Chapter 1

1:2-4, 17 - Ahaziah was sick and sent messengers to Baalzebub to ask if he would recover. God was jealous of the attention given to his competitor and tells Ahaziah that he will die for asking the wrong god.

* God wants people to be fully devoted to Him.  Seeking other gods and spirits for guidance and information is abominable to Him.  God judged Ahaziah with his life because he did not consult God and sought a false god.

1:10, 12 - Elijah shows that he is "a man of God" by burning 102 men to death.

* These men weren't killed because of Elijah's pride.  God sent fire to consume them because He was judging them.  The phrase "if I be a man of God, then let fire come down . . . and consume" can also be translated, "surely, as I am a man of God, fire shall come down and consume . . ."  This was God's choice and Elijah was merely His instrument and mouthpiece.

Chapter 2

2:8 - When Elijah needs to cross a river, he just smacks the water with his magic mantle and crosses on dry land.

* This was a miracle that Elijah did with God's power.

2:11 - Did Elijah ascend into heaven in a whirlwind? Well, according to this verse he did, but Jn.3:13 denies it by saying, "No man hath ascended into heaven."

* Elijah didn't ascend into Heaven.  He was assumed into Heaven.  Ascension happens by one's own power.  Assumption happens by God's power.  Verse 10 clearly states that Elijah was going to be "taken" into Heaven.  Furthermore, the Hebrew word for "went," in verse 11, is also translated "carried up."  Elijah was assumed into Heaven by God's power and not his own.

2:12 - Elisha calls Elijah "father." But in Mt.23:9 Jesus says, "Call not man your father."

* It is uncertain whether Elisha was calling to Elijah or to God.  Nonetheless, Jesus gives this command several hundred years after this event.  He simply tells us that only God is our Father and Master.

2:13 - When did Elisha receive Elijah's mantle?

* The mantle was something the prophets wore.  Therefore, when Elijah threw his mantle on Elisha, this was symbolic of his calling into the prophet-hood.  He was to be Elijah's assistant.  However, Elisha either returned this mantle to Elijah or Elijah wore a different one.

* In 2 Kings 2:8, we notice that Elijah has a mantle.  Therefore, he either received his mantle from Elisha or wore a different one.  In 2 Kings 2:13, Elijah is taken into Heaven and Elisha takes his mantle.

2:14 - Elisha repeats Elijah's trick of parting the waters of the Jordan by smiting them with his mantle.

* Elisha performs a miracle with God's power.

2:20-22 - Elisha "heals" the waters by adding a pinch of salt.

* Elisha performs another miracle.  Since he added salt to the water, when it became clean, it was a more obvious miracle.

2:23-24 - God sends two bears to rip up 42 little children for making fun of Elisha's bald head.

* These children were mocking Elisha and blaspheming God.  When they said, "Go up, you bald head, go up you bald head!," they were blaspheming a miracle of God (Elijah's assumption) and taunting them both.  Therefore, God punished these children for their wickedness.

Chapter 3

3:19-25 - God instructs the the Israelites, through the prophet Elisha, to implement a scorched earth policy on the Moabites. "Strike every fortified city and every choice city, and fell every good tree and stop all springs of water, and mar every good piece of land with stones." And they carry out their instructions. (Well, OK, they did leave a few stones in Kirharaseth.) This kind of tactic was used by many aggressors, including Adolf Hitler. I wonder if they also thought they were following God's instructions.

* This is nothing in comparison to Hitler and his regime.  The connection is unfathomable.

* These wicked and unrepentant sinners were being judged by God for their sins.  In addition to the military battle, the Israelites were simply to cut down the trees they would use for fortifications ("every good tree," but not fruit trees, see Deuteronomy 20:19), stop the wells and throw rocks on the good land.  This is hardly a "scorched earth policy"!  These were military tactics.

3:27 - In a desperate attempt to halt the slaughter of his people by the Israelites, the king of Moab sacrifices his oldest son as a burnt offering.

* The King of Moab did sacrifice his oldest son.  This was a sinful act by a pagan king.

Chapter 4

4:32-35 - Elisha restores the life of a dead child, but only after laying on him a couple of times, putting his mouth on the child's mouth, his eyes on the child's eyes, and his hands on the child' hands. Finally, the child responds by sneezing seven times. So I guess Jesus wasn't the first to rise from the dead.

* Yes, there will be a resurrection from the dead.  See the "Special Questions" for more on this.

* Jesus wasn't the first to rise from the dead.  He was the "foremost in importance" to rise from the dead.  This Greek word for "first," in Acts 26:23, also means "foremost in importance."

Chapter 5

5:14 - Elisha can do all the tricks of Jesus (raise the dead, heal the sick, etc.). Here he cures a leper, but only after the leper dips himself seven times in the Jordan.

* Elisha was a prophet of God, so God gave him power to do miracles.  This was another one of the miracles he did.  He wasn't as powerful or as righteous as Jesus, though.

5:27 - Elisha not only can cure leprosy, he can also dish it out. Here he makes his servant (Gehazi) and all his descendants lepers forever. But elsewhere the bible says that children shall not be punished for the sins of their fathers.

* God told the Israelites not to punish fathers for their son's sins and to avoid punishing sons for their father's sins.  God owns the right to punish all sinners.  Everyone has sinned, so when they don't receive punishment, they are receiving His grace and mercy.

* This Hebrew word that is translated "forever," in the KJV, is also translated "the vanishing point is concealed."

* Gehazi's curse was likely referring to his posterity.  It was in place until his posterity was extinct.

Chapter 6

6:6 - Elisha makes an iron ax head swim. Neat trick, not even Jesus did that one!

* This was another miracle that Elisha did.  Incidentally, this Hebrew word that was translated "swim," in the KJV, can also be translated "float."

6:18 - Elisha prays that God will make his adversaries blind, and God smites "them with blindness according the word of Elisha."

* The Syrian army had surrounded Elisha and the Israelites.  Therefore, Elisha asks God to make them blind; and He does.

6:25 - During a famine an ass's head sells for 80 pieces of silver and a bit of dove's dung for 5 pieces of silver.

* During this famine, those were the prices for those things.  The phrase "dove's dung" may be literal or figurative.  There are valid reasons for each position.

6:28-29 - "So we boiled my son, and did eat him."

* During this terrible time, people starved and even ate one another.

6:33 - Women killed, boiled and ate their own children because of a plague that God sent, or as the Bible puts it: "Behold, this evil is of the Lord."

* These people were being judged for their sins.  It was their fault that they had these problems and judgments.  However, someone (probably Elisha) does admit, "this calamity is from the Lord."  God is in control of all things and He decides when and how people should face judgment for their wickedness.

Chapter 8

8:1 - God sends a famine on the people that lasts for seven years.

* This is correct.  God sent or allowed this famine.

8:10 - Elisha, apparently with God's approval, tells a man to lie. So is lying forbidden or not?

* There is no evidence that Elisha was told to lie or that God approved of his lie.  Incidentally, God told Elisha the truth.

8:22 - The Edomites revolt. But how could they have fought when all of their males had just recently been killed? (1 Kg.11:16)

* Many years ago, while David reigned, his army fought and killed nearly all of the Edomite males.  Incidentally, this Hebrew word that was translated "males" in the KJV can also be translated "men."  The scriptures indicate that Hadad (a royal dignitary, yet still a child) escaped with some others and went to Egypt.  They became allies with Pharaoh and he prospered them.  When Hadad grew older, he was given an Egyptian wife.  After he grew in power and stature and discovered that David and Joab were dead, he returned to Edom.  He had plenty of time to raise an army.

8:25 - Did Ahaziah begin to reign in the eleventh or the twelfth year of Joram?

* Some translations and manuscripts indicate it was the 12th year (in both places).  Therefore, Ahaziah probably began reigning in the 12th year of Joram.

* If Joram began reigning in April of the year 2000 and it was currently February of 2012, it could be said that it was the 11th year of Joram's reign and it could also be said that it was the 12th year of Joram's reign.  This is a possible reason for the discrepancies in some of the translations and copied manuscripts.

8:26 - Was Ahaziah 22 or 42 years old when he began to reign?

* 2 Kings 8:26 tells us that Ahaziah was 22 years old when he became king.  If he was 42 years old, then it wouldn't make any sense.

* The translations that indicate he was 42 are incorrect.  Only the original manuscripts and modern translations that indicate he was 22 are correct.  Therefore, we can either call this a copyist error or an error in some of the modern translations (and even some of the ancient ones).  Fortunately, some translations and manuscripts have gotten this number correct.

Chapter 9

9:2 - Was Jehu Nimshi's son or grandson?

* According to 2 Kings 9:2, Jehu was the grandson of Nimshi.  This Hebrew word for "son" also means "grandson."  This is why 1 Kings 19:16 simply calls Jehu the son of Nimshi.

9:8 - God says that the "whole house of Ahab shall perish," and that he "will cut off from Ahab him that pisseth against the wall."

* Since they had murdered and done wicked things, God was planning to judge them.  The idiom "piss on the wall" is simply referring to the male gender.

9:10 - God plans to have dogs eat Jezebel's body.

* This prophecy came true (see verses 33-37).

9:24 - Jehu shoots an arrow right through poor old Jehoram's heart.

* Jehoram was judged for his wickedness with death.

9:29 - Did Ahaziah begin to reign in the eleventh or the twelfth year of Joram?

* Some translations and manuscripts indicate it was the 12th year (in both places).  Therefore, Ahaziah probably began reigning in the 12th year of Joram.

* If Joram began reigning in April of the year 2000 and it was currently February of 2012, it could be said that it was the 11th year of Joram's reign and it could also be said that it was the 12th year of Joram's reign.  This is a possible reason for the discrepancies in some of the translations and copied manuscripts.

9:33-37 - God has Jezebel thrown off a wall. Her blood is sprinkled on the wall and on the horses, by which she is trampled. Her body is eaten by dogs and all that remains of it is her hands, feet, and skull. God says that she "shall be as dung upon the face of the field."

* Jezebel was extremely wicked and she was given a harsh judgment.

Chapter 10

10:7-8 - All seventy of king Ahab's sons are killed, their heads put in baskets, and sent to Jezreel. He says, "Lay ye them in two heaps ..."

* This is simply, recorded history.  The heads of the sons of this wicked king were delivered to Jezreel.  This was a pre-emptive, war action that helped God's people stay alive.  If they didn't do this, there would have been much bigger problems and much greater bloodshed, later.

10:11 - Jehu kills all that remained of king Ahab's family.

* This is correct and more, recorded history.  This was a pre-emptive, war action that helped God's people stay alive.  If they didn't do this, there would have been much bigger problems and much greater bloodshed, later.

10:14 - Jehu captures and then murders 42 men.

* This historical record is true.  This was a pre-emptive, war action that helped God's people stay alive.  If they didn't do this, there would have been much bigger problems and much greater bloodshed, later.

10:16-17 - Jehu shows off his zeal for the Lord by murdering "all that remained unto Ahab in Samaria, till he had destroyed him according to the word of the Lord."

* This was a pre-emptive, war action that helped God's people stay alive.  If they didn't do this, there would have been much bigger problems and much greater bloodshed, later.

10:19 - Jehu lied to the followers of Baal so that he could trap and kill them.

* There is no evidence that this lie was condoned by God.  There was surely another way to perform God's will without lying.

10:24 - Jehu warns his guards saying, "If any of the men escape, he that letteth him go, his life shall be for the life of him."

* Jehu didn't want any of them to escape alive.

10:25 - Jehu, when he finishes his animal sacrifices, orders his men to "Go in, and slay them, let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword."

* This was a pre-emptive, war action that helped God's people stay alive.  If they didn't do this, there would have been much bigger problems and much greater bloodshed, later.

10:30 - God is greatly pleased with all of Jehu's killings, saying "because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes, and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart [Jehu murdered them all], thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel."

* Jehu had completed the task of launching a pre-emptive, military strike and killing the people that otherwise would have killed him and his people.

Chapter 11

11:1 - When Athaliah "saw that her son was dead, she arose and destroyed all of the seed royal."

* Athaliah murders numerous people, so that she could reign.

11:15-16 - The priest has Athaliah and her followers killed.

* Jehoiada told the army to slay her and her followers; and they did.

11:18 - Destroy the religious buildings of those of other faiths and kill their ministers.

* Altars to the false god Baal were destroyed.  The temple of Baal and the images of Baal were also destroyed.

Chapter 12

12:20-21 - Joash was buried "with his fathers." But 2 Chr.24:24-25 denies this saying, "they buried him not in the sepulchres of the kings."

* 2 Kings 12:20-21 tells us that he was buried with his fathers.  2 Chronicles 24:24-25 indicates that he wasn't buried in their sepulchers.  There is no contradiction here.  He was buried in the City of David and with them, but not in their sepulchers.

Chapter 13

13:1 - When did Jehoash become king of Judah?

* 2 Kings 13:1 reads, "In the twenty-third year of Joash (Judah). . . Jehoahaz (Israel) . . . became king . . . and reigned seventeen years."

* 2 Kings 13:10 reads, "In the thirty-seventh year of Joash (Judah) . . . Jehoash (Israel) . . . became king . . . and reigned sixteen years."

* Jehoahaz began his reign in the twenty-third year of Joash and reigned seventeen years.  He reigned fourteen alone and three years with his son Jehoash.  Therefore, Jehoash became "co-ruler" in the 37th year of Joash and ruled alone in the 40th year of Joash.

13:18-19 - Elisha tells Joash to hit the ground with his arrow. So he smacks the ground three times. Elisha then yells at him, saying he should have sturck the ground five or six times. If he had, then he would have completely wiped out Syria, but now since he only struck the ground three times, he'll only get to smite Syria three times. Shucks!

* This is correct. This is what the scriptures say.

13:21 - A dead body is brought to life when it accidentally touches the bones of Elisha. But elsewhere the bible says that no one will ever rise from the dead.

* Yes, there will be a resurrection from the dead.  See the "Special Questions" for more on this.

13:23 - Many Bible verses say that God respects no one. But this verse says that he had respect for the Israelites.

* God is not a "respecter of persons."  This means that He isn't impressed by earthly titles, worldly wealth, social status, etc.

Chapter 14

14:3, 7 - Amaziah "did that which was right in the sight of the Lord" and killed ten thousand Edomites. But in Dt.23:7 God tells the Israelites to "not abhor" the Edomites.

* Deuteronomy 23:7 says that the Israelites were not to loathe or detest the Edomites.  Incidentally, God never mentioned that this was an eternal command.  It was for this time and place.

* In Obadiah, God's patience, mercy and grace had worn thin.  He decreed that it was time to judge the Edomites.

Chapter 15

15:5 - God strikes king Azariah with leprosy "unto the day of his death" for not removing the high places.

* This king had allowed pagan idol worship to remain.  He was supposed to get rid of the false gods, so he was judged for allowing them to stay.

15:16 - King Menahem rips up all the pregnant women in Tizzah "because they opened not to him." Does God approve of such acts? It's impossible to tell from this passage; the mass murder is simply reported without editorial comment.

* Menahem was a wicked king.  This was a wicked act.  Incidentally, several passages of the Bible have recorded historical events without editorial comments.

15:30 - "In the twentieth year of Jotham ..." But verses 32-33 say that he only reigned for a total of sixteen years.

* 2 Kings 15:30 reads, "Then Hoshea the son of Elah led a conspiracy against Pekah the son of Remaliah, and struck and killed him; so he reigned in his place in the twentieth year of Jotham the son of Uzziah."

* 2 Kings 15:32 and 33 read, "In the second year of Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, Jotham the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, began to reign.  He was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Jerusha the daughter of Zadok."

* Ahaz was Jotham's son.  Jotham was in power for over 16 years.  However, after 16 years, he began reigning with Ahaz and did so for several years.  In 2 Kings 15:30, Ahaz had not been introduced, yet.  This is likely why the author simply referred to Jotham's 20th year, even though he was co-ruling with his son.

Chapter 16

16:2 - According to this verse, Ahaz was 36 years old when he completed his reign. And 18:1-2 says that he was succeeded by a 25 year old son, Hezekiah. This means that Ahaz fathered Hezakiah when he was only eleven years old!

* Ahaz fathered Hezekiah when he was either 11 or 12 years old.  In ancient cultures, kids were often betrothed at age 9.  Sometimes, they were even married at age 10 or 11.

16:20 - Was Ahaz buried with his fathers?

* 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles reveal that Ahaz slept with his fathers. Both books even give that exact phrase.

Chapter 17

17:25-26 - God sent lions to devour the foreigners in Samaria because "they feared not the Lord," and even worse "they knew not the manner of the God of the land." Well that'll teach them about God's manners.

* God judged these people because they were wicked and rejected Him.  They lost their lives because of their sins.

17:39 - Should we fear God?

* Yes, we should fear and respect God.  This is consistent with many other passages of scripture.

* God has not given us the spirit of fear (timidity) toward other humans.  This spirit is from the Devil.  God has given us the spirit of courage and of a sound mind.

* 1 John 4:18 is also referring to fearing humans.  We should only fear God.

Chapter 18

18:1-2 - Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz, began to reign when he was 25 years old. His father was 36 years old when Hezekiah took over (16:2). So Ahaz was only eleven years old when he fathered Hezekiah!

* Ahaz fathered Hezekiah when he was either 11 or 12 years old.  In ancient cultures, kids were often betrothed at age 9.  Sometimes, they were even married at age 10 or 11.

18:27 - This verse speaks of eating and drinking one's own bodily waste products. Charming.

* This was a warning about a coming siege and famine that would effect these people.

Chapter 19

19:35 - An "angel of the Lord" kills 185,000 men while they sleep. "And when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses." I guess they all woke up and said, "Shucks, I'm dead."

* This word "they," in the phrase, "when they arose," is referring to Sennacherib and some of his associates (not the dead bodies).

Chapter 20

20:11 - Isaiah, with a little help from God, makes the sun move backwards ten degrees. Now that's quite a trick. All at once, the earth stopped spinning and then reversed its direction of rotation. Or maybe the sun traveled around the earth in those days!

* Is this anti-miracle bigotry?  The God who created the laws of science can break them.

Chapter 21

21:12 - God threatens to "bring such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah, that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle."

* This Hebrew word that is translated "evil," in the KJV, is also translated "calamity."  God was going to judge Jerusalem and it was going to be very noteworthy and serious.

Chapter 22

22:20 - God promises Josiah that he will have a peaceful death. But Josiah's death was anything but peaceful. (2 Kg.23:29-30, 2 Chr.35:23-24)

* When Josiah died, he was at peace with God.  Plus, his nation was at peace with the Assyrians.  They were not at war.  2 Chronicles 35:20 indicates that two, pagan nations were fighting and Josiah chose to get involved.  Therefore, Josiah was mortally wounded in Megiddo, brought to Jerusalem in a chariot and likely died in peace there.

Chapter 23

23:7 - Josiah, with God's approval, broke down the houses of the sodomites.

* This is correct.  These people were prostitutes and chasing after false gods.  God didn't want them there.

23:20 - Josiah, apparently with God's approval, kills "all the priests of the high places" and sacrifices them to God on their altars. Note that this is a guy who "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord" (2 Kg.22:2).

* These verses do not indicate that God requested a human sacrifice.  Furthermore, in 1 Kings 13:2, this word for "offer" simply means "kill" or "slay."  If there was an implication of a "sacrifice," it was ironic because these, evil priests were sacrificing to false gods and they were going to be killed on their own altars.  This was their judgment for rejecting God and worshiping false gods.

23:26 - Even though Josiah did all that God asked of him, God still punished him and all Jerusalem for the acts of his grandfather.

* These people were fickle and depraved.  Even though they showed some godliness in the reign of Josiah, they would still be punished for their wickedness.

23:29-30 - Where did Josiah die? Megiddo or Jerusalem? Well, whichever it might have been, it certainly wasn't the peaceful death that God promised him in 22:20.

* Josiah died in Jerusalem.

* In 2 Kings 23:29, the Hebrew word that was translated "slew" (KJV) is also translated "mortally wounded."  In 2 Kings 23:30, the Hebrew word that was translated "dead" (KJV) is also translated "dying."  For instance, this same word is translated "crying" (KJV) and "destruction" (NKJV, ASV) in Proverb 19:18.

Chapter 24

24:6 - In Jer.36:30 we are told that Jehoiakim had no one to succeed him, but this verse says that he was succeeded by his son.

* Jehoiachin reigned for three months, then he was plundered by the Babylonians (they took 10,000 captives, Solomon's gold, etc.) and taken to Babylon.  Therefore, Jehoiakim essentially had no successor.

24:8 - Was Jehoiachin 18 or 8 years old when he began to reign?

* Jehoiachin was 18 years old when he began to reign.  This number is consistent with many modern translations and ancient manuscripts.

* Jehoiachin reigned for three months and ten days.  The author of Kings gives a round figure, which is quote common in the scriptures.  Usually, we see exact numbers of years listed when exact numbers of years weren't always intended.  The author of Chronicles gives us a unique record and a specific amount of days.

24:17 - Was Zedekiah Nebuchadnezzar's uncle, as this verse says, or his brother, as is said in 2 Chr.36:10?

* First, the word "his" is not referring to Nebuchadnezzar.  It is referring to Jehoiachin (who is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 36:10).  Next, this Hebrew word for "brother" has a wide variety of usages and is often translated "brethren" (not referring to literal brothers).  Therefore, we can trust 2 Kings 24:17 as it gives us a specific, relational title.  Zedekiah was Jehoiachin's uncle.

Chapter 25

25:7 - In Jeremiah (34:4) God tells Zedekiah that he will die in peace and be buried with his fathers. But this verse and Jer.52:10-11 say that he died a violent death in a foreign land.

* God didn't lie to Zedekiah.  He told him that he would die in a peaceful manner.  However, after Zedekiah didn't effectively abolish slavery and follow God's commands, God gave a different declaration.  Jeremiah 34:20-22 indicates that Zedekiah would be taken away by the Babylonians and die a terrible death.

25:8 - On what day of the month was the temple burned? The seventh or the tenth day?

* 2 Kings 25:8 indicates that Nebuzaradan came "unto" Jerusalem on the seventh day.  Jeremiah 52:12 indicates that he came "into" Jerusalem on the tenth day.  In each passage, in the following verse, we read that he set fire to the temple.  This was either on the "tenth day" or after soon after it.

25:19 - This verse says there were five men in the king's presence, but Jer.52:31 says there were seven.

* Jeremiah 52:25 mentions seven men.  2 Kings 25:19 mentions five men.  There were surely seven men (at least, eventually), however 2 Kings 25:19 omits two of them because the author deemed them less important to the account.  Frequently, people who did not speak or people who were of less importance are omitted from biblical accounts (as well as non-biblical, historical accounts).

25:27 - Was it the 25th or the 27th day of the month? (Jer.52:31)

* The decree to release Jehoiachin from prison was likely made on the 25th day (Jeremiah 52:31) and it was implemented on the 27th day (2 Kings 25:27).