2 Kings 1:2 Kommentar

We here find Ahaziah, the genuine son and successor of Ahab, on the throne of Israel. His reign continued not two years; he died by a fall in his own house, of which, after the mention of the revolt of Moab (Kg2 1:1), we have here an account. I. The message which, on that occasion, he sent to the god of Ekron (Kg2 1:2). II. The message he received from the God of Israel (Kg2 1:3-8). III. The destruction of the messengers he sent to seize the prophet, once and again (Kg2 1:9-12). IV. His compassion to, and compliance with, the third messenger, upon his submission, and the delivery of the message to the king himself (Kg2 1:13-16). IV. The death of Ahaziah (Kg2 1:17, Kg2 1:18). In the story we may observe how great the prophet looks and how little the prince.

This chapter begins with the rebellion of Moab against Israel, Kg2 1:1, relates a fall of the king of Israel in his house, which brought on him a sickness, about which he sent messengers to inquire of the god of Ekron, who were stopped by Elijah, and bid to return, as they did; and upon the king's examination of them about the cause of their return, he perceived it was Elijah that forbad them, Kg2 1:2, upon which the king sent to him two captains, with fifty men each, one after another, to bring him to him, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, Kg2 1:9, but a third with fifty men sent to him were spared, and he is bid to go along with them with a message to the king, as he did, Kg2 1:13 and the chapter is closed with the death of Ahaziah, Kg2 1:17.

“Ahaziah falls from the gallery of his upper chamber in Samaria.” … Ahaziah is the son of Ahab, and after Ahab’s death he takes his place and reigns over his people. Now, he falls from the upper chambers of his palace, and his body is seriously injured. Therefore Ahaziah sends some messengers to the god of the Ekronites in order to question him about his injury. It seems that such a piece of advice was given to him by his mother, Jezebel, who for her entire life made her children, namely, Ahaziah and Joram, her slaves, just like Ahab, her husband, had been a slave to her. Ahaziah’s present action, as well as what his brother did after him—their shameful end and the hardness of their heart in the adoration of their idols until their death—are perfectly in keeping with the abominable actions and wicked will of their mother, Jezebel. So, Elijah, who had learned from a vigilant [i.e., an angel] what Ahaziah was doing, came out to meet his messengers and ordered them, by the word of the Lord, to return to their master and announce to him the news of his departure from this world, because he had rejected the Lord and had taken refuge in the god of Ekron, hoping that he would heal him.

Ahaziah, being hurt by a fall, sends messengers to Baal-zebub to inquire whether he shall recover, Kg2 1:1, Kg2 1:2. They are met by Elijah, who sends them back with the information that he shall surely die, Kg2 1:3-8. The king sends a captain and fifty men, to bring Elijah to Samaria, on which fire comes down from heaven, and destroys both him and his men, Kg2 1:9, Kg2 1:10. Another captain and fifty men are sent, who are likewise destroyed, Kg2 1:11, Kg2 1:12. A third is sent, who behaves himself humbly, and Elijah is commanded to accompany him; he obeys, comes to the king, reproves his idolatry, and announces his death, Kg2 1:13-16. Ahaziah dies and Jehoram reigns in his stead, Kg2 1:17, Kg2 1:18.

Fell down through a lattice - Perhaps either through the flat root of his house, or over or through the balustrades with which the roof was surrounded. Go, inquire of Baal-zebub - Literally, the fly-god, or master of flies. The Septuagint has βααλ μυιαν, Baal the fly. He was the tutelary god of Ekron, and probably was used at first as a kind of telesm, to drive away flies. He became afterwards a very respectable devil, and was supposed to have great power and influence. In the New Testament Beelzebub is a common name for Satan himself, or the prince of devils. See my notes on Mat 10:25 (note).

1MOAB REBELS. (Kg2 1:1) Then Moab rebelled--Subdued by David (Sa2 8:2), they had, in the partition of Israel and Judah, fallen to the share of the former kingdom. But they took advantage of the death of Ahab to shake off the yoke (see on Kg2 3:6). The casualty that befell Ahaziah [Kg2 1:2] prevented his taking active measures for suppressing this revolt, which was accomplished as a providential judgment on the house of Ahab for all these crimes.

AHAZIAH'S JUDGMENT BY ELIJAH. (Kg2 1:2-8) Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber--This lattice was either a part of the wooden parapet, or fence, which surrounds the flat roofs of houses, and over which the king was carelessly leaning when it gave way; or it might be an opening like a skylight in the roof itself, done over with lattice-work, which, being slender or rotten, the king stepped on and slipped through. This latter supposition is most probably the true one, as Ahaziah did not fall either into the street or the court, but "in his upper chamber." inquire of Baalzebub--Anxious to learn whether he should recover from the effects of this severe fall, he sent to consult Baalzebub, that is, the god of flies, who was considered the patron deity of medicine. A temple to that idol was erected at Ekron, which was resorted to far and wide, though it afterwards led to the destruction of the place (Zac 9:5; Amo 1:8; Zep 2:4). "After visiting Ekron, 'the god of flies' is a name that gives me no surprise. The flies there swarmed, in fact so innumerably, that I could hardly get any food without these troublesome insects getting into it" [VAN DE VELDE].