Bible Strands
2 Kings 1:16
And Elijah said to King Ahaziah, “This is what the LORD says: Is there really no God in Israel for you to inquire of His word? Is that why you have sent messengers to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Elijah confronts King Ahaziah after the angel of the LORD commands him to descend and speak to the king. He delivers the oracle at the moment of the king’s bedridden illness, directly addressing the monarch before his death.
The words — The Hebrew כֹּה אָמַר יְהוָה (koh amar Yahweh) literally renders “thus says Yahweh,” functioning as a prophetic formula that transfers divine authority to the speaker. The clause יַעַן אֲשֶׁר שָלַחְתָּ (ya‘an asher shalachta) translates to “because you have sent,” syntactically binding the king’s specific action to the impending judgment.
The thread — This oracle fulfills the initial inquiry recorded in 2 Kings 1:2 and mirrors the prophetic confrontation pattern seen in 1 Kings 14:6. The decree of death directly fulfills the warning first delivered, confirming the narrative arc between 2 Kings 1:15 and 2 Kings 1:17.
Why it lands — The text states that Yahweh alone controls the outcome of royal inquiries, making the search for Baal-zebub’s word futile. It requires the reader to accept that deliberate rejection of Israel’s God results in the exact prophesied consequence without mitigation.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baal–zebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
Cross-references
- 2 Kings 1:2 Now Ahaziah had fallen through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria and injured himself. So he sent messengers and instructed them: “Go inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I will recover from this injury.”
- Exodus 4:22 Then tell Pharaoh that this is what the LORD says: ‘Israel is My firstborn son,
- 1 Kings 14:6 So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.
- 1 Kings 21:18 “Get up and go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, who is in Samaria. See, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, where he has gone to take possession of it.
- 1 Kings 22:28 But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
- 2 Kings 5:21 So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And when Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him and asked, “Is everything all right?”
- Psalms 132:3 “I will not enter my house or get into my bed,
- 2 Kings 1:6 They replied, “A man came up to meet us and said, ‘Go back to the king who sent you and tell him that this is what the LORD says: Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are sending these men to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not get up from the bed on which you are lying. You will surely die.’”