1 Kings 20:33

33 Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly latched onto the hint^[a] and said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

1 Kings 20:33 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:33

Now the men did diligently observe whether anything would
come from him
That would be a good omen to them, and encourage them to hope for success; they observed him as diligently by his words and behaviour as soothsayers do when they look out for a lucky sign; for the word is sometimes used of divining ^F19:

and did hastily catch it;
as soon as it was out of his mouth, and laid hold on it to improve it to advantage, being wiser than him:

and they said, thy brother Benhadad;
him whom thou callest thy brother; he is thy brother, and is alive; this they caught, and expressed it, to observe whether it was a slip of his tongue, and whether he spoke it heartily, and would abide by it, or whether he would retract it:

then he said, go ye, bring him;
meaning from the city to the place where he was:

then Benhadad came forth to him;
out of his chamber, upon the report of his servants:

and he caused him to come up into the chariot;
to sit and converse with him there.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 (wvxny) "augurati sunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus.

1 Kings 20:33 In-Context

31 His servants said to him, "Consider this: we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are kings [who show] special kindness. So let's put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and let's go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."

32 So they dressed with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, went to the king of Israel, and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please spare my life.' " So he said, "Is he still alive? He is my brother."

33 Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, so they quickly latched onto the hint and said, "Yes, your brother Ben-hadad." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

34 Then Ben-hadad said to him, "The cities that my father took from your father I restore to you, and you may set up marketplaces for yourself in Damascus, like my father set up in Samaria." [Ahab responded],"On the basis of this treaty, I release you." So he made a treaty with him and released him.

35 One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the Lord, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him.

Footnotes

• [a]. LXX, some Hb mss, alt Hb tradition; MT reads they hastened and caught hold; "Is this it?"