And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the god of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease.
All Commentaries on 2 Kings 1:2 Go To 2 Kings 1
George Leo Haydock
AD 1849
Lattices, by a skylight, (Haydock) or trap-door, designed to give light to the room below, into which the king fell. The roofs are generally flat in the East, and covered with earth mixed with straw, with the light at the top, to prevent the excessive heats.
Of. Hebrew, "into. "(Calmet)
If the lattices be understood to mean the rails, which were ordered to be placed round the roof, (Deuteronomy xxii. 8.) Ochozias might fall into the street. (Menochius)
Josephus thinks he fell from the staircase. At any rate, he was much hurt, (Haydock) and thus was made to feel the indignation of God. (Tirinus)
God. Septuagint, "Baal, the god-fly "(Calmet) the Jupiter of the Greeks, or their chief god; and the prince of devils, Matthew xii.
Accaron. Hence Pliny ( viii. 29.) styles the god Achor, (Tirinus) and Myiodis, (B. xxxvi.) which is the name given to him by Josephus, ix. 2. (Haydock)
He was supposed to free the people of the country from being infested with flies; or the many victims offered up to him, drew those insects together. (Vatable)
Grotius supposes that the Phoenicians styled their god, Bee semen, (Bálssomin) "God of heaven "and that the Hebrews called him, Bálzobub, "god of flies "out of contempt. But perhaps he is too favourable to the idolaters. (Du Hamel)
Selden is convinced that Ochozias gives the idol its real name. Scaliger rather thinks that Balzobéim, "the lord of victims "was the original title. (Haydock)
