And they said unto him, There came a man up to meet us, and said unto us, Go, turn again unto the king that sent you, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that thou sendest to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

2 KINGS 1:6KJV
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2 Kings 1:6 (KJV)

What does 2 Kings 1:6 mean?

2 Kings 1:6 reports that messengers told their king a man had stopped them and given a message from the LORD, questioning why the king was seeking answers from a foreign god instead of Israel’s God, and warning that he would not recover from his illness but would die. The verse highlights a confrontation about loyalty and trust in God, with a clear prophecy of the king’s fate.

The setting is that King Ahaziah of Israel had sent messengers to consult Baalzebub, a god of Ekron, about his recovery. On their way, Elijah intercepted them and gave them a message from the LORD (Yahweh), which the messengers now repeat to the king. The verse captures the moment when the messengers faithfully relay Elijah’s words, emphasizing the seriousness of seeking help from another nation’s god instead of Israel’s own.

The Hebrew behind 2 Kings 1:6

  • בַּעַל זְבוּב (Baalzebub): This name means "lord of the flies" and refers to a Philistine deity from Ekron. Mentioning this god highlights the king’s turning away from Israel’s God to seek help from a foreign idol.
  • יְהוָה (YHWH, transliterated Yahweh): This is the personal name of Israel’s God, used here to show the authority behind the message and to contrast with Baalzebub.
  • דָּרַשׁ (darash, “enquire”): This word means to seek or consult, and it underscores the king’s active choice to look for answers outside his own faith tradition.
  • מוֹת תָּמוּת (mot tamut, “shalt surely die”): This is a strong Hebrew expression for certainty, doubling the verb for emphasis. It leaves no doubt about the outcome foretold by Elijah.

Why 2 Kings 1:6 matters

  • The verse clarifies that the king’s main wrongdoing was not just his illness, but his lack of faith in Israel’s God, shown by turning to a foreign god for answers.
  • It connects to the wider story by showing Elijah’s role as a prophet who delivers God’s message directly and without compromise, even to the king.
  • The verse makes clear that God’s authority is not limited by borders or rival deities, and that seeking help elsewhere is seen as a serious act of disloyalty.

Where else these words appear

“Baalzebub” Hebrew H1176 · used in 4 verses

  • 2 Kings 1:2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
  • 2 Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?
  • 2 Kings 1:16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, is it not because there is no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.

“Ekron” Hebrew H6138 · used in 20 verses

  • Joshua 13:3 From Sihor, which is before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, which is counted to the Canaanite: five lords of the Philistines; the Gazathites, and the Ashdothites, the Eshkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites; also the Avites:
  • 1 Samuel 5:10 Therefore they sent the ark of God to Ekron. And it came to pass, as the ark of God came to Ekron, that the Ekronites cried out, saying, They have brought about the ark of the God of Israel to us, to slay us and our people.
  • 2 Kings 1:3 But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not a God in Israel, that ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?

“bed” Hebrew H4296 · used in 29 verses

  • Genesis 47:31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.
  • 2 Samuel 4:7 For when they came into the house, he lay on his bed in his bedchamber, and they smote him, and slew him, and beheaded him, and took his head, and gat them away through the plain all night.
  • 2 Chronicles 22:11 But Jehoshabeath, the daughter of the king, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him from among the king's sons that were slain, and put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. So Jehoshabeath, the daughter of king Jehoram, the wife of Jehoiada the priest,(for she was the sister of Ahaziah,) hid him from Athaliah, so that she slew him not.

“meet” Hebrew H7125 · used in 117 verses

  • Genesis 14:17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king's dale.
  • Judges 6:35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.
  • 2 Samuel 19:25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou with me, Mephibosheth?