Again also he sent unto him another captain of fifty with his fifty. And he answered and said unto him, O man of God, thus hath the king said, Come down quickly.

2 KINGS 1:11KJV
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2 Kings 1:11 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 1:11 mean?

2 Kings 1:11 describes how the king of Samaria sent another military captain with fifty soldiers to summon Elijah, commanding him to come down quickly. The captain addresses Elijah as a "man of God" but delivers the king’s urgent order rather than showing respect or humility.

This verse takes place after the first group sent by the king was destroyed by fire from heaven, as a result of their disrespect toward Elijah. The king, undeterred, sends a second group with the same mission. The captain’s words reveal the king’s insistence and impatience, as he demands Elijah’s immediate compliance, setting up the tension for what will happen next.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 1:11

  • "Quickly" (מְהֵרָה, mĕhērāh): This word means "with haste" or "urgently." Its use here shows the king’s impatience and the pressure put on Elijah to respond immediately, highlighting the king’s disregard for Elijah’s authority as a prophet.
  • "Man" (אִישׁ, ish) and "God" (אֱלֹהִים, elohim): The captain calls Elijah a "man of God," which acknowledges Elijah’s prophetic role, but the tone of the command suggests the title is used more as a formality than with genuine respect.

Why 2 Kings 1:11 matters

  • This verse highlights the king’s stubbornness and lack of reverence for God’s prophet, even after witnessing a miraculous judgment.
  • The urgency in the captain’s command ("come down quickly") underlines the tension between human authority and divine authority in this story.
  • The repetition of sending captains with their fifty men shows the escalating conflict and sets the stage for God’s continued defense of Elijah’s prophetic authority.

Where else these words appear

“quickly” Hebrew H4120 · used in 20 verses

  • Numbers 16:46 And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
  • 1 Samuel 20:38 And Jonathan cried after the lad, Make speed, haste, stay not. And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master.
  • Psalms 147:15 He sendeth forth his commandment upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly.

“fifty” Hebrew H2572 · used in 141 verses

  • Genesis 6:15 And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
  • Numbers 4:30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old shalt thou number them, every one that entereth into the service, to do the work of the tabernacle of the congregation.
  • 1 Chronicles 5:21 And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men an hundred thousand.