Bible Commentaries
2 Kings 1

Introduction

Second Kings Chapter 1

2 Kings 1:1 "Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab."

Ahab had been a powerful, though evil, king. He had kept the subjection of Moab going during his reign. Many believe that Moab had payed tribute for at least 40 years. At the death of Ahab, they saw their opportunity to get free, and took it.

2 Kings 1:2 "And Ahaziah fell down through a 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 disease."

Ahaziah had followed his father Ahab to the throne. This means that Ahaziah had fallen from the second floor, and injured himself severly. He was, possibly, so broken up, that he was near death. Ahab and Jezebel were worshippers of Baal. It is logical that their son would be, too. This Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, was a false diety. Ahaziah had placed his faith in a nothing. This false god could not help him.

2 Kings 1:3 "But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?"

We see, from this, that Elijah was still prophet for the LORD in the land. The LORD sent Elijah to stop him from inquiring of the false god. This is a message, which speaks truth. They had turned their backs on the One True God, to worship Baal. They were not seeking God, but Baal.

2 Kings 1:4 "Now therefore thus saith the LORD, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And Elijah departed."

Elijah gave the messengers the message the LORD had sent him with, and departed. He did not want to be hunted down and killed. Ahaziah would die for his worship of the evil false gods. This was not what he wanted to hear, but was the truth.

2 Kings 1:5 "And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said unto them, Why are ye now turned back?"

Ahaziah knew that the messengers had not been gone long enough to receive a message from the false god. He wants them to explain why, they are back so soon.

2 Kings 1:6 "And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die."

They gave the message to him the very way that Elijah had told them to. They did not tell him, however, that the message had been given them by Elijah.

2 Kings 1:7 "And he said unto them, What manner of man [was he] which came up to meet you, and told you these words?"

2 Kings 1:8 "And they answered him, [He was] an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It [is] Elijah the Tishbite."

It is highly unlikely that they had not known Elijah and his reputation. They were, probably, afraid to tell him who the prophet was. They were afraid for their own lives. Notice, how a true prophet is dressed. Matthew 3:4 "And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey."

2 Kings 1:9 "Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down."

Ahaziah had, probably, heard how Elijah called down fire from heaven, and then killed 450 prophets of Baal. He would take no chances with him not coming. He sent 50 of his best men to bring him back. He was sitting on the top of a hill, when they found him. They call him "man of God".

2 Kings 1:10 "And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I [be] a man of God, then 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."

There is a reference to this very thing in the following Scripture in the New Testament. Luke 9:54 "And when his disciples James and John saw [this], they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?" Elijah had tremendous power to call down fire. He could have been known as the prophet of fire. He had no sooner said it, than the fifty were consumed of the fire.

2 Kings 1:11 "Again also 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."

2 Kings 1:12 "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."

The very same thing happened to the captain and his fifty of the second group that happened to the first group. Notice, the statement, "if I be a man of God". It is as if he is saying, you say I am, let’s see if I am.

2 Kings 1:13 "And he sent again a captain of the 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."

News had travelled back about what had happened to the first two groups. This third captain came, because his king sent him. He humbled himself before Elijah, recognizing Elijah and Elijah’s God. He wanted to live, but he had to carry out the message of the king. He begs for his life, and the life of his men.

2 Kings 1:14 "Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight."

He makes Elijah aware that he knows of the other groups, who had come to get him.

2 Kings 1:15 "And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king."

This is a re-assurance from the LORD, that He would be with Elijah. The appearance of the angel is bringing the message to Elijah, to have no fear of what might happen to him. Elijah obeyed the message sent to him by the angel of the LORD.

2 Kings 1:16 "And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, [is it] not because [there is] no God in Israel to inquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die."

This implies, that he would have been saved, if he had sent to Elijah in the first place, rather than to the false god.

2 Kings 1:17 "So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son."

2 Kings 1:18 "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?"

He was condemned for his worship of false gods, and died, just as the LORD had said through Elijah. Some believe Jehoram was the brother of Ahaziah. Jehoram and Joram are the same person. "Jehoram" means whom Jehovah exalts. We can see that Ahab had high hopes for this son, as well, by the name he gave him. Ahaziah did not even finish his second year of reign. Jehoram began, before the second year was up. This is a bit confusing speaking of Jehoram as the son of Jehoshaphat. We will not belabor that here. The main thing we must know, is that he was evil, and the last of the family of Ahab to reign. The historical book is mentioned, again.

2 Kings 1 Questions

1. Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of _________.

2. How long had Moab paid tribute to Israel?

3. What accident did Ahaziah have?

4. Where did he send messengers?

5. What did he send them for?

6. Who was the god of Ekron?

7. How did Elijah know to go and meet them on the road?

8. What did Elijah say to the messengers?

9. What message did Elijah tell them to give their king?

10. Why would Ahaziah have to die?

11. What did the king ask the messengers, when they arrived?

12. What did the messengers call Elijah?

13. What was Elijah wearing?

14. The minute the king heard what the man was wearing, he said it was __________.

15. Quote Matthew 3:4.

16. Who did the king send to get Elijah?

17. What happened to them?

18. Who did he next send?

19. What happened to them?

20. What did the third captain do differently?

21. What was he really doing, when he knelt and said what he did?

22. Why did Elijah go with him to see the king?

23. What does 2 Kings 1:16 imply?

24. Who took his place as king, when he died?

25. What does "Jehoram" mean?

Verse 1

2Ki 1:1

2Ki 1:1-2

AHAZIAH; KING OF ISRAEL; INQUIRED OF BAAL-ZEBUB

"And Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 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."

"And Moab rebelled against Israel" (2 Kings 1:1). David had defeated and subjugated the Moabites, putting to death at least two-thirds of their armed services (2 Samuel 8:2); and, of course, they became a part of the great empire of Solomon. From inscriptions upon the Moabite Stone, we learn that Moab rebelled upon the occasion of the division of Solomon’s empire and regained their independence for a time, but that they again lost it to Israel during the reign of Omri. Later in 2 Kings 3:4-27 there is a fuller report of this rebellion of Moab, but apparently this brief mention of it occurs here as a preliminary to the explanation of why Ahaziah was unable to suppress the rebellion due to his injury.

The event that precipitated Moab’s rebellion was the defeat and death of Ahab in the battle of Ramoth-gilead. "In Oriental empires the death of a brave and energetic king was always the signal for a revolt of the subjected peoples."

"Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron" (2 Kings 1:2). The word inquire here is of special interest. "It is a technical term for seeking divine revelation. It is used almost exclusively for resorting to a place with a religious objective (Amos 5:5; Deuteronomy 12:5; Genesis 25:22; Exodus 18:15; Ezekiel 14:10; etc.)."

The word Baal-zebub, as indicated by Ugaritic tablets was spelled Baal-zebul, meaning "lord of the dwelling," but as it stands in the Hebrew it means, "lord of the flies." This change of meaning probably resulted from a Hebrew deliberate misspelling of the name of that detestable god. Later in history, "The Rabbis, by making an additional slight change in the spelling, altered the name to mean, the dung god," or the "god of the dunghill."

Ahaziah’s sending messengers to inquire of Baalzebub was designed as a public insult to the true God of Israel, a maneuver which required the direct intervention of God Himself to checkmate it for the sake of the chosen people. God moved at once to destroy Ahaziah and to demonstrate before all men the stupid futility of Ahaziah’s insulting preference for the Canaanite Baal over the true God of Israel.

E.M. Zerr:

Verses 3-4

2Ki 1:3-4

2 Kings 1:3-4

ELIJAH INTERCEPTED HIS MESSENGERS AND PROPHESIED THE DEATH OF AHAZIAH

"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? Now therefore thus saith Jehovah, Thou shalt not come down from the bed whither thou art gone up, but shall surely die. And Elijah departed."

"The angel of Jehovah" (2 Kings 1:3). The importance of this event is stressed by the appearance of this Mighty Angel to Elijah. Some identify him with the great Christophanies of the O.T., and Dentan was probably correct in his statement that, "The Angel of the Lord who appears in 2 Kings 1:3; 2 Kings 1:15 is actually the Lord himself." "Genesis 22:15-16 speaks of the angel of the Lord and the Lord as being the same."

"Now therefore" (2 Kings 1:4). "The word therefore means `for this reason,’ the reason being Ahaziah’s total apostasy from God, for which sin God sentenced him to die as a result of his fall ... it is implied that he might have recovered if he had acted otherwise."

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:1. David had brought the Moabites under tribute to the children of Israel. (2 Samuel 8:2.) They continued in that relation until after the death of Ahab, at which time they rebelled and made war. This verse barely introduces the subject of the situation, then the writer drops it to insert certain other happenings among noted individuals. It will be taken up again at 2 Kings 3:4-5.

2 Kings 1:2. The injury that Ahaziah received by his fall was very severe. It was not immediately fatal, however, and the outcome was uncertain. In other words, the condition was apparently such that superhuman information was thought necessary to determine it. Baal was the general name of an idolatrous deity, and zebub was a special one located at Ekron, a Philistine city. To this place the wounded man ordered his messengers to go for the information on his case.

2 Kings 1:3. Had there been no man of God available, it would still have been an insult to God for one of his professed servants to recognize an idol god. The prophet Elijah was told by the angel to intercept the messengers of Ahaziah. Is it not because, etc., is in the form of a question. The meaning of it is an accusation of ignoring the true God of Israel, which was a deep offense to Him.

2 Kings 1:4. We do not know whether Ahaziah’s injury was necessarily fatal; it might have been. But in whatever case the victim was involved, the outcome was as yet hidden from his knowledge. The information was thus given him by the prophet that he would die.

Verses 5-8

2Ki 1:5-8

2 Kings 1:5-8

AHAZIAH LEARNED ELIJAH’S IDENTITY FROM THE MESSENGERS

"And the messengers returned unto him, and he said unto them, Why is it that ye are returned? And they said unto him, There came up a man to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again to the king that sent you, and say unto him, 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. And he said unto them, What manner of man was he that came up to meet you, and told you these words? And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and was girt with a girdle of leather around his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite."

There can be little doubt that Ahaziah’s seeking Elijah’s identity was for one purpose only - that of putting the prophet to death.

"He was a hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8). The RSV is doubtless correct in its rendition of this clause as, He wore a garment of hair-cloth. This was the traditional clothing of God’s prophets, for Zechariah wrote of false prophets, "Who put on a hairy mantle to deceive" (Zechariah 13:4). "Also John the Baptist’s garb of camel’s hair and a leather girdle (Matthew 3:4) in imitation of his forerunner is sufficient commentary on this phrase." It was not intended to be a comfortable garment, because, "It was one of professional austerity."

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:5-6. The early return of his messengers caused Ahaziah to ask why. They gave a true account of their meeting with a man.

2 Kings 1:7-8. An hairy man does not mean merely that he had a thick growth of hair, but the lexicon describes it as meaning it was in a ruffled and unkempt condition. Being apart from society much of the time, Elijah took this habit. Ahaziah had evidently seen him and recognized the description.

Verses 9-12

2Ki 1:9-12

2 Kings 1:9-12

AHAZIAH’S ARMED MEN TRY IN VAIN TO ARREST ELIJAH

"Then the king sent 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. And Elijah answered and said, 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. 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. And Elijah answered and said unto him, 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."

We find no agreement whatever with a great many writers who deplore this act of God’s destruction of "innocent men," who it is said, "were only obeying orders." Nonsense! William Whiston explained exactly why these men deserved to die. They knew that Elijah was a true prophet of God, and that they were sent to bring that holy man to Ahab for the sole purpose of Ahab’s murdering him, and yet they knew that God was the Supreme King in Israel, and that Elijah was doing the will of the True King. "They certainly knew that they were under the theocracy. Therefore, when they sought to capture Elijah and bring him to Ahab, their doing so was nothing less than the grossest impiety, rebellion against God, and treason in the highest degree. It was sin of the worst nature that they had consented to obey the orders of the apostate reprobate Ahaziah.

"What should they have done? They should have acted after the manner of Saul’s guards who, when ordered to slay the priests of Nob, knowing the order to be contrary to the will of God, refused to obey it!

"Officers and soldiers alike must learn that the commands of their leaders and rulers cannot justify them in doing that which is wicked and sinful in the eyes of God."

Hitler’s soldiers who ran the death camps were "obeying orders," of course, but that never justified what they did.

In addition, these first two captains of fifty with their fifties were grossly disrespectful of Elijah, ordering him to "get a move on," to "come down quickly," "the king has commanded," etc. Even the words, "O man of God," were apparently spoken in contempt and derision, a conclusion supported by Elijah’s repeated statement that, "IF I am a man of God, etc."

This writer is aware that many scholars take a radically different view. Montgomery called the commands for fire to come down from heaven and to consume the men, "Preposterous." Honeycutt wrote that, "Few persons would defend the morality of calling down fire from heaven upon groups of fifty as in this narrative."

Dentan believed that, "When Elijah twice called down fire from heaven upon soldiers who were innocent executors of the king’s will, we must sense an inadequate understanding of God’s justice and mercy."

We could cite other similar opinions, but there are grave errors in all of them. The executors of Ahab’s evil command were not "innocent." Elijah did not destroy the men, God did it! As Keil said, "Ahaziah’s sin was punished not by the prophet, but by the Lord himself, who fulfilled the word of his servant." If God had not approved of Elijah’s request, he would not have honored it; and when Elijah, along with Moses, stood with the Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, we have the Divine endorsement of what was done here.

One other thing about this. Several have pointed out that Jesus refused the suggestion of the apostles to call down fire out of heaven upon the Samaritans (Luke 9:51-55) as their alleged "proof" that what Elijah did here was wrong. The situations were not in any sense parallel. Samaria would soon receive and obey Christ (John 4), but there was utterly no possibility whatever that the evil offspring of Ahab and Jezebel would ever be anything except an inveterate enemy of God. Besides that, a great wonder from heaven was particularly needed at the time of Elijah’s action in order to prevent enemies like Ahaziah from stamping out the true religion altogether. The salvation of all the redeemed of all ages was at stake!

Not only that! With the monarchy of Israel already a lost cause, it was required absolutely of God that his prophets should be respected and honored; and if Ahab had been allowed to kill Elijah, it would have been the precedent for the evil kings of the apostate people to kill all of the prophets continually, and all would have been lost. As Martin said, "This gruesome incident" served notice on all of the wicked rulers of Israel and also of Judah that, "The person of the prophet was inviolate."

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:9. The king had previously known of Elijah’s authority, else he would not have sent to him for assistance in this predicament of his. But the whole procedure indicated he appealed to the true God as a last resort only. We are not told just what form of speech the captain had been instructed to use in his request. He used the wrong one, however, as we can see; one of arrogance instead of humility. The words man of God acknowledge Elijah to be a servant of the true God, hence there was no excuse for the disrespectful demand expressed. Come down was a dictatorial expression, which did not recognize their master as being the one in need of aid, but rather, that Elijah was the one to be benefited by the occasion. The information had already been given Ahaziah from Elijah that the injury was to end fatally. It means, therefore, that Ahaziah thought to influence the prophet to reverse the decision and cause his recovery.

2 Kings 1:10. Turning the abject acknowledgement of the captain into a taunt, Elijah called upon that very God over him to destroy the whole group with fire.

2 Kings 1:11-12. The scene with the first captain and his 50 men was repeated in duplicate, except the word quickly was added, thereby making it still more arrogant.

Verses 13-14

2Ki 1:13-14

2K1 1:13-14

THE THIRD CAPTAIN OF FIFTY ENTREATED ELIJAH HONORABLY

"And again he sent the third 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. 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."

Some scholars have supposed that Ahaziah did not hear of the fate of the first two companies that he sent to Elijah, and that if he had heard of it, he would not have sent a third. Such a supposition could hardly be true. The king certainly would have made it his business to find out why the first two detachments failed in their mission. Also, the captain of the third fifty knew all about what had happened and mentioned it in his prayerful request of the prophet. Also his kneeling before the man of God, and his earnest plea for him to spare his life and that of his men cannot be reconciled with any general ignorance concerning what God had done in answer to Elijah’s prayer.

This contrast with the attitude of the other two captains accomplished what was intended, and Elijah responded to it favorably.

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:13-14. Nothing has been said about spectators at the first two transactions. We know there was some means by which it was known what took place, for the third captain mentioned the matter in his pleading address to Elijah. The only request that is recorded was on behalf of him and his men. We know, however, that Elijah was requested to go with the men, from what the angel said to him in the next verse.

Verses 15-16

2Ki 1:15-16

2 Kings 1:15-16

ELIJAH WENT TO AHAZIAH AND REPEATED HIS PROPHECY

"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. 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 shall surely die."

"Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king" (2 Kings 1:15). The word him which occurs three times in these sentences is a reference to the captain. The angel of Jehovah assured Elijah in these words that the captain would be Elijah’s ally! From this we may believe that even if Ahaziah had ordered him and his fifty men to slay Elijah, this captain would not have done it, but would have refused as the soldiers of Saul had refused to slay the priests of Nob. Thus assured, Elijah went with him and delivered the same prophetic message as before.

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:15. The angel gave Elijah assurance of his life, and on that he went to the king of Israel.

2 Kings 1:16. We still do not know what might have been the natural outcome of Ahaziah’s injury. The prophet of God could have healed him with divine help regardless of the severity of the case. But the edict that the king was to die was due to his attempt to consult an idolatrous god. This conclusion is based on the fact that, after referring to the matter of consultation with the idolatrous god, Elijah said therefore.

Verses 17-18

2Ki 1:17-18

2 Kings 1:17-18

AHAZIAH DIED; ACCORDING TO THE PROPHECY OF ELIJAH

"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. 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?"

"And Jehoram began to reign" (2 Kings 1:17). Jehoram is the same as Joram. This is an example of chronological inconsistencies in Kings. A glance at 1 Kings 22:51; 2 Kings 8:16, and 2 Kings 3:14 shows what the problem is. Rawlinson cleared it up by supposing that, "Jehoshaphat had associated his son Jehoram with him in the throne upon the occasion of his going to war at Ramoth-gilead."

It is strange that both Israel and Judah should have had a king named Jehoram. This happened because Ahab and Jehoshaphat had brought the families together by a marriage, and after that, it was natural for the same name to have later appeared in the royal families of both kingdoms.

Jehoram was another son of Ahab and thus a brother of Ahaziah (2 Kings 8:16). It was his body that Jehu cast upon the plot of ground for which Ahab had murdered Naboth (2 Kings 9:25).

E.M. Zerr:

2 Kings 1:17. The same name was common to more than one person in ancient times, even as it is today. In the line of rulers over Judah was a man named Jehoram. In his second year, began the reign of another Jehoram over Israel. The last named Jehoram was a brother to Ahaziah, who died of his injury. The reason this Jehoram reigned over Israel is stated, because he (Ahaziah) had no son.

2 Kings 1:18. For chronicles see the comments at 1 Kings 14:19.