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Texts -- 2 Kings 1:1-15 (NET)

Context
Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders
1:1 After Ahab died , Moab rebelled against Israel . 1:2 Ahaziah fell through a window lattice in his upper chamber in Samaria and was injured . He sent messengers with these orders, “Go , ask Baal Zebub , the god of Ekron , if I will survive this injury .” 1:3 But the Lord’s angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite , “Get up , go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria . Say this to them: ‘You must think there is no God in Israel ! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron . 1:4 Therefore this is what the Lord says , “You will not leave the bed you lie on , for you will certainly die !”’” So Elijah went on his way. 1:5 When the messengers returned to the king, he asked them, “Why have you returned ?” 1:6 They replied , “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says : “You must think there is no God in Israel ! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub , the god of Ekron . Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on , for you will certainly die .”’” 1:7 The king asked them, “Describe the appearance of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things .” 1:8 They replied , “He was a hairy man and had a leather belt tied around his waist .” The king said , “He is Elijah the Tishbite .” 1:9 The king sent a captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. The captain went up to him, while he was sitting on the top of a hill . He told him, “Prophet , the king says , ‘Come down !’” 1:10 Elijah replied to the captain , “If I am indeed a prophet , may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire then came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers. 1:11 The king sent another captain and his fifty soldiers to retrieve Elijah. He went up and told him, “Prophet , this is what the king says , ‘Come down at once !’” 1:12 Elijah replied to them, “If I am indeed a prophet , may fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty soldiers!” Fire from God came down from the sky and consumed him and his fifty soldiers. 1:13 The king sent a third captain and his fifty soldiers. This third captain went up and fell on his knees before Elijah . He begged for mercy , “Prophet , please have respect for my life and for the lives of these fifty servants of yours. 1:14 Indeed , fire came down from the sky and consumed the two captains who came before me, along with their men. So now , please have respect for my life .” 1:15 The Lord’s angelic messenger said to Elijah , “Go down with him. Don’t be afraid of him .” So he got up and went down with him to the king .

Pericope

NET
  • 2Ki 1:1-18 -- Elijah Confronts the King and His Commanders

Bible Dictionary

  • Window

    [ebd] properly only an opening in a house for the admission of light and air, covered with lattice-work, which might be opened or closed (2 Kings 1:2; Acts 20:9). The spies in Jericho and Paul at Damascus were let down from the wi...

  • TISHBITE, THE

    [smith] the well-known designation of Elijah. (1 Kings 17:1; 21:17,28; 2 Kings 1:3,8; 9:36) The name naturally points to a place called Tishbeh, Tishbi, or rather perhaps Tesheb, as the residence of the prophet. Assuming that a...

  • Reproof

    [nave] REPROOF. Lev. 19:17; Psa. 141:5; Prov. 9:7, 8; Prov. 10:17; Prov. 12:1; Prov. 13:18; Prov. 15:5, 10, 12, 31, 32; Prov. 17:10; Prov. 19:25; Prov. 21:11; Prov. 25:12; Prov. 26:5; Prov. 27:5, 6; Prov. 28:23; Eccl. 7:5; Amos 5:...

  • Prophecy

    [nave] PROPHECY Concerning Jesus, See: Jesus. Concerning church, See: Church, Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of. Relating to various countries, nations, and cities, see under their respective titles. Respecting individuals, see...

  • PHILISTINES

    [smith] (immigrants), The origin of the Philistines is nowhere expressly stated in the Bible; but as the prophets describe them as "the Philistines-from Caphtor," (Amos 9:7) and "the remnant of the maritime district of Caphtor" (Jere...

  • Omri

    [ebd] servant of Jehovah. When Elah was murdered by Zimri at Tirzah (1 Kings 16:15-27), Omri, his captain, was made king (B.C. 931). For four years there was continued opposition to his reign, Tibni, another claimant to the throne...

  • Obadiah, Book of

    [ebd] consists of one chapter, "concerning Edom," its impending doom (1:1-16), and the restoration of Israel (1:17-21). This is the shortest book of the Old Testament. There are on record the account of four captures of Jerusalem,...

  • Malice

    [nave] MALICE. Gen. 3:15; Lev. 19:14, 17, 18; Deut. 27:17, 18; Deut. 32:32, 33; 2 Kin. 6:21, 22; Job 31:29, 30; Psa. 4:2; Psa. 7:14-16 Job 15:35. Psa. 10:7-10, 14; Psa. 21:11; Psa. 22:7, 8; Psa. 35:15, 16, 19-21; Psa. 38:16, 19; P...

  • Kings, The Books of

    [ebd] The two books of Kings formed originally but one book in the Hebrew Scriptures. The present division into two books was first made by the LXX., which now, with the Vulgate, numbers them as the third and fourth books of Kings...

  • Jehoash

    [ebd] Jehovah-given. (1.) The son of King Ahaziah. While yet an infant, he was saved from the general massacre of the family by his aunt Jehosheba, and was apparently the only surviving descendant of Solomon (2 Chr. 21:4, 17). His...

  • Hair

    [ebd] (1.) The Egyptians let the hair of their head and beard grow only when they were in mourning, shaving it off at other times. "So particular were they on this point that to have neglected it was a subject of reproach and ridi...

  • Governor

    [ebd] (1.) Heb. nagid, a prominent, conspicuous person, whatever his capacity: as, chief of the royal palace (2 Chr. 28:7; comp. 1 Kings 4:6), chief of the temple (1 Chr. 9:11; Jer. 20:1), the leader of the Aaronites (1 Chr. 12:27...

  • Elijah

    [ebd] whose God is Jehovah. (1.) "The Tishbite," the "Elias" of the New Testament, is suddenly introduced to our notice in 1 Kings 17:1 as delivering a message from the Lord to Ahab. There is mention made of a town called Thisbe, ...
    [isbe] ELIJAH - e-li'-ja ('eliyahu or (4 times) 'eliyah, "Yah is God"; Septuagint Eleiou, New Testament Eleias or Elias, the King James Version of New Testament Elias): I. THE WORKS OF ELIJAH 1. The Judgment of Drought 2. The Ordea...
    [smith] (my God is Jehovah) has been well entitled "the grandest and the most romantic character that Israel ever produced." "Elijah the Tishbite,... of the inhabitants of Gilead" is literally all that is given us to know of his pare...
    [nave] ELIJAH 1. The Tishbite, a Gileadite and prophet, called Elias in the authorized version of the N.T. Persecuted by Ahab, 1 Kin. 17:2-7; 18:7-10. Escapes to the wilderness, where he is miraculously fed by ravens, 1 Kin. 17:1-...

  • Camel

    [ebd] from the Hebrew gamal, "to repay" or "requite," as the camel does the care of its master. There are two distinct species of camels, having, however, the common characteristics of being "ruminants without horns, without muzzl...

  • Ben-hadad

    [ebd] the standing title of the Syrian kings, meaning "the son of Hadad." (See HADADEZER.) (1.) The king of Syria whom Asa, king of Judah, employed to invade Israel (1 Kings 15:18). (2.) Son of the preceding, also king of Syria. H...

  • Bedstead

    [ebd] used in Deut. 3:11, but elsewhere rendered "couch," "bed." In 2 Kings 1:4; 16:2; Ps. 132:3; Amos 3:12, the divan is meant by this word.

  • BAALZEBUB

    [isbe] BAALZEBUB - ba-al-ze'-bub ba`al zebhubh = "Lord of flies"; Baal-muian: A deity worshipped by the Philistines at Ekron (2 Ki 1:2,3,6,16). All that can be gathered from this one reference to him in ancient literature is that h...

  • BAAL (1)

    [isbe] BAAL (1) - ba'-al: (ba`al; or Baal): The Babylonian Belu or Bel, "Lord," was the title of the supreme god among the Canaanites. I. NAME AND CHARACTER OF BAAL II. ATTRIBUTES OF BAAL III. BAAL-WORSHIP IV. TEMPLES, ETC. V. USE ...

  • BAAL

    [smith] the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Some suppose Baal to correspond to the sun and Ashtoreth to the moon; others that Baal was Jupiter and Ashto...

  • Ahaziah

    [smith] (sustained by the Lord). Son of Ahab and Jezebel eighth king of Israel, reigned B.C. 896-895. After the battle of Ramoth in Gilead, in which Ahab perished [AHAB], the vassal king of Moab refused his yearly tribute; comp. (Is...
    [nave] AHAZIAH 1. King of Judah. Called Azariah and Jehoahaz, 2 Chr. 21:17; 25:23. History of, 2 Kin. 8:25-29; 9:16-29. Gifts of, to the temple, 2 Kin. 12:18. Brethren of, slain, 2 Kin. 10:13, 14. Succeeded by Athaliah, 2 Chr. ...

Arts

Questions

  • Matthew 7:13-23 "Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. 14 "For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life, and few...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses did not identify Nadab and Abihu's exact offense in the text. However the "strange fire"seems most likely to have been an incense offering presented apart from God's command. It may have involved assuming the role of th...
  • Again God raised up a prophet to announce what He would do. Evidently Ahab's apostasy had been going on for 14 years before God raised up His prophetic challenge.173Normally God gives sinners an opportunity to judge themselve...
  • A short summary of Ahaziah's two-year term as king (853-852 B.C.) concludes 1 Kings. The events of his reign follow in 2 Kings 1. Ahaziah was the elder son of Ahab and Jezebel.
  • Second Kings begins with Ahaziah's reign that fell during the 33-year period of Israel and Judah's alliance (874-841 B.C.; -1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 9:29). This period in turn fits within the larger context of the divided kingdo...
  • The Gilgal in view may have been the one between Jericho and the Jordan, or it may have been one about seven miles north of Bethel since Elijah and Elisha went down to Bethel (v. 2).10This account presupposes previous revelat...
  • The king of Aram was probably Ben-Hadad II though the writer did not mention him by name (v. 8). Perhaps since he only identified Elisha and Yahweh by name, he wished to focus attention on them as the main characters in this ...
  • Hazael was the governor of Damascus.50The Gentile King of Aram had more interest in inquiring of Yahweh than Jehoram's predecessor did (v. 8; cf. 1:2). It was customary in the Near East to make a great show of giving gifts. I...
  • Zechariah reigned only six months (753-752 B.C.) before his successor Shallum assassinated him. Zechariah was the fourth and last king of Jehu's dynasty (v. 12; cf. 10:30). The fact that the people made Shallum king after he ...
  • This oracle clarifies that God's purposes for Egypt, another nation the Judeans wanted to trust for help during this time of Assyrian expansion, would involve judgment followed by blessing. The passage consists of three palis...
  • The first part of this oracle focused particularly on the true King who would come and exercise sovereignty over the nations (ch. 9). Now the emphasis changes to the people of the King, the Israelites, who will return to the ...
  • 13:1 In that day God would open a fountain for the complete spiritual cleansing of the Israelites, both for their moral sins and for their ritual uncleanness (cf. Ezek. 47). The figure of a fountain pictures abundant cleansin...
  • It was common when Jesus lived for forerunners to precede important individuals to prepare the way for their arrival. For example, when a king would visit a town in his realm his emissaries would go before him to announce his...
  • The writer pointed out that the ministry of Jesus' forerunner fulfilled prophecy. It made a significant impact on those whom John contacted. Then Mark recorded the essence of John's message.1:2-3 Mark began with a quotation f...
  • 1:8-9 Zechariah was serving God faithfully by discharging some temple function as a member of his priestly division. There were so many priests then that the great privilege of offering incense on the golden incense altar in ...
  • The first verse (9:51) sets the agenda for all that follows until Jesus' Triumphal Entry. It was now time for Jesus to begin moving toward Jerusalem and the Cross. As He did so, He immediately encountered opposition (cf. Acts...
  • Evidently a woman claiming to be a prophetess (cf. Luke 2:36; Acts 21:9; 1 Cor. 11:5) had been influencing some in this church to join the local trade guilds without which a tradesman could not work in Thyatira. This meant pa...
  • Even though believing Jews will suffer persecution at this time, God will still get His message out. Two witnesses will be especially significant at this time. Valid testimony required two witnesses under the Old Covenant (De...
  • 20:7 At the end of the Millennium God will release Satan from the abyss (cf. 1 Pet. 3:19). Two reasons are implied in the text: to demonstrate the incorrigibility of Satan, and to demonstrate the depravity of humanity.695God ...
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