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Kretzmann's Popular Commentary

1 Kings 20:23

And the servants of the king of Syria, in an effort to find an explanation of their defeat, said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills, they believed that the God of Israel had power only in the mountainous region of Ephraim; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they, for they had the idea that the god of the mountains would have no power in the lowlands. But they had also a second suggestion.

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See also 1 Kings 20:23 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse 23. _THEIR GODS_ ARE _GODS OF THE HILLS_] It is very likely that the small Israelitish army availed itself of the _heights_ and _uneven_ ground, that they might fight with greater advantage aga...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    THEIR GODS ARE GODS OF THE HILLS - The local power and influence of deities was a fixed principle of the ancient polytheism. Each country was considered to have its own gods; and wars were regarded as...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    4. KING AHAB: HIS WICKED REIGN AND END CHAPTER 20 Ahab's War with the Syrians and His Victory _ 1. The siege and relief of Samaria (1 Kings 20:1)_ 2. The victory at Aphek (1 Kings 20:22) 3. A prop...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    AHAB'S VICTORY OVER BEN-HADAD. Chs. 20 and 22 come from another source. Elijah does not appear, the religious interest is less prominent, and Ahab is presented in a far less hostile light. He acts as...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _their gods_are _gods_ R.V. THEIR GOD IS A GOD. The LXX. also renders by the singular. The Syrians would speak of the God of Israel as a national divinity, just as they would of their own god. The for...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THEIR GODS ARE GODS OF THE HILLS— See Numbers 23:27 and Virgil, En. viii. ver. 698, &c. Bishop Warburton observes, that when Ben-hadad, whose forces consisted of chariots and horsemen, had warred with...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    B. THE BATTLE OF APHEK 20:23-43 It was not long before the intelligence reports reaching Ahab's military advisers confirmed the warnings of the man of God. Benhadad was massing new troops, reorganizin...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _AND THE SERVANTS OF THE KING OF SYRIA SAID UNTO HIM, THEIR GODS ARE GODS OF THE HILLS; THEREFORE THEY WERE STRONGER THAN WE; BUT LET US FIGHT AGAINST THEM IN THE PLAIN, AND SURELY WE SHALL BE STRONGE...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    20:23 plateau, (a-33) The elevated plain east of Jordan....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THEIR GODS.. THE HILLS] RV 'Their god is a god of the hills' A national god was believed to exert his power chiefly within his own land, and the Syrians regarded Jehovah's power as confined to the hil...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    WAR BETWEEN ISRAEL AND SYRIA The Syrians besiege Samaria, but a sally being made from the city by the direction of a prophet, they are driven off, and the next year are beaten at Aphek. Ahab, having...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOD’S LESSONS FROM HISTORY 1 KINGS _PHILIP SMITH_ CHAPTER 20 GOD ALLOWS AHAB’S ARMY TO DEFEAT THE ARMY FROM SYRIA V1 Benhadad, king of Syria gathered his whole army. Then 32 other kings with the...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    GODS OF THE HILLS. — The idea of tutelary gods, whose strength was greatest on their own soil, is naturally common in polytheistic religions, which, by the very multiplication of gods, imply limitatio...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ עַבְדֵ֨י מֶֽלֶךְ ־אֲרָ֜ם אָמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    AHAB AND BENHADAD 1 Kings 20:1 IN the Septuagint and in Josephus the events narrated in the twentieth chapter of the Book of Kings are placed after the meeting of Elijah with Ahab at the door of Nabo...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    A PROSPEROUS NATION 1 Kings 4:1; 1 Kings 20:1; 1 Kings 21:1; 1 Kings 22:1 What a picture is here given of national contentment and

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE GOD BOTH OF HILLS AND VALLEYS 1 Kings 20:16 What is God to us? Is He only the God of the hills? We expect religion to serve us when we come to the great summits of experience. There are times of...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Here begins the actual movement in the downfall of Ahab. Ben-hadad, drunken, profligate, despotic, came in the pride of arms against Samaria. By the voices of prophets Jehovah spoke to Ahab, who, acti...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their (k) gods [are] gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be st...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Hills. All the high places of Israel were covered with idols. Samaria, Bethel, Dan, &c., were built on eminences. (Menochius) --- Altars had also been erected to the true God on the most famous mounta...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    (22) В¶ And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against t...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    The days were very dark in Israel. Not only rebellion. And rebellion, always serious, was peculiarly so in Israel, for there it was insubordination in a direct manner against not only God's providence...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    According to the outward history of Israel, that which follows the revelations made to Elijah in Horeb looks like a time of restoration and blessing; and outwardly it was so. Benhadad is overcome and...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND THE SERVANTS OF THE KING OF SYRIA SAID UNTO HIM,.... His ministers of state, his privy counsellors: THEIR GODS ARE GODS OF THE HILLS, THEREFORE THEY WERE STRONGER THAN WE; and beat them in the la...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods [are] gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be strong...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Their gods are gods of the hills_, &c. The heathen, in general, had no notion of the God of the universe, but only worshipped local and tutelary deities; who, they thought, ruled over particular coun...

  • KJV Original Language Details

    1 Benhadad not content with Ahabs hommage, besiegeth Samaria. 13 By the direction of a Prophet, the Syrians are slaine. 22 As the Prophet forewarned Ahab, the Syrians trusting in the valleys, come a...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    AHAB DEFEATS SYRIA (vs.1-22) God's care for His people Israel is still remarkably displayed in this chapter in spite of the unholy character of Ahab. Ben Hadad, king of Syria, marshaled a tremendous...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    22-30 Those about Benhadad advised him to change his ground. They take it for granted that it was not Israel, but Israel's gods, that beat them; but they speak very ignorantly of Jehovah. They suppose...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THE SERVANTS OF THE KING OF SYRIA suppose that their gods were no better than the Syrian gods, (which the idolatry of the Israelites had given them too great cause to imagine,) and that there were man...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    1 Kings 20:23 servants H5650 king H4428 Syria H758 said H559 (H8804) gods H430 gods H430 hills H2022 stronger...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    YHWH THWARTS BENHADAD'S SECOND ATTEMPT ON ISRAEL (1 KINGS 20:22). It was not likely that Benhadad would take this reverse lightly. While his forces had fled in panic with the result that he had forfei...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    WAR WITH BENHADAD KING OF ARAM (1 KINGS 20:1). There is no indication at what point in Ahab's reign these events occurred, but a situation is indicated where the power of the Aramaeans had now grown s...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Ahab's Syrian campaigns and victories. His sin in sparing Ben-hadad. CHARACTERS: God, Ahab, Ben-hadad, two prophets. CONCLUSION: Enemies are more than a match for us, but no match for Jeho...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    1 Kings 20:3. _Thy gold thy wives are mine._ The African princes still send similar messages to one another. Mungo Park mentions one who sent an order to a neighbouring prince to have the houses all m...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Go, strengthen thyself _ MADE STRONG FOR LIFE’S BATTLE Israel had Just been at war with Syria, and had come off victorious. Naturally they were feeling very happy and triumphant and were congratula...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 20:1 After Elijah’s recruitment of Elisha, one expects to read of his anointing of Hazael as king over Syria and of Jehu as king over Israel (compare 1 Kings 19:15). Instead

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    1 KINGS—NOTE ON 1 KINGS 20:22 STRENGTHEN YOURSELF. Both sides prepare for a continuation of warfare in the following SPRING, a common time for kings to go to war (compare...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    CRITICAL AND EXPLANATORY NOTES.— 1 Kings 20:22. AT THE RETURN OF THE YEAR—לִתְשׁוּבת השָׁנָה. with the beginning of the year—the spring—until which time the winter rains would prevent another campaig...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THE INVASIONS OF ISRAEL BY THE SYRIANS AND THEIR RESULTS.—The insertion of this chapter, which contains an account of two invasions of Israel by the hosts of Syria, and of the utter defeat...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now Benhadad who was presently the king of Syria gathered all of his host together: and there were thirty-two kings that went with him, with their horses, and chariots: and they came up and besieged S...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 14:23; 1 Kings 20:28; 1 Samuel 4:8; 2 Chronicles 32:13;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Said to him — They suppose that their gods were no better than the Syrian gods and that there were many gods who had each his particular charge and jurisdiction; which was the opinion of all heathen n...

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