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2 KINGS 1

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS *

 NASB  NKJV  NRSV  TEV   NJB
(MT versing)
Ahaziah's Messengers Meet Elijah God Judges Ahaziah The Reappearance of Elijah, the Death of Ahaziah Elijah and King Ahaziah
1:1-4 1:1-4 1:1 1:1 1:1
1:2-4 1:2-4a 1:2-4
1:4b-5
1:5-8 1:5-8 1:5-8 1:5-6
1:6
1:7 1:7-8
1:8
1:9-10 1:9-12 1:9-10 1:9 1:9-16
1:10
1:11-12 1:11-12 1:11
1:12
1:13-16 1:13-16 1:13-16 1:13-14
Jehoram Reigns Over Israel The Accession of Jehoram of Israel 1:15-16
1:17-18 1:17-18 1:17-18 1:17 1:17-18
1:18

* Although they are not inspired, paragraph divisions are the key to understanding and following the original author's intent. Each modern translation has divided and summarized the paragraphs. Every paragraph has one central topic, truth, or thought. Each version encapsulates that topic in its own distinct way. As you read the text, ask yourself which translation fits your understanding of the subject and verse divisions.

In every chapter we must read the Bible first and try to identify its subjects (paragraphs), then compare our understanding with the modern versions. Only when we understand the original author's intent by following his logic and presentation can we truly understand the Bible. Only the original author is inspired - readers have no right to change or modify the message. Bible readers do have the responsibility of applying the inspired truth to their day and their lives.

Note that all technical terms and abbreviations are explained fully in the following documents: Hebrew Grammatical Tems, Textual Criticism, and Glossary.

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

  1. First paragraph
  2. Second paragraph
  3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:1-4
  1Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2And Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and became ill. So he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this sickness." 3But the angel 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?' 4Now therefore thus says the Lord, 'You shall not come down from the bed where you have gone up, but you shall surely die.'" Then Elijah departed.

1:2 The life of Ahaziah son of Ahab is continued from 1 Kgs. 22:51-53. Originally there was only one book of Kings. See Introduction.

This chapter seems to be out of place (cf. 2 Kgs. 3:5).

▣ "fell through the lattice" "Lattice" (BDB 959) refers to the wood or reed lattice work on the windows. No specifics are given but it must have gravely injured him.

This same term is used to describe a type of net ornament on the pillars of Solomon's temple (cf. 1 Kgs. 7:17).

▣ "inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron" The VERB (BDB 205, KB 233, Qal IMPERATIVE) is used here of seeking information from a false pagan god.

The Ba'al of Ekron was the central Ba'al shrine of a major old Philistine city. "Inquire" probably denotes asking his priests to divine an answer. This is surely condemned in Deut. 18:9-14. See full note online.

Below is my exegetical note from Matt. 10:25 on "Baal-zebub."

Matt. 10:25 "Beelzebul" This was a compound term from Ba'al and Zebub. This was the local Ba'al of Ekron (cf. 2 Kgs. 1:16). The Jews changed the names of pagan rulers and pagan gods by changing the vowels, to make fun of them. The term can be translated as "Lord of the house," "Lord of the flies," or "Lord of the dung."

The second term was often spelled Zebul, the chief demon in Jewish folklore (cf. Matt. 12:24; Luke 11:15). This explains why NASB and NRSV have Beelzebul, while NKJV and NIV have Beelzebub.

1:3 "the angel of the Lord" This personage appears often in the OT as

  1. a special physical symbol of YHWH Himself
  2. a servant angel/messenger of YHWH

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE ANGEL OF THE Lord

▣ "Tishbite" See full note at 1 Kings 17:1.

▣ "because there is no God in Israel" Ahaziah was a polytheist, like his parents. The strict monotheism of the Mosaic covenant was ignored. This question is repeated three times (vv. 3,6,16).

The title "God" is Elohim, like Gen. 1:1. Monotheism was very rare in the ANE, but it was Israel's main theologicval tenet (i.e., vv. 3,6).

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM

1:4 "Lord" This is the covenant name for Israel's Deity (YHWH), first used in Gen. 2:4.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

▣ "you shall surely die" This intensified grammatical form (i.e., an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB of the same root, BDB 559, KB 562) is used three times in this context (vv. 4,6,17).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:5-8
  5When the messengers returned to him he said to them, "Why have you returned?" 6They 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 where you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"'" 7He said to them, "What kind of man was he who came up to meet you and spoke these words to you?" 8They answered him, "He was a hairy man with a leather girdle bound about his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."

1:8 Elijah had a distinctive look.

  1. hairy
    1. his own hair
      (1) somehow related to Nazirites (Numbers 6)
      (2) his unkempt wilderness lifestyle appearance
    2. a goat or camel robe of some type, which denoted a prophet (2 Kgs. 2:8,13; Zech. 13:4; Matt. 3:4; Mark 1:6)
  2. bound by a leather girdle (cf. 1 Kgs. 18:46)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:9-10
  9Then 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 said to him, "O man of God, the king says, 'Come down.'" 10Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

1:9-14 This is a severe account of many soldiers being ordered to do an improper task, done in an improper way (i.e., the captain's attitude), which resulted in their deaths! This is shocking to western individualists. YHWH demonstrated

  1. His power and presence
  2. Elijah as His true representative

This is a different VERB (BDB 37, KB 46) from 1 Kgs. 22:46 but has the same connotation of destruction by fire. It is the same VERB used in 1 Kg. 18:38 of fire falling on Mt. Carmel, another example of a challenge to YHWH's exclusiveness.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FIRE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:11-12
  11So he again sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he said to him, "O man of God, thus says the king, 'Come down quickly.'" 12Elijah replied to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

1:12 "man of God. . .fire of God" There is a word/sound play between these two CONSTRUCTS.

  1. man of God ‒ אישׁ האלהים
  2. fire of God ‒ אשׁ אלהים

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

▣ "from heaven" There are two ways to view this.

  1. from the atmosphere, the heavens (i.e., 1 Kgs. 18:38)
  2. from the throne of God, the highest heaven/third heaven

SPECIAL TOPIC: HEAVEN

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HEAVENS AND THE THIRD HEAVEN

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:13-16
  13So he again sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. When the third captain of fifty went up, he came and bowed down on his knees before Elijah, and begged him and said to him, "O man of God, please let my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours be precious in your sight. 14Behold fire came down from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty with their fifties; but now let my life be precious in your sight." 15The angel 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. 16Then 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 where you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"

1:13-14 This third group of men came with humility and faith (and probably fear as well).

1:15 "the angel of the Lord" See note at v. 3.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1:17-18
  17So Ahaziah died according to the word of the Lord which Elijah had spoken. And because he had no son, Jehoram became king in his place in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah. 18Now 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?

1:17 One reason the names of the kings of the Divided Monarchy are confusing is the repetition of royal names.

  1. Jehoram, king of Israel, son of Ahab
  2. Jehoram, king of Judah, son of Jehoshaphat (cf. 2 Kgs. 8;16)

Another reason for the confusion is that Israel had a different way to count the years of reigning than Judah. See Edwin R.Thiele, The Mysterious Numbers of the Hebrew Kings, pp. 63,99,100,210-211.

A third element for the confusion is that some kings had periods of co-regency where they shared the throne, yet when the total reign in years is given, it includes both full reign and co-reign years. See Gleason Archer, Encyclopedia of Bible Difficulties, pp. 204-205.

SPECIAL TOPIC: KINGS OF THE DIVIDED MONARCHY

▣
NASB, NKJV, JPSOA  "Jehoram"
NRSV, NJB, REB  "his brother Jehoram"
TEV, Peshitta  "his brother Joram"

The MT text does not have "his brother," though this is assumed because Ahaziah had no son. The UBS Text Project, p. 332, gives the MT a "B" rating (some doubt).

1:18 The authors/editors of this historical material used written sources. See Introduction, IV. D.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. Why did Ahaziah inquire of Baal-zebul?
  2. Who is the angel of the Lord in this chapter?
  3. What does "hairy man" of v. 8 mean?
  4. How is the revelation of YHWH's power and sovereignty of 1 Kings 18 related to this chapter?
  5. Why did YHWH kill two groups of 50 soldiers?
  6. How is the date of the reign of Jehoram of Israel in v. 17 related to 2 Kgs. 3:1?

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