Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 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.
6. There came a man up to meet ] The R.V. puts ‘up’ before ‘a man’, because the Hebrew verb signifies ‘to come up’. So in A.V. in the next verse. It would appear as though the prophet had met the messengers very early in their journey while they were going down from the hill on which Samaria was built. They did not know Elijah, for he, like John the Baptist afterwards, was not one of those who were to be found in kings’ houses. And the messengers were most likely some of the persons in close attendance on the king.
Go, turn again &c. ] These words are not in verse 3, but they are natural as a preface to the message there given.
that thou sendest ] Elijah speaking to the messengers (verse 3) said naturally ‘that ye go’, but they put the words into a form suitable to their position as servants obeying an order. Yet we can see from some parts of the narrative which follows that some of the king’s servants were willing enough to follow where he led them.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
2-8. Ahaziah fell down through alattice in his upper chamberThis lattice was either a partof the wooden parapet, or fence, which surrounds the flat roofs ofhouses, and over which the king was carelessly leaning when it gaveway; or it might be an opening like a skylight in the roof itself,done over with lattice-work, which, being slender or rotten, the kingstepped on and slipped through. This latter supposition is mostprobably the true one, as Ahaziah did not fall either into the streetor the court, but “in his upper chamber.”
inquire of BaalzebubAnxiousto learn whether he should recover from the effects of this severefall, he sent to consult Baalzebub, that is, the god of flies, whowas considered the patron deity of medicine. A temple to that idolwas erected at Ekron, which was resorted to far and wide, though itafterwards led to the destruction of the place (Zec 9:5;Amo 1:8; Zep 2:4).”After visiting Ekron, ‘the god of flies’ is a name that givesme no surprise. The flies there swarmed, in fact so innumerably, thatI could hardly get any food without these troublesome insects gettinginto it” [VAN DEVELDE].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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, 2Ki 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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(6) Thou sendest.Art sending. Elijah had said, ye are going, in his question to the messengers (2Ki. 1:3). (See Note on 2Ki. 1:4.) Bhr is wrong in supposing the servants anxious to shift the prophets blame from themselves to their lord, or that Elijah had addressed them as accomplices in the kings guilt. They had no choice but to obey the royal mandate.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 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 enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
Ver. 6. There came a man up to meet us. ] Samaria stood on a hill. They were not gone far out of town, it seemeth, ere the prophet met them.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
man. Hebrew. ‘ish. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Thus saith: Isa 41:22, Isa 41:23
therefore: 2Ki 1:3, 2Ki 1:4, 1Ch 10:13, 1Ch 10:14, Psa 16:4
Reciprocal: Gen 3:4 – Ye Jos 15:11 – Ekron 1Ki 14:12 – when thy feet 1Ki 18:7 – he knew 1Ki 18:36 – let it 2Ki 1:2 – Baalzebub 2Ki 1:16 – Forasmuch 2Ki 5:8 – let him come 2Ki 8:8 – inquire 2Ki 22:15 – General Psa 41:3 – strengthen Ecc 5:17 – much
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 1:6. There came a man up to meet us Elijah was a man of such a venerable presence, and spake to them with such authority, in the name of the Lord, that they were overawed thereby, and induced to obey him rather than the king.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
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, {d} [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
(d) Ignorance is the mother of error and idolatry.