Bible Reading April 5 
1 Kings 20:1--22:53
Context20:1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria 1 and besieged and attacked it. 2 20:2 He sent messengers to King Ahab of Israel, who was in the city. 3 20:3 He said to him, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘Your silver and your gold are mine, as well as the best of your wives and sons.’” 20:4 The king of Israel replied, “It is just as you say, my master, O king. I and all I own belong to you.”
20:5 The messengers came again and said, “This is what Ben Hadad says, ‘I sent this message to you, “You must give me your silver, gold, wives, and sons.” 20:6 But now at this time tomorrow I will send my servants to you and they will search through your palace and your servants’ houses. They will carry away all your valuables.” 4 20:7 The king of Israel summoned all the leaders 5 of the land and said, “Notice how this man is looking for trouble. 6 Indeed, he demanded my wives, sons, silver, and gold, and I did not resist him.” 20:8 All the leaders and people said to him, “Do not give in or agree to his demands.” 7 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.’” 8 So the messengers went back and gave their report.
20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely 9 if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.” 10 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.” 11 20:12 When Ben Hadad received this reply, 12 he and the other kings were drinking in their quarters. 13 He ordered his servants, “Get ready to attack!” So they got ready to attack the city.
20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army? 14 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?” 15 He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab 16 asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”
20:15 So Ahab 17 assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. 18 20:16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily 19 in their quarters. 20 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.” 21 20:18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.” 22 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; 23 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 24 Syria.
20:22 The prophet 25 visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses. 26 Determine 27 what you must do, for in the spring 28 the king of Syria will attack 29 you.” 20:23 Now the advisers 30 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. 31 Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. 32
20:26 In the spring 33 Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army 34 and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. 35 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 36 of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 20:28 The prophet 37 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. 38 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. 39 Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. 40 20:31 His advisers 41 said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. 42 Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads 43 and surrender 44 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 45 Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab 46 replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 47 20:33 The men took this as a good omen and quickly accepted his offer, saying, “Ben Hadad is your brother.” Ahab 48 then said, “Go, get him.” So Ben Hadad came out to him, and Ahab pulled him up into his chariot. 20:34 Ben Hadad 49 said, “I will return the cities my father took from your father. You may set up markets 50 in Damascus, just as my father did in Samaria.” 51 Ahab then said, “I want to make a treaty with you before I dismiss you.” 52 So he made a treaty with him and then dismissed him.
20:35 One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, “Wound me!” 53 But the man refused to wound him. 20:36 So the prophet 54 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. 55 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 56 of the battle, and then a man turned aside and brought me a prisoner. 57 He told me, ‘Guard this prisoner. If he ends up missing for any reason, 58 you will pay with your life or with a talent 59 of silver.’ 60 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.” 61 20:41 The prophet 62 quickly removed the bandage from his eyes and the king of Israel recognized he was one of the prophets. 20:42 The prophet 63 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.’” 64 20:43 The king of Israel went home to Samaria 65 bitter and angry.
21:1 After this the following episode took place. 66 Naboth the Jezreelite owned a vineyard in Jezreel adjacent to the palace of King Ahab of Samaria. 67 21:2 Ahab said to Naboth, “Give me your vineyard so I can make a vegetable garden out of it, for it is adjacent to my palace. I will give you an even better vineyard in its place, or if you prefer, 68 I will pay you silver for it.” 69 21:3 But Naboth replied to Ahab, “The Lord forbid that I should sell you my ancestral inheritance.” 70
21:4 So Ahab went into his palace, bitter and angry that Naboth the Jezreelite had said, 71 “I will not sell to you my ancestral inheritance.” 72 He lay down on his bed, pouted, 73 and would not eat. 21:5 Then his wife Jezebel came in and said to him, “Why do you have a bitter attitude and refuse to eat?” 21:6 He answered her, “While I was talking to Naboth the Jezreelite, I said to him, ‘Sell me your vineyard for silver, or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not sell you my vineyard.’” 74 21:7 His wife Jezebel said to him, “You are the king of Israel! 75 Get up, eat some food, and have a good time. 76 I will get the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you.”
21:8 She wrote out orders, 77 signed Ahab’s name to them, 78 and sealed them with his seal. She then sent the orders 79 to the leaders 80 and to the nobles who lived in Naboth’s city. 81 21:9 This is what she wrote: 82 “Observe a time of fasting and seat Naboth in front of the people. 21:10 Also seat two villains opposite him and have them testify, ‘You cursed God and the king.’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”
21:11 The men of the 83 city, the leaders 84 and the nobles who lived there, 85 followed the written orders Jezebel had sent them. 86 21:12 They observed a time of fasting and put Naboth in front of the people. 21:13 The two villains arrived and sat opposite him. Then the villains testified against Naboth right before the people, saying, “Naboth cursed God and the king.” So they dragged him 87 outside the city and stoned him to death. 88 21:14 Then they reported to Jezebel, “Naboth has been stoned to death.” 89
21:15 When Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she 90 said to Ahab, “Get up, take possession of the vineyard Naboth the Jezreelite refused to sell you for silver, for Naboth is no longer alive; he’s dead.” 21:16 When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, 91 he got up and went down to take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.
21:17 The Lord told Elijah the Tishbite: 92 21:18 “Get up, go down and meet King Ahab of Israel who lives in Samaria. He is at the vineyard of Naboth; he has gone down there to take possession of it. 21:19 Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’”
21:20 When Elijah arrived, Ahab said to him, 93 “So, you have found me, my enemy!” Elijah 94 replied, “I have found you, because you are committed 95 to doing evil in the sight of 96 the Lord. 21:21 The Lord says, 97 ‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster 98 on you. I will destroy you 99 and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 100 21:22 I will make your dynasty 101 like those of Jeroboam son of Nebat and Baasha son of Ahijah because you angered me and made Israel sin.’ 102 21:23 The Lord says this about Jezebel, ‘Dogs will devour Jezebel by the outer wall 103 of Jezreel.’ 21:24 As for Ahab’s family, dogs will eat the ones 104 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.” 21:25 (There had never been anyone like Ahab, who was firmly committed 105 to doing evil in the sight of 106 the Lord, urged on by his wife Jezebel. 107 21:26 He was so wicked he worshiped the disgusting idols, 108 just like the Amorites 109 whom the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.)
21:27 When Ahab heard these words, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth, and fasted. He slept in sackcloth and walked around dejected. 21:28 The Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, 110 21:29 “Have you noticed how Ahab shows remorse 111 before me? Because he shows remorse before me, I will not bring disaster on his dynasty during his lifetime, but during the reign of his son.” 112
22:1 There was no war between Syria and Israel for three years. 113 22:2 In the third year King Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to visit 114 the king of Israel. 22:3 The king of Israel said to his servants, “Surely you recognize that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, though we are hesitant to reclaim it from the king of Syria.” 115 22:4 Then he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to attack Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I will support you; my army and horses are at your disposal.” 116 22:5 Then Jehoshaphat added, 117 “First seek an oracle from the Lord.” 118 22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” 119 They said, “Attack! The sovereign one 120 will hand it over to the king.” 22:7 But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not a prophet of the Lord still here, that we may ask him?” 22:8 The king of Israel answered Jehoshaphat, “There is still one man through whom we can seek the Lord’s will. 121 But I despise 122 him because he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster. His name is Micaiah son of Imlah. 123 Jehoshaphat said, “The king should not say such things.” 22:9 The king of Israel summoned an official and said, “Quickly bring Micaiah son of Imlah.”
22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, 124 dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. 125 All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’” 22:12 All the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, “Attack Ramoth Gilead! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 22:13 Now the messenger who went to summon Micaiah said to him, “Look, the prophets are in complete agreement that the king will succeed. 126 Your words must agree with theirs; you must predict success.” 127 22:14 But Micaiah said, “As certainly as the Lord lives, I will say what the Lord tells me to say.”
22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” 128 22:16 The king said to him, “How many times must I make you solemnly promise in 129 the name of the Lord to tell me only the truth?” 22:17 Micaiah 130 said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains like sheep that have no shepherd. Then the Lord said, ‘They have no master. They should go home in peace.’” 22:18 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you he does not prophesy prosperity for me, but disaster?” 22:19 Micaiah 131 said, “That being the case, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, with all the heavenly assembly standing on his right and on his left. 22:20 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die 132 there?’ One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit 133 stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord 134 said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. 135 Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.” 22:26 Then the king of Israel said, “Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the city official and Joash the king’s son. 22:27 Say, ‘This is what the king says, “Put this man in prison. Give him only a little bread and water 136 until I safely return.”’” 137 22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, 138 all you people.”
22:29 The king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah attacked Ramoth Gilead. 22:30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “I will disguise myself and then enter 139 into the battle; but you wear your royal robes.” So the king of Israel disguised himself and then entered into the battle. 22:31 Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; 140 fight only the king of Israel.” 22:32 When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, “He must be the king of Israel.” So they turned and attacked him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. 22:33 When the chariot commanders realized he was not the king of Israel, they turned away from him. 22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, 141 and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king 142 ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, 143 because I’m wounded.” 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. 144 22:38 They washed off the chariot at the pool of Samaria (this was where the prostitutes bathed); 145 dogs licked his blood, just as the Lord had said would happen. 146
22:39 The rest of the events of Ahab’s reign, including a record of his accomplishments and how he built a luxurious palace and various cities, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 147 22:40 Ahab passed away. 148 His son Ahaziah replaced him as king.
22:41 In the fourth year of King Ahab’s reign over Israel, Asa’s son Jehoshaphat became king over Judah. 22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king and he reigned for twenty-five years in Jerusalem. 149 His mother was Azubah, the daughter of Shilhi. 22:43 He followed in his father Asa’s footsteps and was careful to do what the Lord approved. 150 (22:44) 151 However, the high places were not eliminated; the people continued to offer sacrifices and burn incense on the high places. 22:44 (22:45) Jehoshaphat was also at peace with the king of Israel.
22:45 The rest of the events of Jehoshaphat’s reign, including his successes and military exploits, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 152 22:46 He removed from the land any male cultic prostitutes who had managed to survive the reign of his father Asa. 153 22:47 There was no king in Edom at this time; a governor ruled. 22:48 Jehoshaphat built a fleet of large merchant ships 154 to travel to Ophir for gold, but they never made the voyage because they were shipwrecked in Ezion Geber. 22:49 Then Ahaziah son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, “Let my sailors join yours in the fleet,” 155 but Jehoshaphat refused.
22:50 Jehoshaphat passed away 156 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor 157 David. His son Jehoram replaced him as king.
22:51 In the seventeenth year of King Jehoshaphat’s reign over Judah, Ahab’s son Ahaziah became king over Israel in Samaria. 158 He ruled for two years over Israel. 22:52 He did evil in the sight of 159 the Lord and followed in the footsteps 160 of his father and mother; like Jeroboam son of Nebat, he encouraged Israel to sin. 161 22:53 He worshiped and bowed down to Baal, 162 angering the Lord God of Israel just as his father had done. 163
[20:1] 1 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:1] 2 tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
[20:2] 3 tn Heb “to the city.”
[20:6] 4 tn Heb “all that is desirable to your eyes they will put in their hand and take.”
[20:7] 6 tn Heb “Know and see that this [man] is seeking trouble.”
[20:8] 7 tn Heb “Do not listen and do not be willing.”
[20:9] 8 tn Heb “all which you sent to your servant in the beginning I will do, but this thing I am unable to do.”
[20:10] 9 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
[20:10] 10 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
[20:11] 11 sn 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 would be, “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
[20:12] 12 tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
[20:12] 13 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
[20:13] 14 tn Heb “this great horde.”
[20:14] 15 tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[20:14] 16 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:15] 17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:15] 18 tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.”
[20:16] 19 tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”
[20:16] 20 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
[20:17] 21 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:18] 22 tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
[20:20] 23 tn Heb “each struck down his man.”
[20:21] 24 tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”
[20:22] 25 tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
[20:22] 26 tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
[20:22] 27 tn Heb “know and see.”
[20:22] 28 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
[20:22] 29 tn Heb “go up against.”
[20:25] 31 tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”
[20:25] 32 tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
[20:26] 33 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
[20:26] 34 tn Heb “mustered Aram.”
[20:26] 35 tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.”
[20:27] 36 tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely.
[20:28] 37 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[20:28] 38 tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.”
[20:30] 39 tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.”
[20:30] 40 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
[20:31] 42 tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.
[20:31] 43 sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.
[20:32] 45 sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.
[20:32] 46 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:32] 47 sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.
[20:33] 48 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:34] 49 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ben Hadad) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:34] 50 tn Heb “streets,” but this must refer to streets set up with stalls for merchants to sell their goods. See HALOT 299 s.v. חוּץ.
[20:34] 51 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[20:34] 52 tn Heb “I will send you away with a treaty.” The words “Ahab then said” are supplied in the translation. There is nothing in the Hebrew text to indicate that the speaker has changed from Ben Hadad to Ahab. Some suggest adding “and he said” before “I will send you away.” Others prefer to maintain Ben Hadad as the speaker and change the statement to, “Please send me away with a treaty.”
[20:35] 53 tn Heb “Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to his companion by the word of the
[20:36] 54 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:37] 55 tn Heb “and the man wounded him, wounding and bruising.”
[20:39] 57 tn Heb “man” (also a second time later in this verse).
[20:39] 58 tn Heb “if being missed, he is missed.” The emphatic infinitive absolute before the finite verbal form lends solemnity to the warning.
[20:39] 59 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 75 pounds of silver.
[20:39] 60 tn Heb “your life will be in place of his life, or a unit of silver you will pay.”
[20:40] 61 tn Heb “so [i.e., in accordance with his testimony] is your judgment, you have determined [it].”
[20:41] 62 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:42] 63 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:42] 64 tn 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 place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”
[20:43] 65 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[21:1] 66 tn Heb “after these things.” The words “the following episode took place” are added for stylistic reasons.
[21:1] 67 sn King Ahab of Samaria. Samaria, as the capital of the northern kingdom, here stands for the nation of Israel.
[21:2] 68 tn Heb “if it is good in your eyes.”
[21:2] 69 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words: “And it will be mine as a garden of herbs.”
[21:3] 70 tn Heb “Far be it from me, by the
[21:4] 71 tn Heb “on account of the word that Naboth the Jezreelite spoke to him.”
[21:4] 72 tn Heb “I will not give to you the inheritance of my fathers.”
[21:4] 73 tn Heb “turned away his face.”
[21:6] 74 tn Heb “While I was talking…, I said…, he said….” Ahab’s explanation is one lengthy sentence in the Hebrew text, which is divided in the English translation for stylistic reasons.
[21:7] 75 tn Heb “You, now, you are exercising kingship over Israel.”
[21:7] 76 tn Heb “so your heart [i.e., disposition] might be well.”
[21:8] 78 tn Heb “in the name of Ahab.”
[21:8] 81 tn Heb “to the nobles who were in his city, the ones who lived with Naboth.”
[21:9] 82 tn Heb “she wrote on the scrolls, saying.”
[21:11] 85 tn Heb “and the nobles who were living in his city.”
[21:11] 86 tn Heb “did as Jezebel sent to them, just as was written in the scrolls which she sent to them.”
[21:13] 88 tn Heb “and they stoned him with stones and he died.”
[21:14] 89 tn Heb “Naboth was stoned and he died.” So also in v. 15.
[21:15] 90 tn Heb “Jezebel”; the proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“she”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[21:16] 91 tc The Old Greek translation includes the following words here: “he tore his garments and put on sackcloth. After these things.”
[21:17] 92 tn Heb “the word of the
[21:20] 93 tn Heb “and Ahab said to Elijah.” The narrative is elliptical and streamlined. The words “when Elijah arrived” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[21:20] 94 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Elijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:20] 95 tn Heb “you have sold yourself.”
[21:20] 96 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:21] 97 tn The introductory formula “the
[21:21] 98 sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is similar to the word translated “evil” (v. 20, הָרַע, hara’). Ahab’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
[21:21] 99 tn Heb “I will burn after you.” Some take the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean here “sweep away.” See the discussion of this verb in the notes at 14:10 and 16:3.
[21:21] 100 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or “abandoned”] in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס (’efes), “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
[21:22] 102 tn Heb “because of the provocation by which you angered [me], and you caused Israel to sin.”
[21:23] 103 tc A few Hebrew
[21:24] 104 tn “Dogs will eat the ones who belonging to Ahab who die in the city.”
[21:25] 105 tn Heb “who sold himself.”
[21:25] 106 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[21:25] 107 tn Heb “like Ahab…whom his wife Jezebel incited.”
[21:26] 108 tn The Hebrew word used here, גִלּוּלִים (gillulim) is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as אֱלִילִים (’elilim, “worthless things”) and הֲבָלִים (havalim, “vanities” or “empty winds”).
[21:26] 109 tn Heb “He acted very abominably by walking after the disgusting idols, according to all which the Amorites had done.”
[21:28] 110 tn Heb “the word of the
[21:29] 111 tn Or “humbles himself.” The expression occurs a second time later in this verse.
[21:29] 112 tn Heb “I will not bring the disaster during his days, [but] in the days of his son I will bring the disaster on his house.”
[22:1] 113 tn Heb “and they lived three years without war between Aram and Israel.”
[22:2] 114 tn The word “visit” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[22:3] 115 tn Heb “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, and we hesitate to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course, you must know!”
[22:4] 116 tn Heb “Like me, like you; like my people, like your people; like my horses; like your horses.”
[22:5] 117 tn Heb “and Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel.”
[22:5] 118 tn Heb “the word of the
[22:6] 119 tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”
[22:6] 120 tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the
[22:8] 121 tn Heb “to seek the
[22:8] 123 tn The words “his name is” are supplied for stylistic reasons.
[22:10] 124 tn Heb “were sitting, a man on his throne.”
[22:10] 125 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[22:13] 126 tn Heb “the words of the prophets are [with] one mouth good for the king.”
[22:13] 127 tn Heb “let your words be like the word of each of them and speak good.”
[22:15] 128 sn “Attack! You will succeed; the
[22:16] 129 tn Or “swear an oath by.”
[22:17] 130 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:19] 131 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Micaiah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:20] 132 tn Heb “and fall.”
[22:21] 133 tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of v. 24. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 24 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the
[22:22] 134 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the
[22:22] 135 tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vÿgam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the
[22:27] 136 tn Heb “the bread of affliction and the water of affliction.”
[22:27] 137 tn Heb “come in peace.” So also in v. 28.
[22:30] 139 tn The Hebrew verbal forms could be imperatives (“Disguise yourself and enter”), but this would make no sense in light of the immediately following context. The forms are better interpreted as infinitives absolute functioning as cohortatives. See IBHS 594 §35.5.2a. Some prefer to emend the forms to imperfects.
[22:31] 140 tn Heb “small or great.”
[22:34] 141 tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).
[22:34] 142 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[22:37] 144 tn Heb “and the king died and he came to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.”
[22:38] 145 tn Heb “now the prostitutes bathed.”
[22:38] 146 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[22:39] 147 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did, and the house of ivory which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[22:40] 148 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[22:42] 149 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[22:43] 150 tn Heb “he walked in all the way of Asa his father and did not turn from it, doing what is right in the eyes of the
[22:43] 151 sn Beginning with 22:43b, the verse numbers through 22:53 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Hebrew text (BHS), because 22:43b in the English Bible = 22:44 in the Hebrew text. The remaining verses in the chapter differ by one, with 22:44-53 ET = 22:45-54 HT.
[22:45] 152 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jehoshaphat, and his strength that he demonstrated and how he fought, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[22:46] 153 tn Heb “and the rest of the male cultic prostitutes who were left in the days of Asa his father, he burned from the land.” Some understand the verb בִּעֵר (bi’er) to mean “sweep away” here rather than “burn.” See the note at 1 Kgs 14:10.
[22:48] 154 tn Heb “a fleet of Tarshish [ships].” This probably refers to large ships either made in or capable of traveling to the distant western port of Tarshish.
[22:49] 155 tn Heb “Let my servants go with your servants in the fleet.”
[22:50] 156 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[22:50] 157 tn Heb “with his fathers in the city of his father.”
[22:51] 158 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[22:52] 159 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[22:52] 161 tn Heb “and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat who made Israel sin.”
[22:53] 162 tn Heb “he served Baal and bowed down to him.”
[22:53] 163 tn Heb “according to all which his father had done.”
