2 Kings 1:9

“Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty with his fifty, etc.] Not in honour to him, but to bring him by force if he refused to come willingly: and he went up to him, and, behold, he sat on the top of an hill; generally supposed to be Mount Carmel; and he spake unto him; at the bottom of the hill, so loud that he might hear him: thou man of God; or the prophet of the Lord, as the Targum, as thou callest thyself; for this was said in a sneering, flouting, manner: the king hath said, come down; and in the king’s name he ordered him to come down, signifying, if he would not, he would send his men to fetch him down.”

“ELIJAH BRINGS FIRE FROM HEAVEN ON AHAZIAH'S MESSENGERS. (Kg2 1:9-16) Then the king sent unto him a captain of fifty--Any appearance of cruelty that there is in the fate of the two captains and their men will be removed, on a full consideration of the circumstances. God being the King of Israel, Ahaziah was bound to govern the kingdom according to the divine law; to apprehend the Lord's prophet, for discharging a commanded duty, was that of an impious and notorious rebel. The captains abetted the king in his rebellion; and they exceeded their military duty by contemptuous insults. man of God--In using this term, they either spoke derisively, believing him to be no true prophet; or, if they…”

“Then the king sent unto him - i. e., in order to seize and punish him. Compare 1 Kings 18:10; 1 Kings 22:27. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Man of God - So he calls him by way of scorn. Come - The king commands thee to come to him: which if thou refuseth, I am to carry thee by force. 4 Kings (2 Kings) 1:10”

“1:9-10 The arrogant words of the army captain contained a contradiction, which Elijah pointed out: If Elijah was a man of God (i.e., God’s prophet), then his authority was from God and to ignore him was to invite peril (Deut 18:15-19). • Fire often symbolizes the presence of God in the Scriptures (see Exod 3:1-6; 19:18; cp. 1 Kgs 18:38). • Fifty soldiers was a common grouping (1 Kgs 18:4); here it indicates a division within Israel’s military organization.”

“sent unto: Kg2 6:13, Kg2 6:14; Kg1 18:4, Kg1 18:10, Kg1 19:2, Kg1 22:8, Kg1 22:26, Kg1 22:27; Mat 14:3 he sat: Kg1 18:42; Luk 6:11, Luk 6:12 Thou man: Amo 7:12; Mat 26:68, Mat 27:29, Mat 27:41-43; Mar 15:29, Mar 15:32; Heb 11:36 4 Kings (2 Kings) 1:10”

“After having executed the divine command, Elijah returned to the summit of the mountain, on which he dwelt. Most of the commentators suppose it to have been one of the peaks of Carmel, from Kg2 2:25 and Kg1 18:42, which is no doubt very probable, though it cannot be raised into certainty. Elijah's place of abode was known to the king; he therefore sent a captain with fifty men to fetch the prophet. To the demand of the captain, "Man of God, the king has said, Come down," Elijah replied, "And if I am a man of God, let fire fall from heaven and consume thee and thy fifty." (The expression ואם, and if, shows that Elijah's words followed immediately upon those of the captain.) This judicial…”