2 Kings 1:10

8 “He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.

9 Then King Ahaziah sent to Elijah a captain with his company of fifty men. So the captain went up to Elijah, who was sitting on top of a hill, and said to him, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down!’”

Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.

11 So the king sent to Elijah another captain with his fifty men. And the captain said to Elijah, “Man of God, the king declares, ‘Come down at once!’”

12 Again Elijah replied, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And the fire of God came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB
Elijah answered the captain, “If I am a man of God, may fire come down from heaven and consume you and your fifty men.” And fire came down from heaven and consumed the captain and his fifty men.
KJV
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, then let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
WEB
Elijah answered to the captain of fifty, “If I am a man of God, then let fire come down from the sky and consume you and your fifty!” Then fire came down from the sky, and consumed him and his fifty.
ASV
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, If I be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.
DARBY
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of fifty, And if I be a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume thee and thy fifty. And there came down fire from the heavens, and consumed him and his fifty.
BLB
And Elijah answered and said to the captain of the fifty, “And if I [am] a man of God, let fire come down from the heavens and consume you and your fifty.” And fire came down from the heavens and consumed him and [his] fifty.
ÅB
Men Elias svarte høvedsmannen over femti: Er jeg en Guds mann, så fare ild ned fra himmelen og fortære deg og dine femti mann! Da fór det ild ned fra himmelen og fortærte ham og hans femti mann.
OTB
Elia svarte kapteinen, “Hvis jeg er en Guds mann, la ild komme ned fra himmelen og fortære deg og dine femti menn.” Da falt ild ned fra himmelen og fortærte kapteinen og hans menn.
B1930
Men Elias svarte høvedsmannen over femti: Er jeg en Guds mann, så fare ild ned fra himmelen og fortære dig og dine femti mann! Da fór det ild ned fra himmelen og fortærte ham og hans femti mann.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • Luke 9:54

    When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do You want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?”

    Read in context
  • Daniel 3:25

    “Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”

    Read in context
  • 1 Kings 18:36–38

    At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.

    Read in context
  • Daniel 3:22

    The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

    Read in context
  • Psalms 106:18

    Then fire blazed through their company; flames consumed the wicked.

    Read in context
  • Hebrews 12:29

    “For our God is a consuming fire.”

    Read in context
  • Revelation 11:5

    If anyone wants to harm them, fire proceeds from their mouths and devours their enemies. In this way, anyone who wants to harm them must be killed.

    Read in context
  • Job 1:16

    While he was still speaking, another messenger came and reported: “The fire of God fell from heaven. It burned and consumed the sheep and the servants, and I alone have escaped to tell you!”

    Read in context