Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 2 Kings 1:9
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spoke unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
9. Then the king sent unto him ] Clearly Ahaziah’s design was to arrest and punish Elijah, but considering that the prophet had appeared alone, the number of men sent out against him seems excessive. It may be, however, that in the brevity of the narrative we are not told of Elijah’s movements, and that he had already retired to some centre of the prophetic body; and if so, the king may have apprehended that resistance would be offered to his arrest.
a captain of fifty ] One of the subdivisions of the Jewish army was into ‘fifties’. See 1Sa 8:12. Greater bodies were ‘hundreds’ and ‘thousands’ (Num 31:14).
he sat on the top of a [R.V. the ] hill ] The word rendered ‘sat’ may also be translated ‘dwelt’ (see marg. of R.V.) and the definite article indicates that some particular hill is intended, therefore the suggestion that Elijah had already withdrawn to Carmel, and that the soldiers followed him thither, is most likely correct.
Thou [R.V. O ] man of God ] The original is precisely as in verse 13. But in the two first addresses the title was given no doubt in mockery. In the mouth of one who really felt the force of the words there could have followed them no such sentence as ‘the king hath said, Come down’. For a contrast see 1Ki 17:18; 1Ki 17:24.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then the king sent unto him – i. e., in order to seize and punish him. Compare 1Ki 18:10; 1Ki 22:27.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
2Ki 1:9-16
Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty.
The destruction of the two captains with their companies
Consider–
I. The steps which led up to this miracle.
1. Seeking help where it was not to be found, in direct violation of the law of God. If a member of a family were to break his arm, and instead of applying to the family surgeon who had in the past given full proof of his skill, were to seek the advice of a quack, he would be sinning against himself, and insulting the man who was able and willing to cure him. This was the conduct of Ahaziah towards the God of his nation.
2. A Divine rebuke (2Ki 1:3). God does not leave transgressors to pursue their way without remonstrance.
3. A message to take Elijah prisoner.
II. The miracle itself.
1. The fire, if not miraculous in itself, was miraculous in its manner of executing the will of God. It came from heaven at the call of Elijah.
2. It was in keeping with the recent proof of Elijahs Divine commission given on Mount Carmel (1Ki 18:38).
3. The miracle was arrested, and the prophet was arrested by a force not sent by the king (2Ki 1:13-15).
Lessons.
1. Help must be sought where God has appointed that it shall be found (Joh 14:6; Act 4:12).
2. The responsibility of the individual man.
3. When God has spoken He cannot change His word unless the sinner changes his way.
4. The only strength that can conquer heaven is the strength of supplication. (Outlines of Sermons by a London Minister.)
Man in three aspects
I. Man ruined through the conduct of others. This awful judgment came upon them not merely on their own account, but as messengers of the king. Throughout the human race there are found millions groaning under the trials and sufferings brought on them by the conduct of others.
II. Man employed as the executor of Divine justice. Gods plan in this world is to punish as well as to save man by man.
III. Man stepping into the place of the dead. The King Ahaziah dies, Jehoram steps into his place. One generation cometh, and another passeth away. Places, positions, and the various offices of life are no sooner vacated by death than they are stepped into by others. (Homilist.)
On tolerance of error
Now, it is obvious that, terrible as this judgment seems to us, it was not contrary to Gods will. It is easy to say that the captain was only executing the kings orders, and that the fifty soldiers had no responsibility save that of obeying their leader. But we have still more right to say that He, who would have spared Sodom if ten righteous had been found in it, would not have consumed these two bands of fifty men if any God-fearing men had been amongst them. The kings attempt to seize the prophet was an open defiance of God, and, moderate as the wording of the captains summons seems, the tone may easily have shown utter contempt both for God and for Elijah. We may well believe, therefore, that Elijah on this occasion, as when he destroyed the priests of Baal, knew that he was fulfilling Gods purpose of judgment. But now, thank God, all judgment has been committed to Him who died for sinners and prayed for His murderers. The Cross of Christ has completely changed the attitude of Christian people towards the enemies of God. How dare we treat as reprobate those for whom Christ died! While the day of grace lasts there is hope for the very worst. There is little fear, however, of Elijahs example being followed in the present day. Protestants, at any rate, have given up issuing excommunications and hurling anathemas at the heads of notorious offenders. We are all for toleration now, and any attempt to restrain mens liberty of thought and action is hotly resented. Surely the pendulum has swung too far. We need not in our dread of religious intolerance lull into religious indifference, and regard all errors in faith and practice with complacent apathy. Truth must always be intolerant of error. Nine times nine are eighty-one, and you would not tolerate a teacher who said they were eighty. Truth cannot tolerate error without denying itself. Where personal comfort and safety are concerned society is absolutely intolerant. Few would tolerate having a smallpox patient in their house. Is it reasonable to be so intolerant of infection for the body and so careless as to moral infection for the mind and soul! Shall the authorities step in and strip off the very paper from the walls in their zeal for sanitation? and shall we allow men of known impurity of life and those who scoff at prayer to mix freely with our sons and daughters? The zeal of the Crusader who gloried in slaying the infidel is surely more righteous than the indifference of the modern Laodicean, who has not a single truth that he thinks worth fighting for. We want more hatred of evil in these days. The popular novelist delights in confusing the issues, and making sin seem right and beautiful. There is sacred liberty of thought which is the dearest right of Protestants, but it is not to be made a cloak of maliciousness. We have no right to think wrong thoughts. While all the progress in the world is due to freedom of thought, it is the correctness of the thought, not the freedom of it, which has achieved the good. Loose thinking is as bad as loose living. The man who is filled with the Spirit will witness plainly and fearlessly against both. (F. S. Webster, M. A.)
The captains of Ahazian destroyed by fire
1. See, here, the power of God, revealing His wrath from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. In all, and each, of these cases, the authority was that of God, the power was that of God. Let no man, therefore, wrest this Scripture to his own destruction, nor look upon it as furnishing any precedent, or encouragement to persecute, in our own day, the enemies of the Lord.
2. Our duty is to confess Christ before men, and neither by word, nor deed, to compromise any, the minutest parts, of His gracious counsels. We must rebuke the gainsayers, recall the erring, confirm the wavering, and instruct the ignorant; but, in doing this, we must not take a single step in our own strength, or wisdom, we must look ever unto Him, who in this, as in every other case, hath left us an example that we should follow His steps; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing, knowing that we are thereunto caned, that we should inherit a blessing.
3. Elijahs history furnishes us with fresh motives to prayer and perseverance. If God hath spoken, here, in the accents of terror, He hath spoken, also, in the accents of compassion; if the destruction of two of Ahaziahs captains, with their companies, points out the danger of persecuting the saints of God, and the speedy death of Ahaziah exposes, no less clearly, the wretched presumption of the rebel creature, when he attempts to set at nought Gods counsels; yet, the withholding punishment from the third captain, who fell on his knees before Elijah, and entreated that the life of himself and of his followers might be precious in his sight, proves no less clearly that, in His wrath, the Lord remembers mercy! What greater encouragement to well-doing can the faithful servant of God receive, than the protection here vouchsafed to the Tishbite?
4. Assuredly, the records of Elijahs ministry have placed this blessed truth plainly and palpably before us; may they lead us more heartily to obey the will of Him who revealed it! May the lustre which the Gospel pours upon those records, reveal more distinctly the weakness of our own nature, and the glorious hope of redemption, set before us through Christ! May this guide our footsteps in peace along the course of the life that now is! (J. S. M. Anderson, M. A.)
Destructive forces in the hand of God
The Bible does occasionally lift the veil, and shows us how the destructive forces of nature have been the servants of the will of a moral God. It was so when the waters of the Red Sea returned violently on the Egyptian pursuers of Israel. It was so when at the prayer of Elijah the messengers of Ahaziah were struck dead by lightning. It was so when Jonah was fleeing to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord: The Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken. It was so when there arose a great storm on the Sea of Galilee, that the disciples might learn to trust the power of their sleeping Master. And it was so when St. Paul, bound on his Romeward voyage, was wrecked on the shore of Malta. In all these cases we see the wind and the storm fulfilling His word; because the Bible enables us to see exactly how in each case Gods word or will was fulfilled. But there is much in modem history, perhaps in our own lives and experience, which seems to us to illustrate the matter scarcely less vividly. Our ancestors saw Gods hand in the storm which scattered the great Armada; and a century later the wind which buried the intruding successor of the saintly Ken beneath the chimneys of his own palace at Wells, seemed to pious Churchmen of the day to be not improbably a mark of the Divine displeasure. There are obvious difficulties which our Lord points to in His allusion to the loss of life at the fall of the Tower of Siloam; there are obvious difficulties in pressing such inferences too confidently or too far. But we may see enough, and we may have reason to suspect more that enables us to be certain of this, that nature is in the hand of the Ruler of the moral world, and that we may be sure of a moral purpose, whether we can exactly make it out or not, in the use which He makes of it. (Dean Farrar.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. A captain of fifty with his fifty.] It is impossible that such a man as Ahaziah, in such circumstances, could have had any friendly designs in sending a captain and fifty soldiers for the prophet; and the manner in which they are treated shows plainly that they went with a hostile intent.
And he spake unto him, Thou man of God] Thou prophet of the Most High.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou man of God; so he calls him in way of scorn and contempt: q.d. Thou that vauntest as if thou wast more than a mere man.
The king hath said, Come down; the king commands thee to come to him; which if thou refusest, I am here to carry thee to him by force.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. Then the king sent unto him acaptain of fiftyAny appearance of cruelty that there is in thefate of the two captains and their men will be removed, on a fullconsideration of the circumstances. God being the King of Israel,Ahaziah was bound to govern the kingdom according to the divine law;to apprehend the Lord’s prophet, for discharging a commanded duty,was that of an impious and notorious rebel. The captains abetted theking in his rebellion; and they exceeded their military duty bycontemptuous insults.
man of GodIn usingthis term, they either spoke derisively, believing him to be no trueprophet; or, if they regarded him as a true prophet, the summons tohim to surrender himself bound to the king was a still more flagrantinsult; the language of the second captain being worse than that ofthe first.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
After having executed the divine command, Elijah returned to the summit of the mountain, on which he dwelt. Most of the commentators suppose it to have been one of the peaks of Carmel, from 2Ki 2:25 and 1Ki 18:42, which is no doubt very probable, though it cannot be raised into certainty. Elijah’s place of abode was known to the king; he therefore sent a captain with fifty men to fetch the prophet. To the demand of the captain, “Man of God, the king has said, Come down,” Elijah replied, “And if I am a man of God, let fire fall from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty.” (The expression , and if, shows that Elijah’s words followed immediately upon those of the captain.) This judicial miracle was immediately fulfilled.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| Fire Called from Heaven by Elijah. | B. C. 896. |
9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down. 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 11 Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. 12 And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. 13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, 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. 14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. 15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king. 16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. 17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son. 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?
Here, I. The king issues out a warrant for the apprehending of Elijah. If the God of Ekron had told him he should die, it is probable he would have taken it quietly; but now that a prophet of the Lord tells him so, reproving him for his sin and reminding him of the God of Israel, he cannot bear it. So far is he from making any good improvement of the warning given him that he is enraged against the prophet; neither his sickness, nor the thoughts of death, made any good impressions upon him, nor possessed him with any fear of God. No external alarms will startle and soften secure sinners, but rather exasperate them. Did the king think Elijah a prophet, a true prophet? Why then durst he persecute him? Did he think him a common person? What occasion was there to send such a force, in order to seize him? Thus a band of men must take our Lord Jesus.
II. The captain that was sent with his fifty soldiers found Elijah on the top of a hill (some think Carmel), and commanded him, in the king’s name, to surrender himself, v. 9. Elijah was now so far from absconding, as formerly, into the close recesses of a cave, that he makes a bold appearance on the top of a hill; experience of God’s protection makes him more bold. The captain calls him a man of God, not that he believed him to be so, or reverenced him a such a one, but because he was commonly called so. Had he really looked upon him as a prophet, he would not have attempted to make him his prisoner; and, had he thought him entrusted with the word of God, he would not have pretended to command him with the word of a king.
III. Elijah calls for fire from heaven, to consume this haughty daring sinner, not to secure himself (he could have done that some other way), nor to avenge himself (for it was not his own cause that he appeared and acted in), but to prove his mission, and to reveal the wrath of God from heaven against the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. This captain had, in scorn, called him a man of God: “If I be so,” says Elijah, “thou shalt pay dearly for making a jest of it.” He valued himself upon his commission (the king has said, Come down), but Elijah will let him know that the God of Israel is superior to the king of Israel and has a greater power to enforce his commands. It was not long since Elijah had fetched fire from heaven, to consume the sacrifice (1 Kings xvii. 38), in token of God’s acceptance of that sacrifice as an atonement for the sins of the people; but, they having slighted that, now the fire falls, not on the sacrifice, but on the sinners themselves, v. 10. See here, 1. What an interest the prophets had in heaven; what the Spirit of God in them demanded the power of God effected. Elijah did but speak, and it was done. He that formerly had fetched water from heaven now fetches fire. O the power of prayer! Concerning the work of my hands, command you me, Isa. xiv. 11. 2. What an interest heaven had in the prophets! God was always ready to plead their cause, and avenge the injuries done to them; kings shall still be rebuked for their sakes, and charged to do his prophets no harm; one Elijah is more to God than 10,000 captains and their fifties. Doubtless Elijah did this by a divine impulse, and yet our Saviour would not allow the disciples to draw it into a precedent, Luke ix. 54. They were now not far from the place where Elias did this act of justice upon provoking Israelites, and would needs, in like manner, call for fire upon those provoking Samaritans. “No,” says Christ, “by no means, you know not what manner of spirit you are of,” that is, (1.) “You do not consider what manner of spirit, as disciples, you are called to, and how different from that of the Old-Testament dispensation; it was agreeable enough to that dispensation of terror, and of the letter, for Elias to call for fire, but the dispensation of the Spirit and of grace will by no means allow it.” (2.) “You are not aware what manner of spirit you are, upon this occasion, actuated by, and how different from that of Elias: he did it in holy zeal, you in passion; he was concerned for God’s glory, you for your own reputation only.” God judges men’s practices by their principles, and his judgment is according to truth.
IV. This is repeated a second time; would one think it? 1. Ahaziah sends, a second time, to apprehend Elijah (v. 11), as if he were resolved not to be baffled by omnipotence itself. Obstinate sinners must be convinced and conquered, at last, by the fire of hell, for fire from heaven, it seems, will not subdue them. 2. Another captain is ready with his fifty, who, in his blind rage against the prophet, and his blind obedience to the king, dares engage in that service which had been fatal to the last undertakers. This is as impudent and imperious as the last, and more in haste; not only, “Come down quietly, and do not struggle,” but without taking any notice of what had been done, he says, “Come down quickly, and do not trifle, the king’s business requires haste; come down, or I will fetch thee down.” 3. Elijah relents not, but calls for another flash of lightning, which instantly lays this captain and his fifty dead upon the spot. Those that will sin like others must expect to suffer like them; God is inflexibly just.
V. The third captain humbled himself and cast himself upon the mercy of God and Elijah. It does not appear that Ahaziah ordered him to do so (his stubborn heart is as hard as ever; so regardless is he of the terrors of the Lord, so little affected with the manifestations of his wrath, and withal so prodigal of the lives of his subjects, that he sends a third with the same provoking message to Elijah), but he took warning by the fate of his predecessors, who, perhaps, lay dead before his eyes; and, instead of summoning the prophet down, fell down before him, and begged for his life and the lives of his soldiers, acknowledging their own evil deserts and the prophet’s power (2Ki 1:13; 2Ki 1:14): Let my life be precious in thy sight. Note, There is nothing to be got by contending with God: if we would prevail with him, it must be by supplication; if we would not fall before God, we must bow before him; and those are wise for themselves who learn submission from the fatal consequences of the obstinacy of others.
VI. Elijah does more than grant the request of this third captain. God is not so severe with those that stand it out against him but he is as ready to show mercy to those that repent and submit to him; never any found it in vain to cast themselves upon the mercy of God. This captain, not only has his life spared, but is permitted to carry his point: Elijah, being so commanded by the angel, goes down with him to the king, v. 15. Thus he shows that he before refused to come, not because he feared the king or court, but because he would not be imperiously compelled, which would lessen the honour of his master; he magnifies his office. He comes boldly to the king, and tells him to his face (let him take it as he may) what he had before sent to him (v. 16), that he shall surely and shortly die; he mitigates not the sentence, either for fear of the king’s displeasure or in pity to his misery. The God of Israel has condemned him, let him send to see whether the god of Ekron can deliver him. So thunder-struck is Ahaziah with this message, when it comes from the prophet’s own mouth, that neither he nor any of those about him durst offer him any violence, nor so much as give him an affront; but out of that den of lions he comes unhurt, like Daniel. Who can harm those whom God will shelter?
Lastly, The prediction is accomplished in a few days. Ahaziah died (v. 17), and, dying childless, left his kingdom to his brother Jehoram. His father reigned wickedly twenty-two years, he not two. Sometimes the wicked live, become old, yea, are mighty in power; but those who therefore promise themselves prosperity in impiety may perhaps find themselves deceived; for (as bishop Hall observes here), “Some sinners live long, to aggravate their judgment, others die soon, to hasten it;” but it is certain that evil pursues sinners, and, sooner or later, it will overtake them; nor will any thing fill the measure sooner than that complicated iniquity of Ahaziah–honouring the devil’s oracles and hating God’s oracles.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Ahaziah-s Death – verses 9-18
Ahaziah must have thought he could take Elijah and compel him to retract his prediction of death against the king. Therefore he called for a captain with fifty armed men to go out, locate Elijah, and bring him in. The prophet was found sitting atop a hill, for what purpose is not revealed. The captain seems to have halted at the base of the hill and delivered the king’s order. He addressed Elijah as a man of God, saying, “The king says, ‘Come down’.” Elijah responded by saying, if he is a man of God, let the fire of God come out of heaven and burn the captain and his fifty. The Lord answered at once; the fire fell, and the men were burned up.
This did not deter Ahaziah from his attempts to take Elijah. He sent a second captain with his contingent of fifty men. He found Elijah still on the hill. He repeated the orders voiced by the first captain, saying, “Come down quickly.” Again Elijah said, “if I am a man of God, let the heavenly fire fall and consume you and your fifty men.” Again the fire fell and the contingent was destroyed.
Ahaziah was desperate to apprehend Elijah and risked the loss of a third captain and contingent of fifty men. This man feared the God of Elijah. The fate of those before him was enough to make him seek mercy (see Pro 9:10). He came to where Elijah was, fell humbly on his knees, and begged the prophet to spare his life. He acknowledged the manifestation of God’s power in the destruction of the hundred men who came before to him.
The prayer to Elijah_was actually to the Lord, who spoke now by His angel to His prophet, bidding him to go with the captain and face the king of Israel with God’s message. Elijah seems to have had an abiding dread for the family of Ahab, but the Lord tells him he has nothing to fear. So Elijah came to the bedside of Ahaziah. There he repeated the message of the Lord without variation. There is no escape from his judgment for Ahaziah (Ecc 3:14).
And so Ahaziah died, without sons, and was succeeded by his brother, Jehoram (or Joram, as he is also called). A second son of Ahab was mentioned by the king on the day he had Micaiah thrown in jail and proceeded to Ramoth-gilead and death (1Ki 22:26), but this does not appear to be the same one. He is called Joash in that passage. The Scriptures note that Jehoram became king of Israel in the second year of Jehoram (also known as Joram, the king of Judah, and son of Jehoshaphat. It is learned from 2Ki 3:7 that Jehoshaphat still lived in the early years of the reign of Jehoram of Israel, so it must be assumed that Jehoram of Judah had a co-regency with his father, Jehoshaphat, for the closing years of the old king’s life.
Some lessons to emphasize: 1) God still control affairs of men, even when they wickedly eject Him from their thoughts; 2) Ahaziah illustrates the natural anxiety concerning the future possessed by all people; 3) they who go on sinful missions without concern for the Lord’s will suffer the consequences, but those who approach Him earnestly receive mercy; 4) there is no bending the will of God from His purpose (Jas 1:17).
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
C. AHAZIAHS EFFORTS TO ARREST ELIJAH 1:915
TRANSLATION
(9) And he sent unto him a captain of fifty and his fifty, and he went op unto him, and behold he was sitting upon the top of a hill. And he spoke unto him, O man of God, The king has spoken, Come down. (10) And Elijah answered and spoke onto the captain of the fifty, And if I am a man of God, let fire from heaven come down and consume you and your fifty. And fire came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. (11) And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and spoke unto him, O man of God, thus says the king: Come down quickly. (12) And Elijah answered and spoke unto them, If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. And the captain of the third fifty went up, and came, and bowed down upon his knees before Elijah, and besought him and said, O man of God, let my life, and the life of these fifty your servants, be precious in your eyes. (14) Behold fire came down from heaven, and consumed the first two captains of fifty and their fifties, and now let my life be precious in your eyes. (15) And the angel of the LORD spoke unto Elijah, Go down with him; do not be afraid of him. And he arose and went down with him unto the king.
COMMENTS
No doubt Ahaziah had been instructed by his wicked mother to take strong and immediate action against Elijah should this religious radical reappear. This may well have been the first public appearance of Elijah during the reign of Ahaziah, and the king seems to have felt this was his opportunity to arrest and imprison this troublemaker. Though lying on his bed of affliction under the divine sentence of death, Ahaziah was so hardened, unrepentant and defiant that he ordered a unit of fifty soldiers to hasten immediately to arrest Elijah. The size of this armed body suggests that Ahaziah was directly challenging the power of the prophet his God. Meanwhile, Elijah had positioned himself on a hill on or right near the spot where he had encountered the messengers. The prophet was ready for a showdown with the king, and so made no attempt to conceal himself. He sat there calmly awaiting the next move that Ahaziah might make.
The captain of fifty approached the prophet, addressed him by his customary title, and ordered him by the authority of the king to come down from the hilltop and surrender (2Ki. 1:9). Elijah then prayed that God would vindicate his prophetic power and authority by destroying this band of soldiers who had come to arrest him. God heard that prayer, and fire came down from heaven (lightning?) to consume the captain and his fifty (2Ki. 1:10). Still defiant, Ahaziah sent another fifty to demand that Elijah come down quickly. The king had apparently grown impatient (2Ki. 1:11). Again the prophet prayed, and again the fire from heaven consumed his adversaries (2Ki. 1:12). A third captain dispatched by the king escaped with his life because he humbled himself before the prophet. He ascended the hill on which Elijah was still seated, and bowed himself before the prophet to beseech his compassion. Having heard of the fate of the previous captains, he acknowledged that this man of God held his life and the lives of his fifty men in his hands. He begged that Elijah would spare these men (2Ki. 1:13-14). The battle was now won. The honor of Elijah and the God he represented had been vindicated. An angel of God intervened at this point, directing the prophet go with this captain and not to fear for his life. Elijah instantly obeyed (2Ki. 1:15).
D. ELIJAHS PROPHECY CONCERNING AHAZIAH
1:1618
TRANSLATION
(16) And he spoke unto him, Thus says the LORD: Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it because there is no God at all in Israel that you may inquire of His word? Therefore you will not come down from upon the bed upon which you have gone up, because you will surely die. (17) And he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram ruled in his stead in the second year of Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because he did not have a son. (18) And 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?
COMMENTS
Whether Elijah was fettered and chained when he went before the king cannot be ascertained. This much is certain: Elijah did not change his tune once he came face to face with this bitter antagonist. Boldly in the name of his God he repeated the message which he had originally sent to the king by his messengers. Because of his gross apostasy which in effect denied the power and divinity of Yahweh, Ahaziah would die from his injuries (2Ki. 1:16). Shortly thereafter the king expired, never having left that sickbed, just as Elijah had predicted. Because he had no son, his brother Jehoram ruled in his stead. Thus a Jehoram ruled in Israel simultaneously with a Jehoram in Judah, for the Southern Jehoram was in his second year when the Northern one commenced his reign (2Ki. 1:17). The rest of the acts of Ahaziah, few though they must have been, were recorded in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel (2Ki. 1:18). These may have included some months of warfare against Mesha of Moab in an attempt to put down the rebellion in that quarter.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(9) Then the king sent.Heb., And he sent. With hostile intentions, as is proved by his sending soldiers, and by the words of the angel in 2Ki. 1:15. (Comp. 1Ki. 18:8; 1Ki. 22:26, seq.)
He sat.Was sitting. The LXX. has Elias was sitting, which is probably original.
A captain of fifty.The army of Israel was organised by thousands, hundreds, and fifties, each of which had its captain (sar). (Comp. Num. 31:14; Num. 31:48; 1Sa. 8:12.)
On the top of an hill.Rather, the hill, i.e., above Samaria. Others think, Carmel, from 1Ki. 18:42; 2Ki. 2:25.
He spake.LXX., the captain of fifty spake.
Thou man of God.Heb., man of the god, i.e., the true God. (So in 2Ki. 1:11; 2Ki. 1:13, infra.)
The king.In the Hebrew emphatic, as if to say, the kings power is irresistible, even by a man of God. The true God was thus insulted in the person of His prophet.
Come down.Or, Pray come downin a tone of ironical politeness (rdh precative).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
ELIJAH CALLS FIRE FROM HEAVEN, 2Ki 1:9-16.
9. Sent unto him a captain of fifty To take him by force, and bring him down.
He sat on the top of a hill Perhaps it was the top of Carmel, though the place is uncertain.
Come down This order of the king was haughty and bold, and, being sent with hostile purpose to the prophet, was virtually bidding defiance to the God of Israel, and demanded punishment. The manner and action of the captain and his fifty seem to have been as defiant and insulting as the order itself, and hence one reason of the severe judgment.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
The King Sends His Guards To Arrest Elijah ( 2Ki 1:9-15 ).
If fifty assassins had burst in on the king with the intention of killing him, and they had been mown down by his guards, no one would have raised an eyebrow. But because Elijah, who was in equal danger of being executed, called on God for assistance, resulting in the slaying of the would be assassins by God’s fire, eyebrows are raised. We need to remember, however, that God was Elijah’s bodyguard. And the king would not have rested until Elijah had either rescinded the penalty, or was dead. This was an important part of the battle for the soul of Israel.
2Ki 1:9
‘Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spoke to him, “O man of God, the king has said, Come down.” ’
When Ahab had sent for Micaiah he had sent an official for him (1Ki 22:9), thus the fact that Ahaziah sent not an official, but a military unit under a commander, in order to bring Elijah indicated his evil intent, and that he was ensuring, knowing Elijah’s extraordinary powers, that there could be no resistance. His intention was clearly malign. He intended to seize Elijah and execute him. An arresting party for one man did not usually consist of a whole military unit. We can compare the size of the party sent to arrest Jesus, because His miraculous powers were known.
The commander went to where he knew Elijah would be, and as he approached the hill he spotted Elijah sitting there on its peak. With great officiousness he commanded Elijah in a peremptory fashion (as officer of the arresting party), “O man of God, the king has said, Come down.” The address ‘man of God’ was probably intended to be sarcastic.
Both Elijah and he knew what this would mean, and the commander was taking no chances. As far as he was concerned he had to obey orders, and Elijah was expendable. On the other hand he was not in any doubt that he was dealing with a ‘man of God’, (a genuine prophet of YHWH), as his method of address makes clear. But as he was no doubt a Baal worshipper, his view was probably that prophets of YHWH were better dead. So there was no mercy in either his heart, or in the hearts of his men. Meanwhile the people would soon be aware of this challenge between YHWH and Baal, and would be very much affected by the outcome. In a sense the whole world was watching in order to see who would prevail.
2Ki 1:10
‘And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, “If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty.” And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.’
Elijah, recognising the implications of the situation, and no doubt under divine instructions, determined to let God demonstrate once and for all that he, Elijah, was a true prophet of YHWH, and that YHWH was supreme in Israel. And he therefore cried, “If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty.” This would be the proof that he really was a ‘man of God’ of YHWH. He knew that in this case it was him (and Israel’s faith) or them. And accordingly just as had happened on Mount Carmel (although this ‘hill’ was clearly near Samaria) fire came down from Heaven and consumed the arresting party, just as it had consumed the sacrifice on Mount Carmel previously. YHWH was demonstrating that He was with His servant, and saw the arresting party as a kind of burnt offering from the king. It may in fact have been a bolt of lightning, or it may have been the fire of the presence of the Angel of YHWH. Either way it was equally effective.
The significance of his action was clear. Just as YHWH had accepted his offering on Mount Carmel by consuming it with fire, so now He was manifesting His power in a similar way by accepting this ‘offering up’ of the arresting party. It was a grim but poignant reminder of YHWH’s victory on Mount Carmel over the forces of darkness, a victory which had only all too easily been forgotten. Now it was being brought back to mind most vividly.
(If a band of prophets had arrived and fought off the military unit in defence of Elijah, slaying them in the process, we would not have done anything but recognise the justice of it. Why then should fire from YHWH be seen as any different? Especially as it was a necessary reminder to the people that YHWH had not been replaced as the God of Israel, and was also a signal that His prophets should not be harmed by the authorities (who would as a result be more careful in future).
2Ki 1:11
‘And again he sent to him another captain of fifty and his fifty. And he answered and said to him, “O man of God, thus has the king said, Come down quickly.” ’
When the news reached the king he was no doubt infuriated, but on the basis that lightning never strikes in the same place twice he sent a further military unit, along with its commander, to arrest Elijah. He was not going to allow himself to be thwarted by a few deaths. This time the commander was even more peremptory and unsympathetic, and commanded Elijah to come down ‘at once’. Once again the authority of YHWH was being challenged by a worshipper of Baal, and his servant was being asked to put himself at the mercy of the soldiers, and of the king, neither of whom were reliable. If Elijah turned up with bruises on him it would not concern Azariah. Again YHWH grimly ‘consumed the offering’. It was similar to their being ‘devoted to YHWH’.
2Ki 1:12
‘And Elijah answered and said to them, “If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume you and your fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
The result was exactly the same, a complete repetition of the earlier event. The military unit went the same way as the first, consumed by the fire of YHWH. This activity of God in both these cases is a reminder that on the Day of Judgment all who have rebelled against God will be burned with fire. Then those who are consumed will be numbered in billions. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
2Ki 1:13
‘And again he sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, and came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and besought him, and said to him, “O man of God, I pray you, let my life, and the life of these fifty who are your servants, be precious in your sight.” ’
The king was clearly convinced that all this was just an unhappy coincidence, and without any regard for his men sent a further arresting party. By this time the job had presumably lost its popularity, but the unit in question would be given no option and knew that they had to obey orders. However, they were fortunate in being commanded by a man who had learned to fear YHWH. Thus when he approached the hill he fell on his knees before Elijah and begged that the man of God would be merciful.
2Ki 1:14
‘Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and consumed the two former captains of fifty with their fifties. But now let my life be precious in your sight.”
He acknowledged that he knew what had happened to the two previous units and prayed that his own life might be precious in Elijah’s sight. The indication was that he only wished him well.
2Ki 1:15
‘And the angel of YHWH said to Elijah, “Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him.” And he arose, and went down with him to the king.’
Satisfied that Elijah would now be given a fair deal, and could safely go with the military unit, not as a man under arrest, but as someone who was being courteously escorted, YHWH withheld His fire. Instead the Angel of YHWH assured Elijah that he could go with the military party in safety without fear. Accordingly Elijah rose up and went with the men.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The Punishment of Ahaziah’s Servants and his Death
v. 9. Then the king sent unto him, v. 10. And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. v. 11. Again, also, he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty, v. 12. And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty. v. 13. And he, v. 14. Behold, there came fire down from heaven and burned up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties; therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight. v. 15. And the Angel of the Lord, v. 3. said unto Elijah, Go down with him; be not afraid of him, v. 16. And he, v. 17. So he died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram, v. 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?
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
This is a most interesting passage. Observe the rage and folly of the king, in sending to seize upon the prophet. Did he hope to alter the sentence by destroying the prophet? Could he indeed conceive so desperate a thing, as to think that the Lord’s servants would be unprotected in the Lord’s cause? But if the king was a wicked fool, how much greater this captain of his, with his fifty men! It is plain, he either did not believe him to be a man of God, or if he did, that he treated both him and his God with equal contempt. But what are we to think of Elijah? The apostle tells us that he was a man of like passions with ourselves: Jas 5:17 . Reader! mark in the circumstances of God’s best servants, how much all men need grace to subdue their angry passions. In making this observation, however, let it be remembered, that it is not made with a view to condemn the prophet, in the destruction of the captain with his fifty. Perhaps the awful example here made by their death was needful. And indeed, in the Lord’s answering by fire and consuming them, it is plain that it was so. Elijah, therefore, did not exercise this authority given him, for himself or his own safety, but for the glory of the Lord. But what I particularly wish the Reader to observe with me in this history is, how different the servant is from the Lord. When the disciples of Jesus desired permission to do as Elias had done, to a village of the Samaritans, how sweetly did our Lord rebuke them: Ye know not (said Christ) what manner of spirit ye are of. Luk 9:53-56 . Oh! thou dearest Jesus! how lovely dost thou appear? And how precious is it, to see thee in thy gracious features of character, in that thou wert truly holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. Heb 7:26 . Reader! behold in the awful death of this captain and his fifty, how jealous the Lord is of his honour! See also, what interest the Lord’s servants have in the court of heaven? And observe, moreover, how careful the Lord is of his people. Take heed that ye offend not one of these little ones. Mat 18:10Mat 18:10 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
2Ki 1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
Ver. 9. Then the king sent. ] Stirred up thereto, likely, by his wicked mother Jezebel, who was his counsellor.
A captain of fifty with his fifty.
Behold, he sat on the top of a hill.
Thou man of God.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
behold. Figure of speech Asterismos. App-6.
man of God. The people’s name for a prophet. See App-49.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
2Ki 1:9-12
2Ki 1:9-12
AHAZIAH’S ARMED MEN TRY IN VAIN TO ARREST ELIJAH
“Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and, behold, he was sitting on the top of the hill. And he spake unto him, O man of God, the king hath said, Come down. And Elijah answered and said, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty. And again he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of god, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly. And Elijah answered and said unto him, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.”
We find no agreement whatever with a great many writers who deplore this act of God’s destruction of “innocent men,” who it is said, “were only obeying orders.” Nonsense! William Whiston explained exactly why these men deserved to die. They knew that Elijah was a true prophet of God, and that they were sent to bring that holy man to Ahab for the sole purpose of Ahab’s murdering him, and yet they knew that God was the Supreme King in Israel, and that Elijah was doing the will of the True King. “They certainly knew that they were under the theocracy. Therefore, when they sought to capture Elijah and bring him to Ahab, their doing so was nothing less than the grossest impiety, rebellion against God, and treason in the highest degree. It was sin of the worst nature that they had consented to obey the orders of the apostate reprobate Ahaziah.
“What should they have done? They should have acted after the manner of Saul’s guards who, when ordered to slay the priests of Nob, knowing the order to be contrary to the will of God, refused to obey it!
“Officers and soldiers alike must learn that the commands of their leaders and rulers cannot justify them in doing that which is wicked and sinful in the eyes of God.”
Hitler’s soldiers who ran the death camps were “obeying orders,” of course, but that never justified what they did.
In addition, these first two captains of fifty with their fifties were grossly disrespectful of Elijah, ordering him to “get a move on,” to “come down quickly,” “the king has commanded,” etc. Even the words, “O man of God,” were apparently spoken in contempt and derision, a conclusion supported by Elijah’s repeated statement that, “IF I am a man of God, etc.”
This writer is aware that many scholars take a radically different view. Montgomery called the commands for fire to come down from heaven and to consume the men, “Preposterous.” Honeycutt wrote that, “Few persons would defend the morality of calling down fire from heaven upon groups of fifty as in this narrative.”
Dentan believed that, “When Elijah twice called down fire from heaven upon soldiers who were innocent executors of the king’s will, we must sense an inadequate understanding of God’s justice and mercy.”
We could cite other similar opinions, but there are grave errors in all of them. The executors of Ahab’s evil command were not “innocent.” Elijah did not destroy the men, God did it! As Keil said, “Ahaziah’s sin was punished not by the prophet, but by the Lord himself, who fulfilled the word of his servant.” If God had not approved of Elijah’s request, he would not have honored it; and when Elijah, along with Moses, stood with the Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration, we have the Divine endorsement of what was done here.
One other thing about this. Several have pointed out that Jesus refused the suggestion of the apostles to call down fire out of heaven upon the Samaritans (Luk 9:51-55) as their alleged “proof” that what Elijah did here was wrong. The situations were not in any sense parallel. Samaria would soon receive and obey Christ (John 4), but there was utterly no possibility whatever that the evil offspring of Ahab and Jezebel would ever be anything except an inveterate enemy of God. Besides that, a great wonder from heaven was particularly needed at the time of Elijah’s action in order to prevent enemies like Ahaziah from stamping out the true religion altogether. The salvation of all the redeemed of all ages was at stake!
Not only that! With the monarchy of Israel already a lost cause, it was required absolutely of God that his prophets should be respected and honored; and if Ahab had been allowed to kill Elijah, it would have been the precedent for the evil kings of the apostate people to kill all of the prophets continually, and all would have been lost. As Martin said, “This gruesome incident” served notice on all of the wicked rulers of Israel and also of Judah that, “The person of the prophet was inviolate.”
E.M. Zerr:
2Ki 1:9. The king had previously known of Elijah’s authority, else he would not have sent to him for assistance in this predicament of his. But the whole procedure indicated he appealed to the true God as a last resort only. We are not told just what form of speech the captain had been instructed to use in his request. He used the wrong one, however, as we can see; one of arrogance instead of humility. The words man of God acknowledge Elijah to be a servant of the true God, hence there was no excuse for the disrespectful demand expressed. Come down was a dictatorial expression, which did not recognize their master as being the one in need of aid, but rather, that Elijah was the one to be benefited by the occasion. The information had already been given Ahaziah from Elijah that the injury was to end fatally. It means, therefore, that Ahaziah thought to influence the prophet to reverse the decision and cause his recovery.
2Ki 1:10. Turning the abject acknowledgement of the captain into a taunt, Elijah called upon that very God over him to destroy the whole group with fire.
2Ki 1:11-12. The scene with the first captain and his 50 men was repeated in duplicate, except the word quickly was added, thereby making it still more arrogant.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
Consuming Fire
2Ki 1:9-18
An awful fate overtook the first two captains; but it must be noted that they were extremely violent and arrogant in their behavior and speech. The altered tone of the last captain wrought an instant alteration in the prophets attitude and response. That there was no personal malice in Elijah is clear from his willingness to accompany the third captain into the royal presence. Our Lord expressly cautioned His followers from attempting to imitate this episode. We belong to another dispensation, which savors of forbearance and meekness. See Luk 9:54.
On a former day Jezebels message made the prophet flee; but now he does not hesitate to pass through the crowded streets of the capital and to enter the palace of the king. Elijah was dwelling in the secret place of the Most High and standing before Jehovah, as aforetime. His faith was able to avail itself of the panoply of God. He quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, and out of weakness was made strong. Let us admire the loving forbearance of God who restores the wavering ones, brings them up from the grave, holds them as stars in His right hand, Rev 1:16, and uses them once more in His glorious service.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
sent unto: 2Ki 6:13, 2Ki 6:14, 1Ki 18:4, 1Ki 18:10, 1Ki 19:2, 1Ki 22:8, 1Ki 22:26, 1Ki 22:27, Mat 14:3
he sat: 1Ki 18:42, Luk 6:11, Luk 6:12
Thou man: Amo 7:12, Mat 26:68, Mat 27:29, Mat 27:41-43, Mar 15:29, Mar 15:32, Heb 11:36
Reciprocal: 1Sa 19:21 – sent messengers 2Sa 12:13 – David 2Sa 13:29 – servants 2Ki 1:12 – General 2Ki 4:40 – O thou 2Ki 8:7 – The man of God 2Ki 13:19 – the man of God Jer 35:4 – a man Mat 5:12 – for so Joh 18:6 – they went 2Co 13:8 – General 1Ti 6:11 – O man
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2Ki 1:9. The king sent unto him a captain of fifty, with his fifty Undoubtedly with a design to apprehend him, and take away his life: for neither the untimely death of Ahab his father, nor his own late dangerous fall, and his sickness in consequence of it, nor the thoughts of death, had made any good impression on his mind, or possessed him with the fear of God: and he was so far from making any good improvement of the warning now given him, that he was evidently enraged against the prophet for giving it. But how inconsistent was the kings conduct on this occasion. Did he think Elijah a prophet, says Henry, a true prophet? Why then did he dare to persecute him? Did he think him a common person? What need then was there of such a force to seize him? Behold, he sat on the top of a hill Elijah was now so far from absconding, as formerly, in the close recesses of a cave, that he makes a bold appearance on an elevated place. His repeated experience of the divine protection has made him more bold. Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down He would not be at the pains to go up to the top of the hill, but thought it sufficient to require him in the kings name to come down and surrender himself.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
1:9 Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him: and, behold, he sat on the top {f} of an hill. And he spake unto him, Thou man of God, the king hath said, Come down.
(f) That is, Carmel.