Moab rebels, 1. Ahaziah, sending to Baal-zebub, has his judgment by Elijah, 2-4. Elijah twice brings fire from heaven upon those who were sent by Ahaziah to apprehend him, 5-12. He pities the third captain, and, encouraged by an angel, tells the king of his death, 13-16. Jehoram succeeds Ahaziah, 17, 18.
1 Then Moab rebelled against Israel after the death of Ahab. 2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria and was sick. And he sent messengers and said to them, "Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron to see if I shall recover from this disease." 3 But 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 not because there is not a God in Israel that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron?' 4 Now therefore, thus says the LORD: 'You shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.'" And Elijah departed.
5 And when the messengers turned back to him, he said to them, "Why have you now returned?" 6 And they said to him, "There came up a man to meet us and said to us, 'Go, turn back to the king who sent you and say to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that you send to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron? Therefore, you shall not come down from that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"'" 7 And he said to them, "What manner of man was he who came up to meet you and told you these words?" 8 And they answered him, "He was a hairy man and girt with a girdle of leather around his loins." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
9 Then the king sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty. And he went up to him, and behold, he sat on the top of a hill. And he spoke to him, "You, man of God, the king has said, 'Come down.'" 10 And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, "If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
11 Again he also sent to him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said to him, "O man of God, thus has the king said: 'Come down quickly.'" 12 And Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.
13 And he sent again a captain of the third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up, came and fell on his knees before Elijah, and implored him and said to him, "O man of God, I pray you, let my life and the life of these fifty your servants be precious in your sight. 14 Behold, fire came down from heaven and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties with their fifties. Therefore, let my life now be precious in your sight." 15 And the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Do not be afraid of him." And he arose and went down with him to the king. 16 And he said to him, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word? Therefore, you shall not come down off that bed on which you have gone up, but shall surely die.'"
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, because he had no son. 18 Now 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?
Matthew Henry Commentary - 2nd Kings, Chapter 1[➚]
[v.8] - "He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather around his loins" - Compare with John the Baptist (Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6), who was said by Jesus to be the one who was Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11:11-14).