1 Kings 20:33

33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said , Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said , Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.

1 Kings 20:33 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:33

Now the men did diligently observe whether anything would
come from him
That would be a good omen to them, and encourage them to hope for success; they observed him as diligently by his words and behaviour as soothsayers do when they look out for a lucky sign; for the word is sometimes used of divining F19:

and did hastily catch it;
as soon as it was out of his mouth, and laid hold on it to improve it to advantage, being wiser than him:

and they said, thy brother Benhadad;
him whom thou callest thy brother; he is thy brother, and is alive; this they caught, and expressed it, to observe whether it was a slip of his tongue, and whether he spoke it heartily, and would abide by it, or whether he would retract it:

then he said, go ye, bring him;
meaning from the city to the place where he was:

then Benhadad came forth to him;
out of his chamber, upon the report of his servants:

and he caused him to come up into the chariot;
to sit and converse with him there.


FOOTNOTES:

F19 (wvxny) "augurati sunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Vatablus.

1 Kings 20:33 In-Context

31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.
32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said , Thy servant Benhadad saith , I pray thee, let me live . And he said , Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said , Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said , Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34 And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore ; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away .
35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
The King James Version is in the public domain.