Now renders the common Hebrew conjunction. Because of the abrupt change from the theme of rebellion to a specific incident in the life of Ahaziah, certain versions begin the new paragraph with the temporal expression “One day” (Contemporary English Version, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente, Bible en français courant).
As in the previous verse, it may be helpful to the reader to identify Ahaziah as the king of Israel at the beginning of this story.
Fell through the lattice in his upper chamber: The Hebrew word rendered lattice occurs several times in 1 Kgs 7.17-42. It is often translated “network.” The noun comes from a verb meaning “weave” or “intertwine.” A word having the same root is found in 2 Sam 18.9, where it describes the network of branches in which Absalom’s hair was caught. The lattice may have been a kind of grill or weblike structure over an open window. This is the interpretation followed in Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente and Parole de Vie, which say Ahaziah “fell through the window…” (similarly Peregrino).
Other interpreters understand the Hebrew noun to refer to a lattice construction built on the rooftop that would provide shade from the sun but would also allow the wind to pass through it. It is far from certain what kind of materials this net was made of, whether it was of soft material like cloth (or leather) or of some harder, more durable material. Probably in this case it is better to think of something made of slats of wood or pieces of reed.
For upper chamber, see the comments on 1 Kgs 17.19; compare also Jdg 3.20, 23-25; 2 Sam 19.1. At that time roofs were flat and were used as a place for rest and leisure. Some translations make explicit that this upper chamber was in the palace (Good News Translation, Nueva Versión Internacional).
The Good News Translation rendering “fell off the balcony on the roof of his palace” is based on the second interpretation for lattice. If translators follow this second interpretation, then Good News Translation is too general. A better model is Contemporary English Version, which has “fell through the wooden slats around the porch on the flat roof of his palace.”
Samaria here refers to the capital city of the northern kingdom and not the district in which this city is located (see the introductory comments on 1 Kgs 16.21-28). Nearly all of the references to Samaria in 1–2 Kings are to the city, and the exceptions are noted in the appropriate places in this Handbook.
Lay sick: In some languages sickness does not normally come as a result of an accident. For this reason New Revised Standard Version revises to say “lay injured.” Later in the verse sickness may be adjusted similarly to “injury” (New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New International Version) or “injuries” (New Century Version).
In Hebrew Baalzebub means “Lord of the flies.” The god’s real name most likely was “Baal-zebul,” which means “Baal the Mighty” or “Baal the Prince,” in which case the writer of 2 Kings was ridiculing the foreign god by calling it Baalzebub. This is the interpretation favored by Gray who translates the name “Baal ‘Zebub.’ ” There are many gods and place names in the Old Testament which begin with “Baal” since this is a word meaning “lord” or “master.” The name of this Philistine god is found only here in the Old Testament. In the New Testament this god, who is called Beelzebul, reached the status of “prince of demons” (see Matt 12.24-28; Mark 3.22-26; Luke 11.15-20). Translators may wish to include a note such as the one in Bible en français courant, which states “Baal Zebub: this name means ‘the Lord of the flies’; this is an ironic and humiliating misspelling of Baal Zebul, ‘Baal the Prince.’ ” Parole de Vie provides another good model with a footnote that says “Baal Zebub: this name means ‘the Lord of the flies.’ It was given to the god of the Philistine city of Ekron in order to make fun of him.”
The god of Ekron: Ekron was the northernmost of the five major Philistine cities (1 Sam 6.17), about 65 kilometers (40 miles) southwest of Samaria and 35 kilometers (22 miles) west of Jerusalem. Baal was a Canaanite fertility god. Each town had its own local expression of Baal worship.
The god of Ekron refers to the god that was worshiped by the people in the city of Ekron. Good News Translation (similarly Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) goes a step further by specifying that this was not a part of Israel, saying “the god of the Philistine city of Ekron.” Parola Del Signore: La Bibbia in Lingua Corrente adds the information that this was a Philistine city in a footnote: “a city inhabited by the Philistines about 50 kilometers to the west of Jerusalem.”
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 .