52[Meanwhile,] Ahaziah son of Ahab had become king of Israel, in Samaria, in the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat of Judah; he reigned over Israel two years. 53He did what was displeasing to the LORD, following in the footsteps of his father and his mother, and in those of Jeroboam son of Nebat who had caused Israel to sin. 54He worshiped Baal and bowed down to him; he vexed the LORD, the God of Israel, just as his father had done.
a Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b-b Or “presumed to think.”
c Others “horsemen”; meaning of Heb. parash(im) not always certain.
d Thus, Absalom having died, Adonijah was David’s oldest living son.
e Lit. “all his brothers, sons of the king.”
f So many mss. and ancient versions; usual editions “now.”
g-g Or (cf. Rashi, Ralbag, Radak) “have you said…?”
h-h Lit. “your lord’s men.”
a-a Lit. “there shall never cease to be a man of yours on the throne of Israel.” Cf. 2 Sam. 7.12–16.
b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c I.e., Joab had thus brought bloodguilt on David’s house; see 2 Sam. 3.27 and 20.10.
d I.e., for whose maintenance you provide; see 2 Sam. 19.32 ff.
e See 2 Sam. 16.5 ff; 19.17 ff.
f-f Lit. “And for him and for Abiathar and for Joab son of Zeruiah.” Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
g Heb. “me.”
h Heb. “him.”
i Cf. 1 Sam. 3.14.
a-a Lit. “do not know to go out and come in”; cf. Num. 27.17.
a Or “in Aloth.”
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain.
b Resuming the account begun in 4.2.
c Heb. “war”; cf. Targum.
d-d Septuagint reads, “20,000 baths.”
a Meaning of parts of vv. 4–6 uncertain.
b I.e., the inner sanctuary, designated in v. 16 and elsewhere as the “Holy of Holies.”
c Septuagint and Targum read “lowest.”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
e Septuagint reads “rafters.”
f Meaning of vv. 17–22 is unclear in part.
g-g Heb. “in front of.”
h-h I.e., the Shrine.
a-a So called because of the rows of cedar columns. Septuagint reads “three rows” instead of “four rows”; cf. v. 3.
b Apparently the “planks” connected the columns longitudinally, and the “beams” (v. 2) connected the planks transversely.
c Septuagint reads “windows.”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
e Syriac reads “rafters.”
f Lit. “sawed with a saw in the inside and outside.”
g Heb. nehosheth means both copper and bronze. In the translation “copper” is ordinarily used to denote the natural product and “bronze” for the artifacts.
h Two Heb. mss. read “pomegranates.”
i About fifty Heb. mss. read “columns.”
j Lit. “belly”; exact force of Heb. uncertain.
k I.e., each of the two capitals.
l Lit. “sea.”
m Emendation yields “frames.”
n-n Lit. “in the thick of the earth.”
a I.e., of Booths. Cf. Lev. 23.34.
b-b Lit. “who spoke with His own mouth … and has fulfilled with His own hand.”
c Lit. “risen in place of.”
d 2 Chron. 6.18 adds “with man.”
e The Septuagint, with a different vocalization, reads “chastise.”
f I.e., coming from one end of the country to the other.
g I.e., of the second seven-day feast; cf. 2 Chron. 7.8–10.
a Lit. “cut.”
b Lit. “dismiss from My presence.”
c-c Targum and some other ancient versions read “and this House shall become a ruin.”
d An action performed at the sight of ruin to ward off a like fate from the observer; cf. note at Jer. 18.16.
e See 6.38–7.1.
f Perhaps taken to mean “as nothing.”
g A citadel.
h So kethib, cf. Ezek. 47.19, 48.28; qere Tadmor.
i Their names are not listed in the text.
j-j Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
k Elsewhere called Elath.
a-a The force of the phrase is uncertain.
b-b 2 Chron. 9.4 reads “… and the procession with which he went up to.…”
c Others “sandalwood.”
d Or “prince”; like Phoenician mamlakt.
e Probably a fleet of large ships.
f So 2 Chron. 1.14; 9.25; Heb. here “led.”
g Usually Egypt, here perhaps Musru, a neighbor of Kue (Cilicia).
h I.e., Solomon’s dealers.
a I.e., in marriage; cf. Deut. 7.3–4; 23.4, 8–9.
b-b Lit. “This is with you.”
c-c Emendation yields “defeated”; cf. 2 Sam. 8.13.
d Heb. Adad.
e Septuagint reads “reared.”
f Heb. “him.”
g I.e., establish your residence.
a-a 2 Chron. 10.2 reads “So Jeroboam returned from Egypt.”
b Lit. “tents.”
c Elsewhere called Adoniram; cf. 2 Sam. 20.24 and note.
d-d Heb. “them.”
a I.e., at the top of the steps or ramp.
b Heb. “son.”
c-c Septuagint reads “And his sons showed.”
d-d Lit. “it came.”
a-a Meaning of Heb. uncertain; possibly “kinsman and friend,” cf. 16.11.
b-b Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
c Lit. “runners.”
a-a 2 Chron. 13.2 reads “Micaiah daughter of Uriel of Gibeah”; cf. v. 10 below, where Maacah, daughter of Abishalom, appears as mother of Asa.
b So several mss.; most mss. and the editions read “Rehoboam.”
c-c Exact meaning of Heb. uncertain.
d-d So kethib and 2 Chron. 15.18.
a-a Syntax of Heb. unclear.
b Cf. Josh. 6.26.
a I.e., of the drought; see 17.1.
b-b I.e., who are maintained by Jezebel.
c-c Lit. “on the two boughs.”
d-d Lit. “and it shall be.”
e-e Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
f-f Others “prophesied”; see Num. 11.25–26.
g See Gen. 35.10.
h I.e., of an area which would require two seahs of seed if sown. Cf. Lev. 27.16; Isa. 5.10.
i-i Lit. “He bound up his loins.”
a Of Baal; see 18.40.
b-b A formula of imprecation. Many Heb. mss. and Septuagint add “to me.”
c So many Heb. mss. and Septuagint; most mss., and the editions, read “And he saw, and.”
d Others “a still, small voice.”
e I.e., I am not stopping you.
f-f Lit. “them, the flesh.”
g I.e., using it as firewood; cf. 2 Sam. 24.22.
a Several ancient versions read “they.”
b-b See note at 19.2.
c I.e., Ben-hadad.
d Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
a-a See note at 14.10.
b So nine Heb. mss. and the parallel 2 Kings 9.36, as well as Targum and other ancient versions. Most texts read here “rampart.”
a-a Lit. “They remained.”
b-b Perhaps a notation suggesting that Micaiah was identical with Micah, whose prophecies begin, “Listen, all you peoples,” Mic. 1.2.
c-c Targum and Septuagint read, “I will disguise myself and go.”
d-d Meaning of Heb. uncertain.
e-e Lit. “your hand,” because horses are guided by a pull on the appropriate rein; cf. 2 Kings 9.23.
f-f Lit. “outside the camp.”
g-g Lit. “he came.”
h Cf. 21.19.
i-i Emendation yields “the viceroy of King Jehoshaphat.”
j See note at 10.22.
II Kings
1 After Ahab’s death, Moab rebelled against Israel.
2Ahaziah fell through the lattice in his upper chamber at Samaria and was injured. So he sent messengers, whom he instructed: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.” 3But an angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go and confront the messengers of the king of Samaria and say to them, ‘Is there no God in Israel that you go to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? 4Assuredly, thus said the LORD: You shall not a-rise from the bed you are lying on,-a but you shall die.’ ” And Elijah went.
5The messengers returned to Ahaziah;b and he asked, “Why have you come back?” 6They answered him, “A man came toward us and said to us, ‘Go back to the king who sent you, and say to him: Thus said the LORD: Is there no God in Israel that you must send to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Assuredly, you shall not rise from the bed you are lying on, but shall die.’ ” 7“What sort of man was it,” he asked them, “who came toward you and said these things to you?” 8“A hairy man,” they replied, “with a leather belt tied around his waist.” “That’s Elijah the Tishbite!” he said.
9Then he sent to him a captain of fifty with his fifty men. He climbed up to him, and found him sitting at the top of a hill. “Man of God,” he said to him, “by order of the king, come down!” 10Elijah replied to the captain of the fifty, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you with your fifty men!” And fire came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. 11The king then sent to him another captain with his fifty men; and he c-addressed him-c as follows: “Man of God, by order of the king, come down at once!” 12But Elijah answered him, “If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you with your fifty men!” And fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men. 13Then he sent a third captain of fifty with his fifty men. The third captain of fifty climbed to the top, knelt before Elijah, and implored him, saying, “Oh, man of God, please have regard for my life and the lives of these fifty servants of yours! 14Already fire has come from heaven and consumed the first two captains of fifty and their men;d I beg you, have regard for my life!”
15Then the angel of the LORD said to Elijah, “Go down with him, do not be afraid of him.” So he rose and went down with him to the king. 16He said to him, “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron—as if there were no God in Israel whose word you could seek—assuredly, you shall not rise from the bed which you are lying on; but you shall die.”
17And [Ahaziah] died, according to the word of the LORD that Elijah had spoken. Jehorame succeeded him as king, in the second year of King Jehoram son of Jehoshaphat of Judah, for he had no son. 18The other events of Ahaziah’s reign [and] his actions are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Israel.
2When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha had set out from Gilgal. 2Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the LORD has
