2 Kings 1:13-16

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. 2 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2. 2 Kings 1:13 tn Heb “went up and approached and kneeled.”
3. 2 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “look.”
4. 2 Kings 1:14 tn Heb “their fifty.”
5. 2 Kings 1:15 sn In this third panel the verb “come down” (יָרַד, yarad) occurs again, this time describing Elijah’s descent from the hill at the Lord’s command. The moral of the story seems clear: Those who act as if they have authority over God and his servants just may pay for their arrogance with their lives; those who, like the third commander, humble themselves and show the proper respect for God’s authority and for his servants will be spared and find God quite cooperative.
6. 2 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “he spoke to him,”
7. 2 Kings 1:16 tn Heb “Because you sent… therefore you will not leave.” The rhetorical question is a parenthetical remark inserted into the proposition for dramatic effect.
8. 2 Kings 1:16 sn For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to the king and the accompanying announcement of judgment. The repetition emphasizes one of the chapter’s main themes. Israel’s leaders should seek guidance from their own God, not a pagan deity, for Israel’s sovereign God is the one who controls life and death.