| Back to Home Page | Back to Book Index
|
2 Kings Chapter
One
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO 2 KINGS 1
This
chapter begins with the rebellion of Moab against Israel
2 Kings 1:1
relates a fall of the king of Israel in his house
which brought on him a
sickness
about which he sent messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron
who
were stopped by Elijah
and bid to return
as they did; and upon the king's
examination of them about the cause of their return
he perceived it was Elijah
that forbad them
2 Kings 1:2
upon
which the king sent to him two captains
with fifty men each
one after
another
to bring him to him
but fire came down from heaven and consumed them
2 Kings 1:9
but a
third with fifty men sent to him were spared
and he is bid to go along with
them with a message to the king
as he did
2 Kings 1:13 and
the chapter is closed with the death of Ahaziah
2 Kings 1:17.
2 Kings 1:1 Moab
rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab.
YLT
1And Moab transgresseth
against Israel after the death of Ahab
Then Moab rebelled against
Israel after the death of Ahab. Which had been in subjection to them from
the times of David
2 Samuel 8:2
refusing to pay a tribute as they had done; taking advantage of Ahab's ill
success with the king of Syria
and of his death
and the condition and
circumstances of his successor.
2 Kings 1:2 2 Now Ahaziah fell through
the lattice of his upper room in Samaria
and was injured; so he sent
messengers and said to them
“Go
inquire of Baal-Zebub
the god of Ekron
whether I shall recover from this injury.”
YLT
2and Ahaziah falleth through
the lattice in his upper chamber that [is] in Samaria
and is sick
and sendeth
messengers
and saith unto them
`Go ye
inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron if
I recover from this sickness.'
And Ahaziah fell down a
lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria
.... Which was either a
window or lattice in the form of network
to let in light; or rather were the
rails of a balcony or battlement on the roof of his palace
in this form
on
which leaning
it broke down
and he fell into the garden or court yard; or
walking on the roof of his house
and treading unawares on a sky light
which
let in light into a room underneath
he fell through it into it:
and was sick; the fall perhaps threw him into a fever
and which seemed threatening
being violent:
and he sent messengers
and said unto them
go inquire of
Baalzebub
the god of Ekron
whether I shall recover of this disease; not to heal
him of it
but to know the issue of it; a vain curiosity this! Ekron was one of
the principalities of the Philistines
and this idol was the god they
worshipped
which signifies a master fly: which some think was a large metallic
fly; made under a planet that rules over flies; and the Heathens had deities
they called Myiodes
Myagros
and απομυιος
which signifies a driver away of flies; as Jupiter and Hercules were called by
the Eleans and Romans
and worshipped and sacrificed to by them on that accountF1Pausan.
Eliac. 1. sive
l. 5. p. 313. & Arcadica
sive
l. 8. p. 491. Clement.
Alex. Admon. ad Gentes
p. 24. ; and so the Cyreneans
a people of Lybia
worshipped the god Achor
which seems to be a corruption of the word Ekron
because he freed them from flies
after they had been infested with a
pestilence through themF2Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 10. c. 27. Vid.
Chartarii Imagines Deorum
p. 151. & Alex. ab Alex. Genial. Dier. l. 6. c.
26. ; and Ekron being a place near the sea
and both hot and moist
might be
much infested with those creatures. Within the haven of Ptolemais
or Acco
was
formerly a temple of Baalzebub
called in later times "the tower of
flies"
and used as a PharusF3Adrichom. Theatrum Ter. Sanct.
fol. 6. 1. .
2 Kings 1:3 3 But the angel[a] of the Lord said to Elijah
the Tishbite
“Arise
go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria
and
say to them
‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that
you are going to inquire of Baal-Zebub
the god of Ekron?’
YLT
3And a messenger of Jehovah
hath spoken unto Elijah the Tishbite
`Rise
go up to meet the messengers of
the king of Samaria
and speak unto them
Is it because there is not a God in
Israel -- ye are going to inquire of Baal Zebub god of Ekron?
But the angel of the Lord
said unto Elijah
.... One of the ministering spirits sent by the Lord to him:
arise
go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria: that is
the
king of Israel
whose capital city was Samaria:
is it not because there is not a God in Israel; known
acknowledged
and worshipped there
of whom there had been sufficient proof of
his deity and divine perfections
as omniscience
omnipotence
&c.
that ye go to inquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? about future
things
when they had God nigh unto them
fully acquainted with them
as this
message shows.
2 Kings 1:4 4 Now therefore
thus says
the Lord:
‘You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up
but you shall
surely die.’” So Elijah departed.
YLT
4and therefore
thus said
Jehovah
The bed whither thou hast gone up
thou dost not come down from it
for thou dost certainly die;' and Elijah goeth on.
Now therefore thus saith
the Lord
.... Jehovah
the only true God:
thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up
but shall surely die; this sickness should be unto death
and the bed he had betaken
himself to should be his deathbed. The phrases of going up to bed
and coming
down
are used with great propriety; for in the eastern countries
in their
bedchambers
they had a gallery raised four or five feet above the floor
with
a balustrade on the frontF4See Dr. Shaw's Travels
p. 209. Ed. 2.
and steps leading up to it; or ladders
which had more or fewer rounds
according as the beds were higher or lowerF5Vid. Isidor. Origin. l.
20. c. 11. & Alstorph. de Lect. Vet. c. 2. :
and Elijah departed; having met the
messengers
and delivered his message from the Lord unto them.
2 Kings 1:5 5 And when the messengers
returned to him
he said to them
“Why have you come back?”
YLT
5And the messengers turn
back unto him
and he saith unto them
`What [is] this -- ye have turned back!'
And when the messengers
turned back unto him
.... To Ahaziah king of Israel
as they did as soon as Elijah was
gone from them; concluding from his habit
his gravity
and the authority with
which he spoke
that he was a prophet of the Lord
and especially from his
knowledge of them
and of what they were sent about:
he said unto them
why are ye now turned back? for
by the
time they had been gone
he knew they could never have been at Ekron and
returned.
2 Kings 1:6 6 So they said to him
“A
man came up to meet us
and said to us
‘Go
return to the king who sent you
and say to him
“Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there
is no God in Israel that you are sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub
the god of Ekron? Therefore you shall not come down from the bed to which you
have gone up
but you shall surely die.’”’”
YLT
6And they say unto him
`A
man hath come up to meet us
and saith unto us
Go
turn back unto the king who
sent you
and ye have said unto him
Thus said Jehovah
Is it because there is
not a God in Israel -- thou art sending to inquire of Baal-Zebub god of Ekron?
therefore
the bed whither thou hast gone up
thou dost not come down from it
for thou dost certainly die.'
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
.... King Ahaziah:
and say unto him; and then they repeated all that is said by
the angel to Elijah
and he had delivered to them
2 Kings 1:3 and
which was a sufficient reason for their turning back
since they got a full
answer from a man of God
of what they were to inquire of at Ekron; which was
whether the king would recover of this disease or not.
2 Kings 1:7 7 Then he said to them
“What kind of man was it who came up to meet you and told you these
words?”
YLT
7And he saith unto them
`What [is] the fashion of the man who hath come up to meet you
and speaketh
unto you these words?'
And he said unto them
what manner of man was he
.... What appearance or figure did he make?
what his habit or clothing?
which came up to meet you
and told you these words? they had
related to him.
2 Kings 1:8 8 So they answered him
“A
hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said
“It is
Elijah the Tishbite.”
YLT
8And they say unto him
`A
man -- hairy
and a girdle of skin girt about his loins;' and he saith
`He
[is] Elijah the Tishbite.'
And they answered him
he
was an hairy man
.... Either the hair of his head and beard were grown very long
having been much neglected for a great while; or he had an hairy garment on
either of goats' hair
such as the Chinese wearF6Semedo's History of
China
part 1. ch. 3.
whose women spin it
see Exodus 35:26 and of
which garments are made; or of camels' hair
such as John the Baptist wore
who
came in his spirit and power
and imitated him in his dress
being also
as
Elijah here:
girt with a girdle of leather about his loins: for more
expeditious travelling
not for warmth
the climate being hot:
and he said
it is Elijah the Tishbite; for he had
seen him formerly in his father's court in this dress.
2 Kings 1:9 9 Then the king sent to him
a captain of fifty with his fifty men. So he went up to him; and there he was
sitting on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him: “Man of God
the king has
said
‘Come down!’”
YLT
9And he sendeth unto him a
head of fifty and his fifty
and he goeth up unto him (and lo
he is sitting on
the top of the hill)
and he speaketh unto him
`O man of God
the king hath
spoken
Come down.'
Then the king sent unto
him a captain of fifty with his fifty
.... Not in honour to
him
but to bring him by force if he refused to come willingly:
and he went up to him
and
behold
he sat on the top of an hill; generally
supposed to be Mount Carmel:
and he spake unto him; at the bottom of the
hill
so loud that he might hear him:
thou man of God; or the prophet of the Lord
as the Targum
as thou callest thyself; for this was said in a sneering
flouting
manner:
the king hath said
come down; and in the king's name
he ordered him to come down
signifying
if he would not
he would send his men
to fetch him down.
2 Kings 1:10 10 So Elijah answered and
said to the captain of fifty
“If I am a man of God
then let fire come
down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from
heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
YLT
10And Elijah answereth and
speaketh unto the head of the fifty
`And if I [am] a man of God
fire doth
come down from the heavens
and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire cometh
down from the heavens
and consumeth him and his fifty.
And Elijah answered and
said to the captain of fifty
if I be a man of God
.... As I am
and thou shalt know it by the following token
though thou callest me so
jeeringly:
then let fire come down from heaven
and consume thee and thy
fifty; this he said not in a passion
and from a private spirit of
revenge
but for the vindication of the honour and glory of God
and under the
impulse of his spirit
who was abused through the insult on him as his prophet:
and there came down fire from heaven
and consumed him and his
fifty; a flash of lightning
which destroyed them at once; the Lord
hearkening to the voice of his prophet
in vindication of him in his office
and of his own glory.
2 Kings 1:11 11 Then he sent to him
another captain of fifty with his fifty men. And he answered and said to him:
“Man of God
thus has the king said
‘Come down quickly!’”
YLT
11And he turneth and sendeth
unto him another head of fifty and his fifty
and he answereth and speaketh
unto him
`O man of God
thus said the king
Haste
come down.'
Again also he sent unto
him another captain of fifty with his fifty
.... The king
not being
at all terrified with the awful judgment upon the former
sends another:
and he answered and said unto him
O man of God
thus hath the
king said
come down quickly; he flouts the prophet in the same manner as
the former
and in the king's name commands him to come down
and that
immediately; which the king added to his orders
or he himself
signifying he
would not be trifled with
if he did not come down directly
he would force
him.
2 Kings 1:12 12 So Elijah answered and
said to them
“If I am a man of God
let fire come down from heaven and
consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and
consumed him and his fifty.
YLT
12And Elijah answereth and
speaketh unto them
`If I [am] a man of God
fire doth come down from the
heavens
and consume thee and thy fifty;' and fire of God cometh down from the
heavens
and consumeth him and his fifty.
And Elijah answered and
said unto them
.... The same as he had to the first captain
and made the same
request of fire from heaven; which accordingly came down
and destroyed this
captain and his fifty also.
2 Kings 1:13 13 Again
he sent a third
captain of fifty with his fifty men. And the third captain of fifty went up
and came and fell on his knees before Elijah
and pleaded with him
and said to
him: “Man of God
please let my life and the life of these fifty servants of
yours be precious in your sight.
YLT
13And he turneth and sendeth
a third head of fifty and his fifty
and the third head of fifty goeth up
and
cometh in
and boweth on his knees over-against Elijah
and maketh supplication
unto him
and speaketh unto him
`O man of God
let be precious
I pray thee
my soul and the soul of thy servants -- these fifty -- in thine eyes.
And he sent again a
captain of the third fifty with his fifty
.... Which was most
daring and insolent
and showed him to be dreadfully hardened
to persist in
his messages after such rebuffs: and the third captain of fifty went up;
instead of calling to the prophet at the bottom of the hill as the other did
he went up to the top of it:
and came and fell on his knees before Elijah: in reverence
of him as a prophet of the Lord
and under a dread of the power he was
possessed of
of calling for fire from heaven on him and his men
as the former
instances showed:
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: he owns their
lives lay at his mercy; he begs they might be spared
since it was not in
contempt of him
and through ill will to him as the prophet of the Lord
but in
obedience to the king's command
that they were come to him.
2 Kings 1:14 14 Look
fire has come down
from heaven and burned up the first two captains of fifties with their fifties.
But let my life now be precious in your sight.”
YLT
14Lo
come down hath fire
from the heavens
and consumeth the two heads of the former fifties and their
fifties; and
now
let my soul be precious in thine eyes.'
Behold
there came fire
down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their
fifties
.... He owns the facts
and ascribes the death of them to the
true cause
and appears to have an awful sense of the judgment of God on them
fearing the same would befall him and his:
therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight; by sparing
it
what is precious and valuable being spared.
2 Kings 1:15 15 And the angel[b] of the Lord said to
Elijah
“Go down with him; do not be afraid of him.” So he arose and went down
with him to the king.
YLT
15And a messenger of Jehovah
speaketh unto Elijah
`Go down with him
be not afraid of him;' and he riseth
and goeth down with him unto the king
And the angel of the Lord
said unto Elijah
The same as in 2 Kings 1:3 or
"had said"F7וידבר "edixerat
autem"
Junius & Tremellius.
as some render it
before this captain
came:
go down with him; the captain and his men:
and be not afraid of him; of King Ahaziah
whom he
might fear
because of the message he had sent him
that he should die of that
sickness
and for turning back his messengers to the god of Ekron
and for
destroying his two captains and their fifties; nor of his mother Jezebel
who
had threatened his life for killing her prophets:
and he arose
and went down with him unto the king; boldly and
courageously
not fearing his wrath; so that the captain not only had his life
and the life of his men spared
but answered the end of his message also.
2 Kings 1:16 16 Then he said to him
“Thus
says the Lord:
‘Because you have 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 you shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone up
but
you shall surely die.’”
YLT
16and speaketh unto him
`Thus
said Jehovah
Because that thou hast sent messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub
god of Ekron -- is it because there is not a God in Israel to inquire of His
word? therefore
the bed whither thou hast gone up -- thou dost not come down
from it
for thou dost certainly die.'
And he said unto him
.... Elijah to
King Ahaziah when introduced into his chamber; and after some discourse passed
between them
he confirmed what he had said to his messengers
and expressed it
in the same language as in 2 Kings 1:3; see
Gill on 2 Kings 1:3
2 Kings 1:4
2 Kings 1:17 17 So Ahaziah died
according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken.
Because he had no son
Jehoram[c] became
king in his place
in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat
king
of Judah.
YLT
17And he dieth
according to
the word of Jehovah that Elijah spake
and Jehoram reigneth in his stead
in
the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah
for he had no son.
So he died
according to
the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken
.... How long or how soon
after this is not said; however
he died of the sickness
and on the bed to
which he went up
as he said:
and Jehoram reigned in his stead: who was another son of
Ahab
and brother of Ahaziah
2 Kings 3:1
in the
second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; but as he must
begin his reign in the nineteenth
or in the latter end of the eighteenth year
of Jehoshaphat
see 1 Kings 22:51 and
Jehoshaphat reigned in all twenty five years
1 Kings 22:42
he
must live and reign after this six or seven years; this therefore is to be
reconciled by observing
that this son of Jehoshaphat was made viceroy
or was
taken into partnership in the throne by his father when he went with Ahab to
Ramothgilead; and it was in the second year of this his reign with his father
that the other Jehoram began his:
because he had no son; that is
Ahaziah
wherefore his brother reigned in his stead.
2 Kings 1:18 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?
YLT
18And the rest of the matters
of Ahaziah that he did
are they not written on the book of the Chronicles of
the kings of Israel?
Now the rest of the acts
of Ahaziah which he did
.... During his two years' reign
which yet were imperfect
and
his acts must be but few:
are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Israel? in which were written his father Ahab's also
and his
predecessors'
see 1 Kings 22:39.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)