Bible Strands
2 Kings 1:3
But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The angel of the LORD addresses Elijah the Tishbite at the moment Ahaziah’s messengers depart Samaria for Ekron. The divine messenger intercepts Elijah to deliver a direct challenge to the king’s spiritual inquiry.
The words — The Hebrew עֲלֵה ('aleh) means “go up,” directing Elijah to confront the messengers on their route. The term מַלְאָךְ (mal'akh) identifies the angel of Yahweh who initiates the confrontation.
The thread — This confrontation against idolatrous inquiry parallels Elijah’s earlier stand against Ahab in 1 Kings 17:1 and echoes the warning against clinging to worthless idols in Jonah 2:8. The text also resonates with the declaration that God is known in Judah in Psalms 76:1.
Why it lands — The verse demands a clear-eyed assessment of spiritual loyalty when facing crisis. It requires the reader to recognize that seeking guidance from false gods reveals a failure to acknowledge the God of Israel.
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
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 unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baal–zebub the god of Ekron?
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 17:1 Now Elijah the Tishbite, who was among the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As surely as the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there will be neither dew nor rain in these years except at my word!”
- Jonah 2:8 Those who cling to worthless idols forsake His loving devotion.
- Psalms 76:1 For the choirmaster. With stringed instruments. A Psalm of Asaph. A song. God is known in Judah; His name is great in Israel.
- Jeremiah 2:11 Has a nation ever changed its gods? (Yet they are not gods at all.) But My people have exchanged their Glory for useless idols.
- Acts 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
- Mark 3:22 And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”
- Acts 8:26 Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
- 1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
- 1 Kings 18:1 After a long time, in the third year of the drought, the word of the LORD came to Elijah: “Go and present yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the face of the earth.”
- 1 Kings 18:36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.