» Wherein he diſcovers more Petulancy and Impudence than the former ; and ſhews, how little he was moved or affrighted by the former Example. LI
12 And Elijah anſwered and ſaid unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and conſume thee and thy fafty. 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,
Chap. Il,
and came and fell on his knees before Elijah,and || be- || pq, "ught him o and ſaid unto him, O man of God, I pray owes. thee, let my life, and the life of theſe fifty thy ſervants | Heb.
Li * il p mw
we muſt not think it was ſo then, when the World was not arrived to that height of Curioſity and Art, in which now it 15. But the
Words may be, and are by ſome rendred,rhrough rhe Ba!tlements ( or proyed
b. | The bed | whither | thou art
| gon? up,
| 9267 com?
ir .
' hat was the
the wan?
| zhou ſhalt - 6, 29, Deut. 18: 10.
he Latteſs in the Battlements) of the Roof of the Houſe. Wherc be ocſ aca cr after the manner, and then ſtanding and look- ing through, and leaning upon this Latteſs, which was grown 1n- firm, it brook, and he fell down into the Court or Garden belong- "ing to the Houſe. c Properly, the God of Flies. An Idol ſo called, becauſe it was falſly ſuppoſed to deliver thoſe People from Flics, which were both vexatious and hurtful to them : as Jupiter and Her= - cules were called by a like name among the Grecians,for the ſame rea- "fon, And it is evident, both from Sacred and Profane Hiſtories, hat the Idol- gods, being conſulted by the Heathens,did ſomerimes {hae Gods Permiſſion, and Juſt Judgment, give them Anſwers; - though they were arqpives 6 obſerved, even by the Heathens them- ſelves, to be dark and doubtful.
© 2 But the Angel of the LORD faid unto Elijah the 'Tilbbire, Ariſe, go up to meet the Meſſengers of the king of Samaria, and ſay unto them, 7: ir not becauſc
there. is not a God in Iſrael d, that ye go to inquire of
Baal-zebub the God of Ekron ?
4 Doſt thou not by this ation caſt contempt upon the Gold of
of Ifrael, as if he were either ignorant of the Event of thy Diſeaſe, or unable to give thee any Relief; and as if Baal-z:bub had more Skill and Power than he ?
4 Now therefore e thus ſaith the LORD, || Thou ſhalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but ſhalt ſurely die. And Elijah departed f.
e For this was a very hainous Crime,to deny the PertcEtions of God, and to transfer them to an Idol. See Lev:t, 19: 3t: and 20. f The Meſſengers not daring to Apprehend him, as ſuſpe&ing him ro be more than Man, becauſc he knew the
| cown from ſecret Meſſage which the king delivered to them in his Bed-Cham-
ber, 5 T And when the meſſengers turned back unto him, he ſaid unto them, Why are ye now turned back g ?
& Before you have been at Ekron : which he eaſily knew by their quick return-
6 And they ſaid unto him, There came a man up to meet us,and faid unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that ſent you,and ſay unto him, Thus fairh the LORD, Is it not becauſe there is not a God in Iſrael, r1hat thou ſendeſt to irquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron ? therefore thou ſhalt not come down from that bed on which thou haſt gone up, but ſhalt ſurely die.
7 And he ſaid unto them, || What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you theſe
manner of words ?
8 And they anſwered him, He was an haicy man þ, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins z : and he {41d, It is Elijah the Tiſhbite.
h Either, 1+ As to his'Body ; the hair of his Head and Berad being through negle& grown long,and ſpread over much of his Face. Or rather, 2. Asto his outward Garment, which was rough and hairy, ſuch as were ſometimes worn by Eminent Perſons in Greece,in anci- cnt Times ; and were the proper Habit of the Prophets. See 1ſa_ 20:2. Zech: 33:4. Mat:3:4. Heb: 11:37- 8 As Jekn the Baptiſt alſo had ; Mat: 3: 4. That by his very outward Habit, he might repreſent Elias, in whole Spirit and Power he came.
9 Then the king ſent unto him a captain of fifty, with
his fifty, and he weat up to him, ( and behold, he fat on
the top of an hill ) and he ſpake unto him, Thou man of
God &, the king hath ſaid, Come down /.
k So he calls him in way of Scorn and Contempt ; q. d- Thou that vaunteſr, as if thou waſt more than a meer Man. 7 The King commands thee to come to him : which if thou refuſeſt, I am here to carry thee to him by Force.
Io And Elijah anſwered and ſaid unto the captain of
fifty, If I be a man of Ged, then let fire come down
_from heaven, and conſume thee and thy fifty », And there came down fire from heaven, and conſumed him,
and his fifry, x
--
be precious in thy ſight.
o Expreſſing both Reverence to his Perſon, and a Belief of his ©” bim.
Power, and a Dread of God's Judgments.
14 Behold, there came fire down from heaven, and burnt up the two captains of the former fifties, with their fifties : therefore let my life now be precious in thy fight.
15 And the Angel of the LORD ſaid unto Elijah, Go down with him, be not afraid of him. And he a- roſe, and went down with him unto the king p.
? Not fearing the rage of the King, nor of Jezebel, nor of all their Forces: Wherein he gives an eminent Example of his Faith and Obedience ; and withal, of his Growth in Grace ſince that time that he fled for fear of Jez:bel, 1 Kings 19: 3.
16 And he ſaid unto him q, Thus ſaith the LORD, Foraſmuch as thou haſt ſent meſſengers to inquire of Baal-zebub the God of Ekron, (3s i: not becauſe there js no God in Ifrael to enquire of his word ? ) therefore thou ſhalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but ſhalt ſurely die.
q To his very Face. Nor durſt the King lay hands upon him, being daunted with the Prophets preſence,and great courage, and confidence ; and affrighted by the late dreadful Evidence of his Power with God and over Man ; and withal, ſtruck with a divine
and extraordinary Terror.
17 4 So hedied 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 Jeho- ſhaphar king of Judah s, becauſe he had no ſon.