And he said unto them, what manner of man was he ,.... What appearance or figure did he make? what his habit or clothing? which came up to meet you, and told you these words ? they had related to him. read more
And they answered him, he was an hairy man ,.... Either the hair of his head and beard were grown very long, having been much neglected for a great while; or he had an hairy garment on, either of goats' hair, such as the Chinese wear F6 Semedo's History of China, part 1. ch. 3. , whose women spin it, see Exodus 35:26 and of which garments are made; or of camels' hair, such as John the Baptist wore, who came in his spirit and power, and imitated him in his dress, being also, as Elijah... read more
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... read more
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, if I be a man of God ,.... As I am, and thou shalt know it by the following token, though thou callest me so jeeringly: then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty ; this he said not in a passion, and from a private spirit of revenge, but for the vindication of the honour and glory of God, and under the impulse of his spirit, who was abused through the insult on him as his prophet: and there came down fire... read more
Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty ,.... The king, not being at all terrified with the awful judgment upon the former, sends another: and he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, come down quickly ; he flouts the prophet in the same manner as the former, and in the king's name commands him to come down, and that immediately; which the king added to his orders, or he himself, signifying he would not be trifled with, if he did... read more
And Elijah answered and said unto them ,.... The same as he had to the first captain, and made the same request of fire from heaven; which accordingly came down, and destroyed this captain and his fifty also. read more
And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty ,.... Which was most daring and insolent, and showed him to be dreadfully hardened, to persist in his messages after such rebuffs: and the third captain of fifty went up; instead of calling to the prophet at the bottom of the hill as the other did, he went up to the top of it: and came and fell on his knees before Elijah : in reverence of him as a prophet of the Lord, and under a dread of the power he was possessed of, of... read more
Behold, there came fire down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties ,.... He owns the facts, and ascribes the death of them to the true cause, and appears to have an awful sense of the judgment of God on them, fearing the same would befall him and his: therefore let my life now be precious in thy sight ; by sparing it, what is precious and valuable being spared. read more
And the angel of the Lord said unto Elijah , The same as in 2 Kings 1:3 or "had said" F7 וידבר "edixerat autem", Junius & Tremellius. , as some render it, before this captain came: go down with him ; the captain and his men: and be not afraid of him ; of King Ahaziah, whom he might fear, because of the message he had sent him, that he should die of that sickness, and for turning back his messengers to the god of Ekron, and for destroying his two captains and their... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 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 ,.... 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, 2 Kings 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. read more