II Kings 1:2 Jewish Thought: Derashot HaRan

וַיִּפֹּ֨ל אֲחַזְיָ֜ה בְּעַ֣ד הַשְּׂבָכָ֗ה בַּעֲלִיָּת֛וֹ אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּשֹׁמְר֖וֹן וַיָּ֑חַל וַיִּשְׁלַ֣ח מַלְאָכִ֔ים וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אֲלֵהֶם֙ לְכ֣וּ דִרְשׁ֗וּ בְּבַ֤עַל זְבוּב֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י עֶקְר֔וֹן אִם־אֶחְיֶ֖ה מֵחֳלִ֥י זֶֽה׃ (ס)

And Ahaziah fell down through the 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 sickness.’

Derashot HaRan

After ascertaining that her situation was atypical, she went to inquire of the L-rd by way of prophets (or she isolated herself for the reception of the spirit of the L-rd, which would reveal it to her) what would be her latter end (according to Rashi of blessed memory) — that is, she yearned to know what was presaged by this strange phenomenon. And though the Ramban takes exception to this interpretation, saying that he had never encountered "inquiry of the L-rd" as connoting anything other than prayer, as in (Psalms 34:5): "I have inquired of the L-rd…", (Amos 5:4): "Inquire of me and live," (Ezekiel 20:3): "As I live, I will not be inquired of by you" — it would seem that the following escaped his notice (II Kings 8:8): "And the king said to Hazael: 'Take a present in your hand, and go meet the man of G-d, and inquire of the L-rd by him, saying: "Shall I recover from this disease?"'" and, similarly, (Ibid 1:2): "Go and inquire of Ba'al Zevuv, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover form this disease." These latter inquiries are to determine what will transpire — as is the case here, Rivkah yearning to know the import of the strange thing occurring to her.
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