2 Kings 1:4

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).

2 Kings 1:4 Meaning and Commentary

2 Kings 1:4

Now therefore thus saith the Lord
Jehovah, the only true God:

thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but
shall surely die;
this sickness should be unto death, and the bed he had betaken himself to should be his deathbed. The phrases of going up to bed, and coming down, are used with great propriety; for in the eastern countries, in their bedchambers, they had a gallery raised four or five feet above the floor, with a balustrade on the front ^F4, and steps leading up to it; or ladders, which had more or fewer rounds, according as the beds were higher or lower ^F5:

and Elijah departed;
having met the messengers, and delivered his message from the Lord unto them.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 See Dr. Shaw's Travels, p. 209. Ed. 2.
F5 Vid. Isidor. Origin. l. 20. c. 11. & Alstorph. de Lect. Vet. c. 2.

2 Kings 1:4 In-Context

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.)