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, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
A LATTICE] lit. 'a network,'—perhaps a balustrade. BAAL-ZEBUB] supposed to mean 'lord of flies,' in the sense of being their controller and averter, since flies are one of the greatest plagues of Eastern countries: cp. the Gk. _Zeus Apomuios_. But in kindred names like Baal-Peor, Baal-Hermon, etc.,... [ Continue Reading ]
_IS_ _it_ NOT BECAUSE, etc.] RV 'Is it because there is no God in Israel?' and so in 2 Kings 1:6; 2 Kings 1:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
AN HAIRY MAN] better, as in RM, 'a man with a garment of hair,' a characteristic dress of the prophets: cp. Zechariah 13:4; Mark 1:6.... [ Continue Reading ]
A CAPTAIN OF FIFTY] a recognised division of the Israelite army: cp. 1 Samuel 8:12.... [ Continue Reading ]
LET FIRE COME DOWN] The king in despatching soldiers to arrest the prophet dishonoured the Lord, whose servant Elijah was; and the unity that subsisted between a king and his subjects (as between a father and his children) was so strongly felt in ancient times that there was little sense of the inju... [ Continue Reading ]
IN THE SECOND YEAR OF JEHORAM] The calculation here arrived at seems to follow upon what is stated in 1 Kings 16:23, where Omri begins to reign in Asa's thirty-first year (Omri's 12 + Ahab's 22 + Ahaziah's 2 + Jehoram's 1 = Asa's last 10 + Jehoshaphat's 25 + Jehoram's 2). A different reckoning is ad... [ Continue Reading ]