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Text -- 1 Kings 20:11-43 (NET)
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Strongs On/Off
Context
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 .
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Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics
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expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> 1Ki 20:11; 1Ki 20:12; 1Ki 20:12; 1Ki 20:13; 1Ki 20:14; 1Ki 20:14; 1Ki 20:15; 1Ki 20:15; 1Ki 20:16; 1Ki 20:16; 1Ki 20:17; 1Ki 20:18; 1Ki 20:20; 1Ki 20:21; 1Ki 20:22; 1Ki 20:22; 1Ki 20:22; 1Ki 20:22; 1Ki 20:22; 1Ki 20:23; 1Ki 20:25; 1Ki 20:25; 1Ki 20:26; 1Ki 20:26; 1Ki 20:26; 1Ki 20:27; 1Ki 20:28; 1Ki 20:28; 1Ki 20:30; 1Ki 20:30; 1Ki 20:31; 1Ki 20:31; 1Ki 20:31; 1Ki 20:31; 1Ki 20:32; 1Ki 20:32; 1Ki 20:32; 1Ki 20:33; 1Ki 20:34; 1Ki 20:34; 1Ki 20:34; 1Ki 20:34; 1Ki 20:35; 1Ki 20:36; 1Ki 20:37; 1Ki 20:39; 1Ki 20:39; 1Ki 20:39; 1Ki 20:39; 1Ki 20:39; 1Ki 20:40; 1Ki 20:41; 1Ki 20:42; 1Ki 20:42; 1Ki 20:43
NET Notes: 1Ki 20:11 The point of the saying is that someone who is still preparing for a battle should not boast as if he has already won the battle. A modern parallel wo...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:14 Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:15 Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:18 Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:27 The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂ...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:30 Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:32 He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:33 Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:34 Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the ...
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:35 Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the Lord, ‘Wound me.’”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:36 Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:39 Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:40 Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].”
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:41 Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
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NET Notes: 1Ki 20:42 Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in pl...
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