2 Kings 1:16

1:16 Elijah ¹  said to the king, ²  “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! ³  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” ⁴ 

2 Kings 14:9

14:9 King Jehoash of Israel sent this message back to King Amaziah of Judah, “A thornbush in Lebanon sent this message to a cedar in Lebanon, ‘Give your daughter to my son as a wife.’ Then a wild animal ⁵  of Lebanon came by and trampled down the thorn. ⁶ 

2 Kings 15:29

15:29 During Pekah’s reign over Israel, King Tiglath-pileser of Assyria came and captured Ijon, Abel Beth Maacah, Janoah, Kedesh, Hazor, ⁷  Gilead, and Galilee, including all the territory of Naphtali. He deported the people ⁸  to Assyria.

[1:16]  ¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ² tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:16]  ³ tn Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”

[1:16]  ⁴ sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.

[14:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “the animal of the field.”

[14:9]  ⁶ sn Judah is the thorn in the allegory. Amaziah’s success has deceived him into thinking he is on the same level as the major powers in the area (symbolized by the cedar). In reality he is not capable of withstanding an attack by a real military power such as Israel (symbolized by the wild animal).

[15:29]  ⁹ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 D3; Map3 A2; Map4 C1.

[15:29]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “them.”