1 Kings 20:16-26

16 They went out at noon, while ¹Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two * kings who helped him.

17 The young men of the rulers of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out and they told him, saying, "Men have come out from Samaria."

18 ²Then he said, "If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive."

19 So these went out from the city, the young men of the rulers of the provinces, and the army which followed them.

20 They killed each his man; and the Arameans fled and Israel pursued them, and Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on a horse with horsemen.

21 The king of Israel went out and struck the horses and chariots, and killed the Arameans with a great slaughter.

22 Then ³the prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, "Go, strengthen yourself and observe and see what you have to do; for ⁴at the turn of the year the king of Aram will come up against you."

23 Now the servants of the king of Aram said to him, "⁵Their gods are gods of the mountains, therefore * they were stronger than we; but rather let us fight against them in the plain, and surely * we will be stronger than they.

24 "Do this thing: remove the kings, each from his place, and put captains in their place,

25 and muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain, and surely * we will be stronger than they." And he listened to their voice and did so.

Another Aramean War

26 ⁶At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to ⁷Aphek to fight against Israel.

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1 Kings 20:16-26 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 20

This chapter relates the siege of Samaria by the king of Syria, and his insolent demand of Ahab's wives, children, and riches, 1Ki 20:1-12, the sally made out upon him, at the direction of the prophet, and the route made of the Syrian army, 1Ki 20:13-21, the return of the Syrian army the next year, when there was a pitched battle between them and Israel, in which the former were entirely defeated, 1Ki 20:22-30, the peace Ahab made with the king of Syria, 1Ki 20:31-34, and the reproof one of the sons of the prophets gave him for it, which made him very uneasy, 1Ki 20:35-43.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 7

1. 1 Kings 16:9; 1 Kings 20:12; Proverbs 20:1
2. 2 Kings 14:8-12
3. 1 Kings 20:13
4. 2 Samuel 11:1; 1 Kings 20:26
5. 1 Kings 14:23; Jeremiah 16:19-21; Romans 1:21-23
6. 1 Kings 20:22
7. 2 Kings 13:17

Footnotes 6

[a]. Or "booths"
[b]. Lit "he and the 32 kings"
[c]. Lit "smote"
[d]. Lit "smote"
[e]. Lit "smote"
[f]. Lit "number"