1 Kings 20:10-42

10 Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”

11 The king of Israel answered, “Tell him: ‘One who puts on his armor should not boast like one who takes it off.’ ”

12 Ben-Hadad heard this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents,^[a] and he ordered his men: “Prepare to attack.” So they prepared to attack the city.

Ahab Defeats Ben-Hadad

13 Meanwhile a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel and announced, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this vast army? I will give it into your hand today, and then you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

14 “But who will do this?” asked Ahab. The prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘The junior officers under the provincial commanders will do it.’ ” “And who will start the battle?” he asked. The prophet answered, “You will.”

15 So Ahab summoned the 232 junior officers under the provincial commanders. Then he assembled the rest of the Israelites, 7,000 in all.

16 They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.

17 The junior officers under the provincial commanders went out first. Now Ben-Hadad had dispatched scouts, who reported, “Men are advancing from Samaria.”

18 He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; if they have come out for war, take them alive.”

19 The junior officers under the provincial commanders marched out of the city with the army behind them

20 and each one struck down his opponent. At that, the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-Hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with some of his horsemen.

21 The king of Israel advanced and overpowered the horses and chariots and inflicted heavy losses on the Arameans.

22 Afterward, the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, “Strengthen your position and see what must be done, because next spring the king of Aram will attack you again.”

23 Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.

24 Do this: Remove all the kings from their commands and replace them with other officers.

25 You must also raise an army like the one you lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight Israel on the plains. Then surely we will be stronger than they.” He agreed with them and acted accordingly.

26 The next spring Ben-Hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

27 When the Israelites were also mustered and given provisions, they marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped opposite them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

28 The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.’ ”

29 For seven days they camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle was joined. The Israelites inflicted a hundred thousand casualties on the Aramean foot soldiers in one day.

30 The rest of them escaped to the city of Aphek, where the wall collapsed on twenty-seven thousand of them. And Ben-Hadad fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

31 His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

32 Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’ ” The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

33 The men took this as a good sign and were quick to pick up his word. “Yes, your brother Ben-Hadad!” they said. “Go and get him,” the king said. When Ben-Hadad came out, Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

34 “I will return the cities my father took from your father,” Ben-Hadad offered. “You may set up your own market areas in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” Ahab said, “On the basis of a treaty I will set you free.” So he made a treaty with him, and let him go.

A Prophet Condemns Ahab

35 By the word of the LORD one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.

36 So the prophet said, “Because you have not obeyed the LORD, as soon as you leave me a lion will kill you.” And after the man went away, a lion found him and killed him.

37 The prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him and wounded him.

38 Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.

39 As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent^[b] of silver.’

40 While your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” “That is your sentence,” the king of Israel said. “You have pronounced it yourself.”

41 Then the prophet quickly removed the headband from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42 He said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘You have set free a man I had determined should die.^[c] Therefore it is your life for his life, your people for his people.’ ”

1 Kings 20:10-42 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.

Cross References

• 1. S 2 Samuel 22:43; 1 Kings 19:2
• 2. Proverbs 27:1; Jeremiah 9:23; Amos 2:14
• 3. ver 16; S 1 Kings 16:9
• 4. S Judges 6:8
• 5. ver 28; S Exodus 6:7
• 6. S Judges 1:1
• 7. ver 12; S 1 Kings 16:9
• 8. ver 13; S Judges 6:8
• 9. ver 26; S 2 Samuel 11:1
• 10. 1 Kings 14:23; ver 28; Isaiah 36:20; Romans 1:21-23
• 11. ver 22; S 2 Samuel 11:1
• 12. ver 30; S 1 Samuel 4:1; 2 Kings 13:17
• 13. Judges 6:6; S 1 Samuel 13:6
• 14. S ver 23
• 15. ver 13; S Exodus 6:7; Jeremiah 16:19-21
• 16. S ver 26
• 17. Psalms 62:4; Isaiah 26:21; Isaiah 30:13
• 18. 1 Kings 22:25; 2 Chronicles 18:24
• 19. Job 41:3
• 20. S Genesis 37:34
• 21. 1 Kings 15:20
• 22. S Genesis 10:22
• 23. 2 Samuel 8:6
• 24. S Genesis 14:15; Jeremiah 49:23-27
• 25. S Exodus 23:32
• 26. S 1 Samuel 10:5; Amos 7:14
• 27. S 1 Kings 13:21; 2 Kings 2:3-7
• 28. 1 Kings 13:24
• 29. S Joshua 2:14; 2 Kings 10:24
• 30. 2 Samuel 12:5; S 2 Samuel 14:13
• 31. S 2 Samuel 12:7
• 32. Jeremiah 48:10
• 33. ver 39; S Joshua 2:14; 1 Kings 22:31-37

Footnotes

• [a] Or "in Sukkoth" ; also in verse 16
• [b] That is, about 75 pounds or about 34 kilograms
• [c] The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.