Charles Ellicott Commentary 2 Kings 1:8

"And they answered him, He was a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite." — 2 Kings 1:8 (ASV)

Answered. — Said to.

An hairy man. — Literally, “a lord of hair.” This description might refer to the length of his hair and beard (so the Septuagint, δασὺς, “hirsute,” “shaggy”); or it could refer to a hairy cloak or mantle. The second alternative is correct, because a hairy mantle was a mark of the prophetic office from Elijah onward. (Compare to Zechariah 13:4, a rough garment; and Matthew 3:4, where it is said of John the Baptist—the second Elias—that he was clad in camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle about his loins.)

As Thenius remarks, the girdle would not be mentioned alone. The common dress of the Bedouins is a sheep or goat’s skin with the hair left on.

Girded with a leather girdle. — This was such as only the poorest would wear. The girdle was ordinarily made of linen or cotton, and was often costly. The prophet’s attire was a sign of contempt for earthly display, and of sorrow for the national sins and their consequences, which it was his function to proclaim. (Compare to Isaiah 20:2.)