1 Kings 20:3

3 saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ^[a] ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’”

1 Kings 20:3 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:3

Thy silver and thy gold is mine
Not of right, but reckoning it as good as in his hands, Ahab not being able to resist him:

and thy wives also;
for it seems he had more than Jezebel:

and thy children;
which were many, for he had no less than seventy sons, ( 2 Kings 10:1 ) ,

even the goodliest are mine:
some aggravate this, as if his view was to commit the unnatural sin with his male children, when in his possession.

1 Kings 20:3 In-Context

1 Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.

2 Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel,

3 saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’”

4 And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

5 The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.

Footnotes

• [a] Some texts break verse 2 and begin verse 3 at this point.