1 Kings 20:10

10 reversique nuntii rettulerunt ei qui remisit et ait haec faciant mihi dii et haec addant si suffecerit pulvis Samariae pugillis omnis populi qui sequitur me

1 Kings 20:10 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:10

And Benhadad sent unto him, and said
That is, to Ahab:

the gods do so unto me, and more also;
bring greater evils upon me than I can think or express:

if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people
that follow me,
signifying that he made no doubt of it of reducing it to dust by numbers of men he should bring with him, which would be so many, that if each was to take an handful of dust of the ruins of Samaria, there would not enough for them all; which was an hectoring and parabolical speech, uttered in his wrath and fury.

1 Kings 20:10 In-Context

8 dixeruntque omnes maiores natu et universus populus ad eum non audias neque adquiescas illi
9 respondit itaque nuntiis Benadad dicite domino meo regi omnia propter quae misisti ad me servum tuum initio faciam hanc autem rem facere non possum
10 reversique nuntii rettulerunt ei qui remisit et ait haec faciant mihi dii et haec addant si suffecerit pulvis Samariae pugillis omnis populi qui sequitur me
11 et respondens rex Israhel ait dicite ei ne glorietur accinctus aeque ut discinctus
12 factum est autem cum audisset verbum istud bibebat ipse et reges in umbraculis et ait servis suis circumdate civitatem et circumdederunt eam
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.