2 Kings 1:8-10

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “said to him.”
2. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).
3. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).
4. 2 Kings 1:8 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “officer of fifty and his fifty.”
7. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “to him.”
8. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the captain) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
9. 2 Kings 1:9 sn The prophet Elijah’s position on the top of the hill symbolizes his superiority to the king and his messengers.
10. 2 Kings 1:9 tn Heb “man of God” (also in vv. 10, 11, 12, 13).
11. 2 Kings 1:10 tn Heb “answered and said to the officer of fifty.”
12. 2 Kings 1:10 tn Wordplay contributes to the irony here. The king tells Elijah to “come down” (Hebrew יָרַד, yarad), but Elijah calls fire down (יָרַד) on the arrogant king’s officer.