The words spoken to King Ahaziah by the prophet Elijah contain two levels of quotation, a parenthetical explanation in the form of a rhetorical question, and an inverted sentence structure. This makes a very complex sentence that will need to be simplified in quite a few languages. One possible model is the following:

• And gave him this message directly from the LORD: “You will never get well. You will die because you sent messengers to ask for advice from Baalzebub, the god of Ekron. You acted like there is no god in Israel to ask for advice. This is why you will certainly die.”

For Baalzebub, the god of Ekron, see the comments on verse 2.

Is it because there is no God in Israel to inquire of his word?: As in verse 3, this question is rhetorical. This parenthetical comment is not found in the Septuagint, which is followed by several modern translations (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible). Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives a {B} rating to the longer reading of the Hebrew text, suggesting that the Greek translator may have omitted these words because they do not fit well syntactically in the text.

You shall not come down from the bed to which you have gone: See the comments on verse 4.

You shall surely die: See the comments on verse 4.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .