2 Kings 1:8

2 Kings 1:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
• New International Version (NIV)They replied, “He had a garment of hair and had a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)They answered him, "He wore a garment of hair, with a belt of leather about his waist." And he said, "It is Elijah the Tishbite."
• New King James Version (NKJV)So they answered him, “A hairy man wearing a leather belt around his waist.” And he said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Context of 2 Kings 1:8

6They replied, “A man came up to meet us and said to us, ‘Go, return to the king who sent you and tell him, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you send to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? Therefore you will not leave the bed on which you lie, but you will certainly die.’ ” ’ ” 7The king asked them, “What was the appearance of the man who came up to meet you and said these things to you?” They answered him, “He was a hairy man with a [wide] leather band bound around his loins.” And Ahaziah said, “It is Elijah the Tishbite.” 9Then the king sent to Elijah a captain of fifty with his fifty [fighting men to seize the prophet]. And he went up to him, and behold, he was sitting on the top of a hill. And the captain said to him, “Man of God, the king says, ‘Come down.’ ” 10Elijah replied to the captain of fifty, “So if I am a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty [fighting men].” Then fire fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Kings 1:8 word by word

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אִ֚ישׁ בַּ֣עַל שֵׂעָ֔ר וְאֵז֥וֹר ע֖וֹר אָז֣וּר בְּמָתְנָ֑יו וַיֹּאמַ֕ר אֵלִיָּ֥ה הַתִּשְׁבִּ֖י הֽוּא׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And they answeredאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• an hairyשֵׂעָרώê‛âr ώa‛ar · hairH8181
• manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
• manבַּעַלba‛al · master: owningH1167
• and girtאָזַר'âzar · to girdH247
• with a girdleאֵזוֹר'êzôr · girdleH232
• of leatherעוֹר‛ôr · skinH5785
• about his loinsמׇתְנַ֫יִםmôthen · loinH4975
• Elijahאֵלִיָּה'êlîyâh 'êlîyâhû · ElijahH452
• the Tishbiteתִּשְׁבִּיtishbîy · TishbiteH8664

Cross-references for 2 Kings 1:8

• Isaiah 20:2at that time the Lord spoke through Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go, untie the sackcloth from your hips and take your sandals off your feet.” And he did so, walking around stripped [to his loincloth] and barefoot.
• Zechariah 13:4And in that day the [false] prophets will each be ashamed of his vision when he prophesies, and they will not wear a hairy robe [of true prophets] in order to deceive,
• Matthew 3:4Now this same John had clothing made of camel’s hair and a [wide] leather band around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.
• Matthew 11:8What did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing [entirely unsuited for the harsh desert]? Those who wear soft clothing are in the palaces of kings!
• Luke 1:17It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]—in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.”
• Revelation 11:3And I will grant authority to My two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days (forty-two months; three and one-half years), dressed in sackcloth.”

Commentaries on 2 Kings 1:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8He was a hairy man - That is, he wore a rough garment, either made of camels' hair, as his successor John Baptist's was, or he wore a skin dressed with the hair on. Some think that the meaning is, he had very long hair and a long beard. The ancient prophets all wore rough garments, or upper coats made of the skins of beasts: They wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins, says the apostle, Hebrews 11:37.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8An hairy man - Either in allusion to his shaggy cloak of untanned skin; or, more probably, an expression descriptive of the prophet‘s person, of his long flowing locks, abundant beard, and general profusion of hair. His costume was that of a thorough ascetic. Generally the Jews wore girdles of linen or cotton stuff, soft and comfortable. Under the girdle they wore one or two long linen gowns or shirts, and over these they had sometimes a large shawl…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-82-8. Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber--This lattice was either a part of the wooden parapet, or fence, which surrounds the flat roofs of houses, and over which the king was carelessly leaning when it gave way; or it might be an opening like a skylight in the roof itself, done over with lattice-work, which, being slender or rotten, the king stepped on and slipped through. This latter supposition is most probably the true one, as…Read the comment

Topics related to 2 Kings 1:8

• Elijah
• Girdle
• Leather
• Prophecy

In the dictionaries

• Elijah
• Camel
• Dress
• Girdle
• Hair
• Kings, The Books of
• Leather
• Recover
• Bible, the
• Camel's Hair

Commentaries on 2 Kings 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings