Lièwángjìshang 20:34

34 Biàn hā dá duì wáng shuō， wǒ fù cóng nǐ fù nà lǐ suǒ duó dė chéng YÌ， wǒ bì guī hái。 nǐ kě yǐ zài dà mǎ sè lì jiē shì， xiàng wǒ fù zài sā MǍ lì yà suǒ lì dė yī yàng。 yà hā shuō， wǒ zhào cǐ lì yuē， fàng nǐ huí qù， jìu yǔ tā lì yuē， fàng tā qù lė。

Lièwángjìshang 20:34 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:34

And [Benhadad] said unto him
The word Benhadad is not in the original text, and some, as Osiander and others, have thought they are the words of Ahab last spoken of; which seems most likely, who not only took Benhadad into his chariot, but in his great and superabundant kindness, though the conqueror, said to him what follows:

the cities which my father took from thy father I will restore;
that is, those cities which Omri, the father of Ahab, had taken from the father of Benhadad; for as Omri was a prince of might and valour, ( 1 Kings 16:16-18 1 Kings 16:27 ) , it is more probable that he took cities from the king of Syria, than that the king of Syria should take any from him, and which Ahab in his circumstances weakly promises to restore:

and thou shall make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in
Samaria;
which confirms it that it is Ahab, and not Benhadad, that is speaking; for Benhadad's father never had any power nor residence in Samaria, whereas Omri, the father of Ahab, had, he built it, and made it his royal seat; and, in like manner, Ahab promises Benhadad that he should have his palace at Damascus, the metropolis of Syria, and exercise power there, and over all Syria; whereby Ahab renounced all right he had to the kingdom, and any of the cities of it: for by "streets" are not meant those literally so called, for the making of which there was no reason; nor markets to take a toll from, as some, supposing them to be the words of Benhadad; nor courts of judicature, to oblige them to pay it who refused it, as others; nor fortresses to keep them in awe; but a royal palace, as a learned critic ^F20 has observed, for Benhadad to reside in; this Ahab gave him power to erect, and added:

and I will send thee away with this covenant;
or promise now made:

so he made a covenant with him;
confirmed the above promises:

and sent him away;
free, to enjoy his crown and kingdom, for which folly and weakness Ahab is reproved by a prophet, ( 1 Kings 20:42 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F20 Vallandi Dissert. ad 1. Reg. xx. 33, 34. Subsect. 2. sect. 4.

Lièwángjìshang 20:34 In-Context

32 yú shì tā mėn yāo shù má bù， tóu tào shéng suǒ， qù jiàn yǐ sè liè wáng， shuō， wáng dė PŪ rén biàn hā dá shuō， qíu wáng cún líu wǒ dė xìng mìng。 yà hā shuō， tā hái huó zhė ma？ tā shì wǒ dė xiōng dì。

33 Zhè xiē rén líu xīn tàn chū tā dė kǒu qì lái， biàn jí máng jìu zhė tā dė huà shuō， biàn hā dá shì wáng dė xiōng dì。 wáng shuō， nǐ mėn qù qǐng tā lái。 biàn hā dá chū lái jiàn wáng， wáng jìu qǐng tā shàng chē。

34 Biàn hā dá duì wáng shuō， wǒ fù cóng nǐ fù nà lǐ suǒ duó dė chéng YÌ， wǒ bì guī hái。 nǐ kě yǐ zài dà mǎ sè lì jiē shì， xiàng wǒ fù zài sā MǍ lì yà suǒ lì dė yī yàng。 yà hā shuō， wǒ zhào cǐ lì yuē， fàng nǐ huí qù， jìu yǔ tā lì yuē， fàng tā qù lė。

35 Yǒu xiān zhī dė yī gè mén tú fèng YÉ hé huá dė mìng duì tā dė tóng bàn shuō， nǐ dǎ wǒ ba。 nà rén bù kěn dǎ tā。

36 Tā jìu duì nà rén shuō， nǐ jì bù tīng cóng YÉ hé huá dė huà， nǐ yī lí kāi wǒ， bì yǒu shī zi yǎo sǐ nǐ。 nà rén yī lí kāi tā， guǒ rán yù jiàn shī zi， bǎ tā yǎo sǐ lė。