2 Kings 1:2-8

2 Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria, and lay sick; so he sent messengers, telling them, “Go, inquire of ¹Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, ²whether I shall recover from this sickness. ”

3 But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah ³the 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 ⁴Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?

4 Now therefore thus says the Lord, ⁵You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. ’” So Elijah went.

5 The messengers returned to the king, and he said to them, “Why have you returned? ”

6 And they said to him, “There came a man to meet us, and said to us, ‘Go back 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 to inquire of ⁶Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up, but you shall surely die. ’”

7 He said to them, “What kind of man was he who came to meet you and told you these things? ”

8 They answered him, ⁷“He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist. ” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite. ”

2 Kings 1:2-8 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.

Cross References

• 1. 1:2 [Matt. 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18, 19]
• 2. 1:2 [ch. 8:8]
• 3. 1:3 1 Kgs. 17:1; 21:17
• 4. 1:3 [See ver. 2 above]
• 5. 1:4 ver. 6, 16
• 6. 1:6 [See ver. 2 above]
• 7. 1:8 [Zech. 13:4; Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6]