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2 Kings 1

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Moab Rebels; Ahaziah Consults Baalzebub 1–8

1
And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. ​
2
And Ahaziah fell down through the lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover of this sickness. ​
3
But the angel of Jehovah said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? ​
4
Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed. ​
5
And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned?
6
And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Is it because there is no God in Israel, that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
7
And he said unto them, What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words?
8
And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. ​

Elijah Calls Down Fire on Two Captains 9–15

9
Thenthe kingsent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spake unto him, O man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
10
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. ​
11
And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.
12
And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
13
And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said unto him, O man of God, I pray thee, let my life, and the life of these fifty thy servants, be precious in thy sight. ​
14
Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in thy sight.
15
And the angel of Jehovah said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.

Ahaziah Dies According to God’s Word 16–18

16
And he said unto him, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17
So he died according to the word of Jehovah which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram began to reign in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. ​
18
Now the rest of the acts of Ahaziah which he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?

Bible text: American Standard Version (1901) · Public domain

Study Notes for 2 Kings 1

Verse 1

Moab rebelled — Moab had paid Israel 'an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool' under its king Mesha (2 Kgs 3:4), and rebelled 'when Ahab was dead' (3:5). The verse links this book to the end of 1 Kings; the war that followed is told in chapter 3.

Verse 2

Baalzebub the god of Ekron — Baal-zebub means 'Baal of the fly'. Ekron was one of the five Philistine cities (Josh 13:3). Ahaziah sends to ask whether he will 'recover of this disease'. The name returns as Beelzebub, 'the prince of the devils', in Matt 12:24.

Verse 3

the angel of the LORD — The same Hebrew word, malak, is used for the king's 'messengers' and for the LORD's angel who sends Elijah to meet them. The charge is 'Is it not because there is not a God in Israel' — the king has asked a god of Ekron while the God of Israel could have been asked (v.16).

Verse 4

shalt surely die — The sentence is given as 'thus saith the LORD' and Elijah leaves at once. The words are repeated by the messengers (v.6) and to the king's face (v.16). Isaiah asks of the same turning from the God of Israel to other sources, 'should not a people seek unto their God?' (Isa 8:19).

Verse 8

an hairy man — The Hebrew is literally 'a master of hair' (baal se'ar), a man in rough hair or a hair garment, with a leather belt about his loins. John the Baptist wore 'camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins' (Matt 3:4), and Christ said of him, 'this is Elias, which was for to come' (Matt 11:14).

Verse 10

let fire come down from heaven — The captain had said 'Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down' (v.9), and Elijah's 'If I be a man of God' answers the title he used. The same fire from heaven fell on Carmel and 'consumed the burnt sacrifice' (1 Kgs 18:38). James and John later asked for it 'even as Elias did' and were rebuked (Luke 9:54–55).

Verse 13

fell on his knees — The third captain does not command. He kneels and 'besought' (chanan, to ask favour) that his life and the lives of his fifty be 'precious' (yaqar) in the prophet's sight, pointing to the fire that had burnt the two earlier companies (v.14). Then the angel of the LORD tells Elijah, 'Go down with him: be not afraid of him' (v.15).

Verse 17

according to the word of the LORD — Ahaziah died as Elijah had said (v.16). He 'had no son', so Jehoram, Ahab's other son (2 Kgs 3:1), reigned in his stead. The verse also names a second Jehoram, the son of Jehoshaphat, as the king of Judah in whose second year this began.