to him, as he was sitting on the hill-top, Man of God, the king commandeth, that thou come down.)

10 And Elijah answered, and said to the prince of fifty men (and said to the leader of fifty men), If I am the man of God, (let) fire come down from heaven, and devour thee and thy fifty men. Therefore fire came down from heaven, and devoured him, and the fifty men that were with him.