2Ki 1:16 | NETfull | STEP | Elijah said to the king, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’”

2 Kings 1:16

16 Elijah ^{▼▼ Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} said to the king, ^{▼▼ Heb “him”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} “This is what the Lord says, ‘You sent messengers to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. You must think there is no God in Israel from whom you can seek an oracle! ^{▼▼ Heb “Because you sent messengers to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron, is there no God in Israel to inquire of his word?”} Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.’” ^{▼▼ For the third time in this chapter we read the Lord’s sarcastic question to 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.}