2 Kings 1:9

Then the king sent unto him Clearly Ahaziah's design was to arrest and punish Elijah, but considering that the prophet had appeared alone, the number of men sent out against him seems excessive. It may be, however, that in the brevity of the narrative we are not told of Elijah's movements, and that he had already retired to some centre of the prophetic body; and if so, the king may have apprehended that resistance would be offered to his arrest.

a captain of fifty One of the subdivisions of the Jewish army was into -fifties". See 1 Samuel 8:12. Greater bodies were -hundreds" and -thousands" (Numbers 31:14).

he sat on the top of a[R.V. the] hill The word rendered -sat" may also be translated -dwelt" (see marg. of R.V.) and the definite article indicates that some particular hill is intended, therefore the suggestion that Elijah had already withdrawn to Carmel, and that the soldiers followed him thither, is most likely correct.

Thou[R.V. O] man of God The original is precisely as in verse 13. But in the two first addresses the title was given no doubt in mockery. In the mouth of one who really felt the force of the words there could have followed them no such sentence as -the king hath said, Come down". For a contrast see 1 Kings 17:18; 1 Kings 17:24.