2 Kings 1 12

2 Kings 1:12 kjv

And Elijah answered and said unto them, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And the fire of God came down from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Kings 1:12 nkjv

So Elijah answered and said to them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men." And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Kings 1:12 niv

"If I am a man of God," Elijah replied, "may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men!" Then the fire of God fell from heaven and consumed him and his fifty men.

2 Kings 1:12 esv

But Elijah answered them, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty." Then the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed him and his fifty.

2 Kings 1:12 nlt

Elijah replied, "If I am a man of God, let fire come down from heaven and destroy you and your fifty men!" And again the fire of God fell from heaven and killed them all.

2 Kings 1 verses

2 Kings 1 12 Meaning

This verse details the second instance where God, through the pronouncement of His prophet Elijah, brings divine judgment by fire from heaven upon a military captain and his fifty men. This occurred because the captain, under King Ahaziah's orders, commanded Elijah to "come down" from the hill, showing contempt for God's prophet and, by extension, God's authority. Elijah's conditional statement, "If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven," serves as both a declaration of his divine commission and a challenge, which God immediately validates through swift and consuming judgment.

2 Kings 1 12 Context

This verse occurs during a tumultuous period in Israel's history under King Ahaziah, the son of the infamously idolatrous King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. Ahaziah continued his parents' legacy of promoting Baal worship and rebelling against the true God, Yahweh. When he falls from a window and is injured, instead of inquiring of Yahweh, he sends messengers to inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, demonstrating his spiritual rebellion. Elijah, as God's unwavering prophet, intercepts these messengers and delivers Yahweh's message of impending death for the king's apostasy. This leads the king to dispatch military captains to seize Elijah. The first two captains, along with their fifty-men detachments, command Elijah to "come down" in an attempt to assert the king's human authority over God's divine authority represented by Elijah. Elijah's response, culminating in the "fire of God" (the subject of this verse for the second captain), is a direct confrontation of royal and idolatrous rebellion against Yahweh's supreme sovereignty and the inviolability of His prophets. It stands as a powerful polemic against the impotence of Baal and the might of Yahweh.

2 Kings 1 12 Word analysis

• And Elijah: A pivotal prophet in Israel, embodying steadfast faithfulness to Yahweh against widespread apostasy. His name means "My God is Yahweh," central to his ministry.
• answered and said unto them: Indicates Elijah's response to the captain's imperious demand to "come down." It's not a mere reply but a divine counter-action.
• If I be a man of God: Hebrew: אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים (`'ish hā'ělōhîm`). This is not an expression of doubt, but a conditional statement of truth. "Since I am a man of God," or "If indeed I am God's man." It underscores his divinely appointed status and prophetic authority. A "man of God" is someone divinely commissioned and empowered, whose words are not his own but Yahweh's.
• then let fire come down from heaven: Hebrew: וְתֵ֤רֶד אֵשׁ֙ מִן־הַשָּׁמָ֔יִם (`wəṯēreḏ ’ēš min-haššāmayim`). This is a specific appeal for a miraculous, supernatural demonstration of divine power. It highlights God's dominion over the elements and His direct intervention in human affairs, a direct challenge to Baal, who was associated with thunder and lightning but shown impotent before Yahweh.
• and consume thee and thy fifty: Hebrew: וְתֹאכַ֥ל אֹתְךָ֖ וְאֶת־חֲמִשִּׁ֑יךָ (`wəṯōḵal ’oṯḵā wə’eṯ-ḥămiššîḵā`). The verb `ṯōḵal` (to consume/devour) indicates complete destruction. "Fifty" represents a standard military unit, signifying the collective nature of their defiance under the king's order and their shared fate. It highlights that defiance of God's messenger results in dire consequences for all involved.
• And the fire of God: Hebrew: וַתֵּ֤רֶד אֵשׁ֙ אֱלֹהִ֔ים (`wattēreḏ ’ēš ’ělōhîm`). Crucially, the text here specifies "fire of God." This reinforces that the fire's source is explicitly divine, confirming Elijah's status as a true prophet of Yahweh and emphasizing that this was God's direct, personal judgment, not a natural phenomenon or Elijah's personal vendetta.
• came down from heaven: Reiterates the supernatural, divine origin of the judgment.
• and consumed him and his fifty: Repetition from Elijah's pronouncement signifies the immediate and complete fulfillment of the prophet's word and the judgment. It shows God's instant vindication of His servant and His response to blatant disregard for His authority.

• "If I be a man of God... consumed him and his fifty": This entire phrase encapsulates the prophetic office and the power backing it. Elijah is not asking God for a personal favor; rather, he is declaring that if he truly is Yahweh's representative, then Yahweh must act to validate His own name and authority against this direct affront. It illustrates that challenging God's true prophet is equivalent to challenging God Himself, bringing swift divine judgment.

2 Kings 1 12 Bonus section

• This act of judgment by fire reinforces God's character as a "consuming fire" (Deut 4:24; Heb 12:29), highlighting His purity, holiness, and severity against sin and rebellion.
• The incident serves as a significant contrast to the later interaction in Luke 9:54-55, where James and John, inspired by Elijah's actions, desire to call down fire on a Samaritan village but are rebuked by Jesus, emphasizing a difference in the dispensation of judgment versus grace and the purpose of divine power. While Elijah's action was God's immediate judgment validating His prophet against direct defiance of His ultimate authority, the disciples' desire arose from personal indignation, which Jesus corrects, indicating the new covenant's emphasis on evangelism and salvation.
• The "fire of God" theme in Elijah's ministry is consistent, appearing earlier on Mount Carmel (1 Ki 18:38) to prove Yahweh's superiority over Baal, and here to protect and vindicate Yahweh's prophet. These events solidified Elijah's credibility as "the man of God" whose words carried divine weight and immediate consequence.

2 Kings 1 12 Commentary

2 Kings 1:12 presents a stark demonstration of God's unwavering protection over His chosen messengers and His immediate, sovereign judgment against those who defiantly challenge His authority. Elijah, acting under divine commission, issues a conditional prophecy that God instantly validates by sending fire from heaven. This event underscores that defying a true prophet of God is not merely opposing a human being, but is a direct act of rebellion against God Himself. The severity of the judgment against the captain and his men highlights the gravity of their sin, which was a blatant disregard for the holiness and supremacy of Yahweh in a land riddled with idolatry. It serves as a potent reminder of God's active involvement in human history, His jealous nature for His own glory, and His readiness to vindicate His truth and His servants, particularly during times of apostasy.