2 Kings 1:8
in 2 Kings 1“He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
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.
⋯
This verse in 2 Kings 1
Commentary
8 notes on this verseHe 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, Heb 11:37.
This site's exposition
What manner of man was he
on 2 Kings 1:7-8
Ahaziah asks not for a name but for a description, and the answer he gets, a hairy man girt with a girdle of leather, is enough on its own. It is Elijah the Tishbite. Matthew 3:4 dresses John the Baptist in the same garment, camel's hair and a leather girdle, and Malachi 4:5 had already promised that Elijah would come before the day of the Lord, so the uniform becomes a sign later readers are meant to recognize. The prophets of this period commonly wore rough garments of skin, which the servants' description assumes rather than explains.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He that was a thorn in Ahab's eyes will be so in the eyes of his son while he treads in the steps of his father's wickedness; and he is ready to cry out, as his father did, Hast thou found me, O my enemy? Let sinners consider that the word which took hold of their fathers is still as quick and powerful as ever.
An hairy man - His garment was rough and hairy, such as were worn by eminent persons in Greece, in ancient times; and were the proper habit of the prophets.
And they answered him, he was an hairy man,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
The Dervishes and Bedouins are attired in this wild, uncouth manner, while their hair flows loose on the head, their shaggy cloak is thrown over their shoulders and tied in front on the breast, naked, except at the waist, round which is a skin girdle--a broad, rough leathern belt.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
This latter supposition is most probably the true one, as Ahaziah did not fall either into the street or the court, but "in his upper chamber." inquire of Baalzebub--Anxious to learn whether he should recover from the effects of this severe fall, he sent to consult Baalzebub, that is, the god of flies, who was considered the patron deity of medicine.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
An 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. Elijah had only his leather girdle and his sheepskin cape or “mantle.”
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ | vaiyomeru | and they said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלָ֗יו | ʾelav | to him | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אִ֚ישׁ | ʾish | a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| בַּ֣עַל | baal | an owner of | H1167 → | |
| שֵׂעָ֔ר | sear | hair | H8181 → | |
| וְאֵז֥וֹר | veezor | and a loincloth of | H232 → | |
| ע֖וֹר | or | hide | H5785 → | |
| אָז֣וּר | ʾazur | [was] girded | H247 → | |
| בְּמָתְנָ֑יו | bematenav | on loins his | H4975 → | 47 times |
| וַיֹּאמַ֕ר | vaiyomar | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֵלִיָּ֥ה | ʾeliyah | [was] Elijah | H452 → | 71 times |
| הַתִּשְׁבִּ֖י | hatishbi | the Tishbite | H8664 → | 6 times |
| הֽוּא׃ | hu' | that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
וַיֹּאמְר֣וּand they said
vaiyomeruH559 →5305 times
אֵלָ֗יוto him
ʾelavH413 →5510 times
אִ֚ישׁa man
ʾishH376 →1663 times
בַּ֣עַלan owner of
baalH1167 →
שֵׂעָ֔רhair
searH8181 →
וְאֵז֥וֹרand a loincloth of
veezorH232 →
ע֖וֹרhide
orH5785 →
אָז֣וּר[was] girded
ʾazurH247 →
בְּמָתְנָ֑יוon loins his
bematenavH4975 →47 times
וַיֹּאמַ֕רand he said
vaiyomarH559 →5305 times
אֵלִיָּ֥ה[was] Elijah
ʾeliyahH452 →71 times
הַתִּשְׁבִּ֖יthe Tishbite
hatishbiH8664 →6 times
הֽוּא׃that
hu'H1931 →1879 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 11:8Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings’ palaces.
it leads to
- Matthew 3:4
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 3:4
Through
Mark 1:6John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
it leads to
- Zechariah 13:4
And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Leviticus 11:22
Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Zechariah 13:4
Through
Revelation 11:3And I will empower my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.”
it leads to
- Revelation 12:6
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place for her to be nourished for 1,260 days.
- Revelation 11:2
But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.
- Deuteronomy 19:15
A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or…
- Revelation 13:5
The beast was given a mouth to speak arrogant and blasphemous words, and authority to act for 42 months.
- Revelation 12:6
Through
Zechariah 13:4And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
it leads to
- Isaiah 20:2
the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet.” And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 20:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies2
On this verse
On this chapter
About 2 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.