Add parallel Print Page Options

They answered him, “A man came up to meet us and he said, ‘Return to the king who sent you and say: Thus says the Lord: Is it because there is no god in Israel that you have sent to make inquiry of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? You shall not rise from the bed on which you lie; you will surely die.’ ”

The king asked them, “What sort of man was this who came up to meet you and who said these words to you?” They replied, “He was wearing a garment made from hair[a] and a leather belt around his waist.” He said, “It was Elijah the Tishbite!”

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. 2 Kings 1:8 Garment made from hair: this distinctive attire set Elijah apart as one who was committed to delivering God’s hard messages to the king and other prophets, despite the rejection and loneliness that often resulted. In the New Testament, John the Baptist strikes a similar appearance and fate (Mt 3:4; Mk 6:17).