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Texts -- 2 Kings 1:1-17 (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 . 1:16 Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says , ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub , the god of Ekron . You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle ! Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die .’” 1:17 He died just as the Lord had prophesied through Elijah . In the second year of the reign of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat over Judah , Ahaziah’s brother Jehoram replaced him as king of Israel, because he had no son .

Pericope

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

Bible Dictionary

  • 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-...

  • Ahaziah

    [isbe] AHAZIAH - a-ha-zi'-a ('achazyah and 'achazyahu, "Yah holds, or sustains"): I. Ahaziah. Son of Ahab and Jezebel, eighth king of Israel (1 Ki 22:51 through 2 Ki 1:18). 1. His Reign: Ahaziah became king over Israel in the seven...
    [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. ...

  • 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...

  • 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...

  • Baal-zebub

    [ebd] fly-lord, the god of the Philistines at Ekron (2 Kings 1:2, 3, 16). This name was given to the god because he was supposed to be able to avert the plague of flies which in that region was to be feared. He was consulted by Ah...
    [nave] BAAL-ZEBUB, a god of the Philistines, 2 Kin. 1:2, 3, 6, 16.

  • Fire

    [ebd] (1.) For sacred purposes. The sacrifices were consumed by fire (Gen. 8:20). The ever-burning fire on the altar was first kindled from heaven (Lev. 6:9, 13; 9:24), and afterwards rekindled at the dedication of Solomon's templ...
    [nave] FIRE Used as a signal in war, Jer. 6:1. Furnaces of, Dan. 3:6. Children caused to pass through, 2 Kin. 16:3; 17:17. Miracles coected with: Miraculously descends upon, and consumes, Abraham's sacrifice, Gen. 15:17; David's...

  • 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...

  • Ekron

    [ebd] firm-rooted, the most northerly of the five towns belonging to the lords of the Philistines, about 11 miles north of Gath. It was assigned to Judah (Josh. 13:3), and afterwards to Dan (19:43), but came again into the full po...
    [nave] EKRON One of the five chief cities of the Philistines, Josh. 13:3. Conquered and allotted to Judah, Josh. 15:11, 45; Judg. 1:18. Allotted to Dan, Josh. 19:43. The Ark of God taken to, 1 Sam. 5:10. Temple of Baal-zebub at...

  • Meteorology and Celestial Phenomena

    [nave] METEOROLOGY AND CELESTIAL PHENOMENA. Gen. 2:5, 6; Gen. 27:39; Job 9:7; Job 26:7, 8, 11; Job 27:20, 21; Job 28:24-27; Job 29:19; Job 36:27-33; Job 37:6-22; Job 38:9 [with vs. 8-11.] Job 38:22, 24-29, 31-35, 37; Psa. 18:8-15;...

  • 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,...

  • Afflictions and Adversities

    [nave] AFFLICTIONS AND ADVERSITIES. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany of Minor Sub-Topics; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Benefits of; Benefits of, Illustrated; Consolation in; Deliverance from; Design of; Despondency in; Dispe...

  • 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...

  • Leather

    [ebd] a girdle of, worn by Elijah (2 Kings 1:8) and John the Baptist (Matt. 3:4). Leather was employed both for clothing (Num. 31:20; Heb. 11:37) and for writing upon. The trade of a tanner is mentioned (Acts 9:43; 10:6, 32). It w...
    [smith] The notices of leather in the Bible are singularly few; indeed the word occurs but twice in the Authorized Version, and in each instance in reference to the same object, a girdle. (2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4) There are, howe...
    [nave] LEATHER Girdles of, 2 Kin. 1:8; Matt. 3:4. Taing of, Acts 9:43; 10:5, 6. Called skin, Gen. 3:21; Mark 1:6; hide, Lev. 8:17.

  • 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 ...

  • House

    [isbe] HOUSE - hous (bayith; oikos, in classical Greek generally "an estate," oikia, oikema (literally, "habitation"), in Acts 12:1, "prison"): I. CAVE DWELLINGS II. STONE-BUILT AND MUD/BRICK-BUILT HOUSES 1. Details of Plan and Con...
    [smith] The houses of the rural poor in Egypt, as well as in most parts of Syria, Arabia and Persia, are generally mere huts of mud or sunburnt bricks. In some parts of Palestine and Arabia stone is used, and in certain districts cav...
    [nave] HOUSE Built of stone, Lev. 14:40-45; Isa. 9:10; Amos 5:11; brick, Gen. 11:3; Ex. 1:11-14; Isa. 9:10; wood, Song 1:17; Isa. 9:10. Built into city walls, Josh. 2:15. Used for worship, Acts 1:13, 14; 12:12; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. ...

  • 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...

  • Miracles

    [nave] MIRACLES. Index of Sub-topics Catalog of, and Supernatural Events, Of Jesus, in Chronological Order, Of the Disciples of Jesus; Convincing Effect of; Design of; Miraculous Gifts of the Holy Spirit; Miscellany of Minor Sub-...

  • 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...

  • Angel of the Lord

    [nave] ANGEL OF THE LORD Gen. 16:7, 9, 10, 11; 22:11, 15; Ex. 3:2; Num. 22:22; Judg. 2:1, 4; 5:23; 6:11; 13:3, 13; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Kin. 19:7; 2 Kin. 1:3, 15; 19:35; 1 Chr. 21:12, 15, 16, 18, 27, 30; 2 Chr. 32:21; Psa. 34:7; 35:5, 6...
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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...
  • Jeremiah's symbolic act of wearing a yoke led to another symbolic act, the breaking of that yoke. Jeremiah's act brought a false prophet into direct confrontation with the true prophet.28:1 The following event took place in t...
  • 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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