2 Kings 1:5

_AND WHEN THE MESSENGERS TURNED BACK UNTO HIM, HE SAID UNTO THEM, WHY ARE YE NOW TURNED BACK?_ THE MESSENGERS TURNED BACK. They did not know the stranger; but his authoritative tone, commanding attitude, and affecting message, determined them at once to return....

1-8 When Ahaziah rebelled against the Lord, Moab revolted from him. Sin weakens and impoverishes us. Man's revolt from God is often punished by the rebellion of those who owe subjection to him. Ahaziah fell through a lattice, or railing. Wherever we go, there is but a step between us and death. A man's house is his castle, but not to secure him against God's judgments. The whole creation, which groans under the burden of man's sin, will, at length, sink and break under the weight like this lattice. He is never safe that has God for his enemy. Those that will not inquire of the word of God for their comfort, shall hear it to their terror, whether they will or no....

EXPOSITION 2 KINGS 1:1 THE REVOLT OF MOAB. THE ILLNESS, IMPIETY, AND DEATH OF AHAZIAH The narrative of the Second Book of Kings follows on that of the First Book in the closest possible sequence. The history of Ahaziah's reign begins in 1 Kings 22:51, and is carried on, without any real break or pause in the sense, to 2 Kings 1:18. How the two books came to be divided at this point is quite inexplicable. The division is most unhappy. Not only does it, without apparent reason, draw a strong line of dem

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....

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. ELIJAH's FINAL MINISTRY AND TRANSLATION 1. Elijah and Ahaziah CHAPTER 1 _ 1. Moab's rebellion (2 Kings 1:1)_ 2. The illness of Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:2) 3. Elijah's message (2 Kings 1:3) 4. Ahaziah's messengers and their fate (2 Kings 1:9) 5. Elijah before the king and Ahaziah's Death (2 Kings 1:16) 6. Jehoram becomes king (2 Kings 1:18) The rebellion of Moab is here briefly mentioned. B

2 KINGS 1:1 TO 2 KINGS 2:25. LAST DAYS AND ASCENSION OF ELIJAH: ELISHA ESTABLISHED AS HIS SUCCESSOR. Here we have perhaps a third Elijah narrative, in which the prophet is represented as playing a part scarcely worthy of the Elijah of 1 Kings 17-19 or 21, who in the first section represents Yahweh against the Tyrian Baal, whereas in the latter he stands for righteousness opposed to legalised violence. Here the king's offence is that he sent to a Philistine oracle instead of inquiring of Yahweh, and his soldiers are punished by fire for summoning the prophet to surrender. The spelling of the prophet's name in Hebrew differs from that in the rest of the OT. The story is mentioned in the Gospel (Luke 9:54)....

_And when the messengers turned back unto him, he said_ More literally with R.V., AND THE MESSENGERS RETURNED UNTO HIM AND HE SAID. The pronoun refers to the sick king in Samaria. They could only have gone a little way on their journey, and their early reappearance caused him some surprise. -The errand is soon done. The messengers are returned ere they go. Not a little were they amazed to hear their secret message from another's mouth, neither could they choose but think: He that can tell what Ahaziah said, what he thought, can foretell how he shall speed. We have met with a greater god than we went to seek. What need we inquire for another answer?" (Bp Hall's _Contemplations_). _Why are ye now turned back?_ To accord with the previous clause, render with R.V., WHY IS IT THAT YE ARE RETURNED?...

WHEN THE MESSENGERS TURNED BACK UNTO HIM, &C.— It may seem something strange, that Ahaziah's messengers should stop their journey to Ekron at Elijah's command. But he was a man of such a venerable presence, and spake to them with such authority in the name of the Lord, that they were over-awed thereby to obey him rather than the king....

B. THE ILLNESS OF AHAZIAH (2 Kings 1:1-8) TRANSLATION (1) Now Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. (2) And Ahaziah fell through a lattice in his upper chamber which was in Samaria, and he was sick. And he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover from this sickness. (3) But the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and speak unto them, Is it because there is no God at all in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? (4) Now therefore thus says the LORD, You shall not go down from the bed to which you have gone up because you shall surely die. And Elijah departed. (5) When the messengers returned unto him, he said unto them, Why have you returned? (6) And they said unto him, A man came up to meet us, and h

ELIJAH CALLS DOWN FIRE FROM HEAVEN 1. Moab.. Ahab] Moab had been conquered by David (2 Samuel 8:2), and at the revolt of the Ten Tribes had. passed under the authority of the northern kingdom. The revolt here alluded to took place, according to the inscription of Mesha, before the death of Ahab, whereas the present passage implies that it happened later, in the reign of Ahaziah or Joram: cp. 2 Kings 3:6....