Melachim Bais 1:8

8 And they answered him, He was an ish ba’al se’ar (man owning [garment] of [camel] hair) and girt with an ezor ohr (belt of leather) about his waist. And he said, It is Eliyahu HaTishbi.

Melachim Bais 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.


FOOTNOTES:

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

Melachim Bais 1:8 In-Context

6 And they said unto him, There came an ish up to meet us, and he said unto us, Go, turn again unto HaMelech that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith Hashem, Is it because there is no Elohim in Yisroel, that thou sendest to inquire of Ba’al Zevuv elohei Ekron? Therefore thou shalt not get down from that mittah on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7 And he said unto them, What manner of ish was he which came up to meet you, and told you these devarim?
8 And they answered him, He was an ish ba’al se’ar (man owning [garment] of [camel] hair) and girt with an ezor ohr (belt of leather) about his waist. And he said, It is Eliyahu HaTishbi.
9 Then HaMelech sent unto him sar chamishim with his fifty. And he went up to him; and, hinei, he sat on the rosh hahar. And he spoke unto him, Thou Ish HaElohim, HaMelech hath said, Come down.
10 And Eliyahu answered and said to the sar hachamishim, If I be an Ish HaElohim, then let eish come down from Shomayim, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down eish from Shomayim, and consumed him and his fifty.
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