Discovery Box1 Kings 20:10-11
Context20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely 1 if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.” 2 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.” 3
1 Kings 20:13
Context20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army? 4 Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
[20:10] 1 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
[20:10] 2 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
[20:11] 3 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.”
