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Texts -- 1 Kings 20:8-43 (NET)

Context
20:8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands .” 20:9 So he said to the messengers of Ben Hadad , “Say this to my master , the king , ‘I will give you everything you demanded at first from your servant , but I am unable to agree to this latest demand .’” So the messengers went back and gave their report . 20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands .” 20:11 The king of Israel replied , “Tell him the one who puts on his battle gear should not boast like one who is taking it off .” 20:12 When Ben Hadad received this reply , he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters . He ordered his servants , “Get ready to attack !” So they got ready to attack the city .
The Lord Delivers Israel
20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said , “This is what the Lord says , ‘Do you see this huge army ? Look , I am going to hand it over to you this very day . Then you will know that I am the Lord .’” 20:14 Ahab asked , “By whom will this be accomplished?” He answered , “This is what the Lord says , ‘By the servants of the district governors .’” Ahab asked , “Who will launch the attack ?” He answered , “You will.” 20:15 So Ahab assembled the 232 servants of the district governors . After that he assembled all the Israelite army , numbering 7,000 . 20:16 They marched out at noon , while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily in their quarters . 20:17 The servants of the district governors led the march . When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria .” 20:18 He ordered , “Whether they come in peace or to do battle , take them alive .” 20:19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20:20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier ; the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen . 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots ; he thoroughly defeated Syria .
The Lord Gives Israel Another Victory
20:22 The prophet visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go , fortify your defenses. Determine what you must do , for in the spring the king of Syria will attack you.” 20:23 Now the advisers of the king of Syria said to him : “Their God is a god of the mountains . That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains , we will certainly overpower them . 20:24 So do this : Dismiss the kings from their command , and replace them with military commanders . 20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost , with the same number of horses and chariots . Then we will fight them in the plains ; we will certainly overpower them .” He approved their plan and did as they advised . 20:26 In the spring Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army and marched to Aphek to fight Israel . 20:27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies , they marched out to face them in battle . When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks of goats , but the Syrians filled the land . 20:28 The prophet visited the king of Israel and said , “This is what the Lord says : ‘Because the Syrians said , “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys ,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army . Then you will know that I am the Lord .’” 20:29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days . On the seventh day the battle began , and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day . 20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city , but the wall fell on them . Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room . 20:31 His advisers said to him, “Look , we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind . Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and surrender to the king of Israel . Maybe he will spare our lives .” 20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel . They said , “Your servant Ben Hadad says , ‘Please let me live !’” Ahab replied , “Is he still alive ? He is my brother .” 20:33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying , “Ben Hadad is your brother .” Ahab then said , “Go , get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot . 20:34 Ben Hadad said , “I will return the cities my father took from your father . You may set up markets in Damascus , just as my father did in Samaria .” Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
A Prophet Denounces Ahab’s Actions
20:35 One of the members of the prophetic guild , speaking with divine authority , ordered his companion , “Wound me!” But the man refused to wound him. 20:36 So the prophet said to him, “Because you have disobeyed the Lord , as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” When he left him, a lion attacked and killed him. 20:37 He found another man and said , “Wound me!” So the man wounded him severely . 20:38 The prophet then went and stood by the road , waiting for the king . He also disguised himself by putting a bandage down over his eyes . 20:39 When the king passed by , he called out to the king , “Your servant went out into the heat of the battle , and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner . He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner . If he ends up missing for any reason, you will pay with your life or with a talent of silver .’ 20:40 Well, it just so happened that while your servant was doing this and that , he disappeared .” The king of Israel said to him, “Your punishment is already determined by your own testimony.” 20:41 The prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets . 20:42 The prophet then said to him, “This is what the Lord says , ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die , you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people .’” 20:43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria bitter and angry .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Ahab

    [ebd] father's brother. (1.) The son of Omri, whom he succeeded as the seventh king of Israel. His history is recorded in 1 Kings 16-22. His wife was Jezebel (q.v.), who exercised a very evil influence over him. To the calf-worshi...
    [isbe] AHAB - a'-hab ('ach'abh, Assyrian a-cha-ab-bu; Septuagint Achaab, but Jer 29:21 f, Achiab, which, in analogy with '-h-y-m-l-k, (')-h-y-'-l, etc., indicates an original 'achi'abh, meaning "the father is my brother"): The comp...
    [smith] (uncle). Son of Omri, seventh king of Israel, reigned B.C. 919-896. He married Jezebel, daughter of Ethbaal king of Tyre; and in obedience to her wishes, caused temple to be built to Baal in Samaria itself; and an oracular g...
    [nave] AHAB 1. King of Israel, 1 Kin. 16:29. Marries Jezebel, 1 Kin. 16:31. Idolatry of, 1 Kin. 16:30-33; 18:18, 19; 21:25, 26; other wickedness of, 2 Kin. 3:2; 2 Chr. 21:6; 22:3, 4; Mic. 6:16. Reproved by Elijah; assembles the ...

  • Samaria

    [ebd] a watch-mountain or a watch-tower. In the heart of the mountains of Israel, a few miles north-west of Shechem, stands the "hill of Shomeron," a solitary mountain, a great "mamelon." It is an oblong hill, with steep but not i...
    [nave] SAMARIA 1. City of, built by Omri, 1 Kin. 16:24. Capital of the kingdom of the ten tribes, 1 Kin. 16:29; 22:51; 2 Kin. 13:1, 10; 15:8. Besieged by Ben-hadad, 1 Kin. 20; 2 Kin. 6:24-33; 7. The king of Syria is led into, by...

  • Armies

    [nave] ARMIES Who of the Israelites were subject to service in, Num. 1:2, 3; 26:2; 2 Chr. 25:5; who were exempt from service in, Num. 1:47-50; 2:33; Deut. 20:5-9; Judg. 7:3. Enumeration of Israel's military forces, Num. 1:2, 3; 26...

  • Israel

    [nave] ISRAEL 1. A name given to Jacob, Gen. 32:24-32; 2 Kin. 17:34; Hos. 12:3, 4. 2. A name of the Christ in prophecy, Isa. 49:3. 3. A name given to the descendants of Jacob, a nation. Called also Israelites, and Hebrews, Gen. 4...

  • ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF

    [isbe] ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF - || I. THE FIRST PERIOD 1. The Two Kingdoms 2. The Ist Dynasty 3. The IInd Dynasty 4. Civil War II. PERIOD OF THE SYRIAN WARS 1. The IIIrd Dynasty 2. World-Politics 3. Battle of Karkar 4. Loss of Territor...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Ben-hadad

    [nave] BEN-HADAD 1. King of Syria, 1 Kin. 15:18-20; 2 Chr. 16:2-4. 2. A king of Syria, who reigned in the time of Ahab, son of Ben-hadad I, 1 Kin. 20; 2 Kin. 5; 6; 7; 8:7-15. 3. Son of Hazael and king of Syria, 2 Kin. 13:3, 24, 2...

  • BENHADAD

    [isbe] BENHADAD - ben-ha'-dad (ben-hadhadh; Septuagint huios Hader): The Name I. BENHADAD I 1. The Kingdom of Syria Founded 2. Syria and Judah 3. Shortsightedness of Asa II. BENHADAD II 1. Hadad-'idri of the Monuments 2. Expedition...

  • Prophecy

    [nave] PROPHECY Concerning Jesus, See: Jesus. Concerning church, See: Church, Prophecies Concerning Prosperity of. Relating to various countries, nations, and cities, see under their respective titles. Respecting individuals, see...

  • SAMARIA, CITY OF

    [isbe] SAMARIA, CITY OF - sa-ma'-ri-a, (shomeron; Samareia, Semeron, and other forms): (1) Shechem was the first capital of the Northern Kingdom (1 Ki 12:25). Jeroboam seems later to have removed the royal residence to Tirzah (1 Ki...

  • Micaiah

    [ebd] who is like Jehovah?, the son of Imlah, a faithful prophet of Samaria (1 Kings 22:8-28). Three years after the great battle with Ben-hadad (20:29-34), Ahab proposed to Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, that they should go up again...

  • Aphek

    [isbe] APHEK - a'-fek ('apheq, "fortress"; Aphek): (1) In Josh 12:18 we should probably read with the Septuagint "the king of Aphek in Sharon." This may correspond to Aphek in 1 Sam 4:1. It was a royal city of the Canaanites whose ...
    [smith] (strength), the name of several places in Palestine. A royal city of the Canaanites, the king of which was killed by Joshua, (Joshua 12:18) probably the same as APHEKAH in (Joshua 15:53) A city, apparently in the extreme nor...
    [nave] APHEK 1. A city of the tribe of Asher, Josh. 19:30. Called Aphik, Judg. 1:31. 2. A city of the tribe of Issachar. Philistines defeat Israelites at, 1 Sam. 4:1-11. Saul slain at, 1 Sam. 29:1, with chapter 31. Probably the ...

  • PAVILION

    [ebd] a tent or tabernacle (2 Sam. 22:12; 1 Kings 20:12-16), or enclosure (Ps. 18:11; 27:5). In Jer. 43:10 it probably denotes the canopy suspended over the judgement-seat of the king.
    [isbe] PAVILION - pa-vil'-yun: A covered place, booth, tent, in which a person may be kept hid or secret (cokh, Ps 27:5; cukkah--the usual term--Ps 31:20), or otherwise be withdrawn from view. The term is used with reference to God...

  • Symbols and Similitudes

    [nave] SYMBOLS AND SIMILITUDES Trees of life and knowledge, Gen. 2:9, 17; 3:3, 24; Rev. 22:2. Rainbow, Gen. 9:12, 13. Circumcision, of the covenant of Abraham, Gen. 17:11; Rom. 4:11. Passover, of the sparing of the firstborn, an...

  • WAR; WARFARE

    [isbe] WAR; WARFARE - wor, wor'-far (milchamah, 'anshe m., "men of war," "soldiers"; polemos, polemein, strateuesthai, stratia): 1. Religious Significance 2. Preliminaries 3. Operations of War 4. Strategy 5. Important Requisites 6....

  • JOASH

    [smith] (to whom Jehovah hastens, i.e. to help), contracted from JEHOASH. Son of Ahaziah king of Judah (B.C. 884), and the only one of his children who escaped the murderous hand of Athaliah. After his father?s sister Jehoshabeath, ...

  • ALLIANCE

    [isbe] ALLIANCE - a-li'-ans. 1. In the Patriarchal Stories: Frequent references are made to alliances between the patriarchs and foreigners. Abraham is reported to have had "confederates" among the chiefs of the Canaanites (Gen 14:...

  • Diplomacy

    [nave] DIPLOMACY. 1 Cor. 9:20-23 See: Tact. Instances of Of Abimelech, Gen. 21:22, 23; 26:26-31. The Gibeonites, in securing a league with the Israelites through deception, Josh. 9:3-16. Of Jephthah, with the king of Moab, uns...

  • Cord

    [isbe] CORD - kord (chebhet, yether, methar, `abhoth; schoinion): (1) The Arabic chab'l corresponds to the Hebrew chebhel and is still the common name for cord or rope throughout the East. Such ropes or cords are made of goat's or ...
    [nave] CORD Ancient uses of: In casting lots, Mic. 2:5; fastening tents, Ex. 35:18; 39:40; Isa. 54:2; leading or binding animals, Psa. 118:27; Hos. 11:4; hitching to cart or plough, Job 39:10; binding prisoners, Judg. 15:13; measur...

  • Parables

    [nave] PARABLES Of the trees, Judg. 9:8-15. Of the lamb, 2 Sam. 12:1-6. Of the woman of Tekoa, 2 Sam. 14:5-12. Of the garment torn in pieces, 1 Kin. 11:30-32. Of the prisoner of war, 1 Kin. 20:39-42. Of the thistle and cedar, ...
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Arts

Questions

  • How do you think Joshua, Gideon, David and other Old Testament saints felt about it? Do you suppose they did not know of the commandment "Thou shalt not kill"? They do not appear to have found any difficulty in reconciling th...
  • Concerning the eternal Sonship of Christ, Ryrie has this to say: I agree with Buswell (A Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion, pp. 105-12) that generation is not an exegetically based doctrine. The concept it tri...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • The writer referred to Canaan as "the land of the sons of Israel"first here in Scripture (v. 22). The Anakim were the mighty warriors that the 10 spies had feared (Num. 13:28). Israel destroyed most of these."The hardening of...
  • At first, David piously tried to salve Joab's conscience for his complicity in Uriah's death (11:25). The Hebrew word translated "displease"literally means "be evil in your sight."David was calling what was sin something othe...
  • The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • Hadad hated Solomon because of Joab's severe treatment of the Edomites. He may have been a relation of Solomon's by marriage. Pharaoh Siamun apparently gave his daughter to Solomon in marriage and his sister-in-law to Hadad (...
  • God dealt gently (cf. 19:12) with the Northern Kingdom to continue to move His people back to Himself. This pericope records the first of three battles the writer recorded in 1 Kings between Ahab and the kings of Aram, Israel...
  • The battle of Aphek (873 B.C.) took place on the tableland east of the Sea of Chinnereth (Galilee), the modern Golan Heights. The Arameans greatly outnumbered Israel (v. 27), but God promised Ahab victory so he and all Israel...
  • This section is similar to the one that recorded Saul's failure to follow Yahweh's command that also resulted in God cutting him off as His vice-regent (1 Sam. 13:13-14). The parallels between Saul and Ahab are remarkable thr...
  • Even though Jezebel was behind the murder of Naboth, God held her husband Ahab responsible (v. 19). Jezebel's evil influence over her husband stands out in this story.221Ahab was willing to murder a godly Israelite to obtain ...
  • Another significant battle occurred between the battle of Ramoth-gilead that the writer recorded in chapter 22 (853 B.C.) and the battles he recorded in chapter 20. Ahab and his Aramean ally Ben-Hadad II (860-841 B.C.) defeat...
  • Hazael was the governor of Damascus.50The Gentile King of Aram had more interest in inquiring of Yahweh than Jehoram's predecessor did (v. 8; cf. 1:2). It was customary in the Near East to make a great show of giving gifts. I...
  • Jehoash (Joash) had respect and affection for Elisha. He anticipated the loss that the death of God's spiritual warrior would be to Israel (v. 14). He recognized that Israel's real defense lay in Yahweh's angelic army and in ...
  • The rest of the book is quite different from what has preceded because of its positive message. As is true of other eighth-century prophets to Israel and Judah, Amos included hope in his prophecy (cf. Isa. 40-66; Hos. 1:10-2:...
  • The sailors interrogated Jonah about his reasons for travelling on their ship, but it was his failure to live consistently with his convictions that amazed them.1:7 It appears to have been common among the heathen to cast lot...
  • 6:13 Because of these sins the Lord promised to make His people sick, downtrodden, and desolate.6:14 They would continue to eat, but their food would not bring them satisfaction (cf. Lev. 26:26). Their excessive accumulation ...
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