1 Kings 20:17-27

17 And the young men of the princes of (the) provinces went out in the first front. Therefore Benhadad sent men, which told to him, and said, Men went out of Samaria (And Benhadad sent out men, who reported back to him, and said, Some men have come out of Samaria).
18 And he said, Whether they come for peace, take ye them quick; whether to fight, take ye them quick. [And he saith, Whether for peace they come, taketh them alive; whether that they fight, taketh them alive.]
19 Therefore the young men of the princes of (the) provinces went out, and the residue host followed (them);
20 and each smote the man that came against him. And (the) men of Syria fled, and Israel pursued them; also Benhadad, the king of Syria, fled on an horse with his knights.
21 Also the king of Israel went out, and smote (the) horses and chariots, and he smote Syria with a full great vengeance. (And the king of Israel went out, and struck down the horses and the chariots, and he struck down the Syrians with a very great slaughter.)
22 Forsooth a prophet nighed to the king of Israel, and said, Go thou, and be strengthened, and know, and see, what thou shalt do; for the king of Syria shall ascend against thee in the year following (for the king of Syria shall also come against thee next year).
23 Soothly the servants of the king of Syria said to him, The Gods of hills be the Gods of the sons of Israel (The gods of the hills be the gods of the Israelites), therefore they overcame us; but it is better that we fight against them in [the] field places, and we shall get them there.
24 Therefore do thou this word, or counsel; remove thou all [the] kings from thine host, and set thou princes for them; (And so do thou this thing, or follow thou this counsel; remove thou all the kings from thy army, and put thou other leaders in their place;)
25 and restore thou the number of knights, that felled of thine, and [the] horses after the former horses, and restore thou [the] chariots, by the chariots which thou haddest before; and we shall fight against them in [the] field places, and thou shalt see, that we shall get them. He believed to the counsel of them, and did so (He believed in their counsel, and did so).
26 Therefore after that the year had passed, Benhadad numbered men of Syria (Benhadad called for the Syrians), and he went up into Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27 Forsooth the sons of Israel were numbered; and when meats were taken, they went forth even against (them); and they, as two little flocks of goats, setted tents against men of Syria. Forsooth men of Syria filled the land. (And the Israelites were also called for; and when provisions were taken, they went forth opposite them; and they, as but two little flocks of goats, pitched their tents opposite the Syrians. And the Syrians filled the land.)

1 Kings 20:17-27 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.