1 Kings 20:1-12. Ben-hadad king of Syria besieges Samaria. His messages to Ahab (Not in Chronicles) 1. In the LXX. Chapter s 20. and 21. are transposed, apparently with a view of bringing the history in which Elijah plays a part into closer connexion. Josephus also adopts the same order of events i... [ Continue Reading ]
_he sent messengers_ Sending first, no doubt, as Josephus explains, a herald to ask that his ambassadors might be received to explain his demands.... [ Continue Reading ]
even _the goodliest_ These words are omitted in the LXX. The claim laid to the wives and children would in Oriental eyes amount to a deposition of the monarch, or a deprivation of his royal power. It was one of the first acts of a conqueror to seize the wives of the vanquished opponent. Ahab's fear... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to thy saying_ The R.V. inserts IT IS before these words and thus brings out the division of the verse as marked in the Hebrew. The order of words in the original is -It is according to thy saying, my lord, O king.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Although I have sent unto thee_ The R.V. translates I SENT INDEED _unto thee_, and begins the 6th verse with BUT instead of _yet_. This brings out the arrogancy of Ben-hadad more fully. It is as though he said -You submitted to my first demand, but in spite of that I am not satisfied." Now not only... [ Continue Reading ]
_to-morrow about this time_ The imperious victor (as he thought himself) would suffer no delay. His orders were to be carried out at once.... [ Continue Reading ]
_called all the elders of the land_ It was more than a gathering of the chief men of the city. Probably at such a crisis many of the principal persons who dwelt at other times away from the fortified cities would have gathered in Samaria for safety. It was with all these that Ahab conferred. Josephu... [ Continue Reading ]
_Hearken not_unto him, _nor consent_ The R.V. omits the needless italics and reads NEITHER instead of _nor_. The shorter the form of such a decision the better and more natural.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Tell my lord the king_ The LXX. says -your lord". The Hebrew accords better with the generally submissive conduct of Ahab throughout the whole narrative. The picture of the power of the Israelitish king is not very magnificent. Even in this final answer he speaks of himself as Ben-hadad's -servant... [ Continue Reading ]
_if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me_ i.e. I will bring such a host that if each man were but to take with him a handful of earth, Samaria would be all carried away. The boastful tone is quite of a piece with all Ben-hadad's previous conduct. The LXX.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Tell_him, &c. For this the LXX. gives "Let it suffice: let not the crooked boast himself as the straight." The latter portion is an attempt (but not very successful) to supply the place of one proverbial saying by another. We convey somewhat of a like sense by -Praise not the day till the evening.... [ Continue Reading ]
_as he_was _drinking_ Ben-hadad was clearly full of confidence, and was giving a banquet to the allied princes in anticipation of the victory. _he and the kings_ i.e. The thirty and two, mentioned in 1 Kings 20:1. _in the pavilions_ The word is the same which is used for the temporary booths erect... [ Continue Reading ]
God by a prophet promises the victory to Ahab. The Syrians are defeated (Not in Chronicles) 13. _there came a prophet_ The Hebrew verb is not the common word for -to come." The R.V. has therefore translated it here, and in 1Ki 20:22; 1 Kings 20:28, by CAME NEAR, as it is very frequently translated... [ Continue Reading ]
_the young men of the princes of the provinces_ The LXX. gives υἱοὶ τῶν ἡγεμόνων, -sons of the leaders", and Josephus nearly the same. -The princes of the provinces" were probably chieftains who had come from various parts of the kingdom of Israel. The -young men" would be their attendants or squire... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then he numbered_[R.V. MUSTERED] _the young men_ The verb occurs several times in this chapter, and is always rendered -numbered" (see 1 Kings 20:26-27 and the two instances in this verse), as indeed it is in nearly all cases in A.V. But looking at 1 Kings 20:27, in comparison with this verse, -to... [ Continue Reading ]
_they went out at noon_ They had probably learnt that the royal banquet was in progress, and the moment would appear a favourable one. When the leaders were giving themselves up to self-indulgence the army would not be well-prepared for action. The words which follow shew that the revelry in the cam... [ Continue Reading ]
_and Ben-hadad sent out_ Even in his drunken revelry he is made aware that something unexpected is taking place, and he sends to know exactly what it is. The LXX. says -they send and announce to the king of Syria", but this is hardly what would take place. When the messengers come back they tell the... [ Continue Reading ]
_take them alive_ Whatever their mission might be Ben-hadad had no doubt that his followers could surround them and capture them without fighting. They could have no difficulty in overpowering so insignificant a force. Why he wished for the capture rather than the slaughter of the Israelites is not... [ Continue Reading ]
_So these young men_, &c. The R.V. keeps the order of the original and renders SO THESE WENT OUT OF THE CITY, THE YOUNG MEN, &c. The LXX. has made this clause part of Ben-hadad's order: -And let not the young men &c. go forth". _and the army which followed them_ That is, the 7000 mentioned above in... [ Continue Reading ]
_on a horse with the horsemen_ The distinction usually drawn between the two Hebrew nouns in this expression is that the first word describes a chariot horse, the second a horse for riding. If this be so (and there seems good ground for the distinction) the king of Syria fled away in such haste that... [ Continue Reading ]
_And the king of Israel went out_ Ahab's part appears to have been a small one. He seems to have given directions to the young men, and to those that followed them, but himself to have tarried in Samaria, until the rout was seen to have begun.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Syrians prepare another army, and are again defeated. ahab makes a covenant with Ben-hadad (Not in Chronicles) 22. _the prophet came to the king_ R.V. CAME NEAR as in 1Ki 20:13; 1 Kings 20:28. See on 13. _mark, and see_ i.e. Take every possible precaution. Look out for what is best to be done.... [ Continue Reading ]
_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 former battle had been fought in the hill country round about Samaria, and this may have given encourag... [ Continue Reading ]
_Take the kings away_ That is, the thirty and two, whose attendance on the court, and the wassail consequent on their presence, had done much harm to the expedition. We need not suppose that these kings were to be deprived of their power and deposed, though the text would bear that interpretation, b... [ Continue Reading ]
_and number thee an army_ Here we have a different verb from that in 15 and in 26, 27. Here the operation is one of numbering, making the force tally exactly in each arm with that which had been gathered in the previous year. The rendering of this verb by -number" is an additional reason for changin... [ Continue Reading ]
_numbered_ R.V. MUSTERED, and so in the next verse. See above on 1 Kings 20:15. _up to Aphek_ There were several places of this name. One was at the foot of Lebanon, in the tribe of Asher (see Joshua 13:4; Joshua 19:30). Another was in the hill country on the east of the sea of Galilee. But as Ben-... [ Continue Reading ]
_were all present_ The R.V. has adopted the marginal rendering of A.V. WERE VICTUALLED. This is the rendering of the Vulg. _cibaria exceperunt_. The passive form of the verb occurs only here, but the active -to supply with victuals" is found, Genesis 45:11; Genesis 50:21 and in several other places.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And there came a man of God_ R.V. AND A MAN OF GOD CAME NEAR. See on 1 Kings 20:13 above. This was probably a different person from the prophet of 1 Kings 20:13; 1 Kings 20:22. _and said_ This is the same word in the original with that rendered -and spake" just a few words before. It seems probab... [ Continue Reading ]
_seven days_ Perhaps there was some religious idea on the part of the Israelites connected with this time of waiting before they began the battle. After the promise of the man of God, the conflict would have a religious sanction and be entered on with confidence. _an hundred thousand footmen_ The n... [ Continue Reading ]
_and_there _a_[R.V. AND THE] _wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the_[R.V. omits _of the men_ The noun is definite in the original, and must refer to the city wall of Aphek. The narrative gives no clue to the cause of the disaster. But the divine promise of victory seems to warrant us in co... [ Continue Reading ]
_let us, I_[R.V. WE] _pray thee_ The change is made because the sentence is in other parts in the plural. The Hebrew נא is a mere particle employed to give emphasis to forms of entreaty, and has nothing that indicates whether one or more persons are speakers. _sackcloth on our loins_ The garment of... [ Continue Reading ]
Is _he yet alive? he_is _my brother_ Ahab could not know whether Ben-hadad had perished under the falling wall, but as soon as he hears that he is safe, his sympathy is stirred for one of his own rank, and he uses the kingly form of address in speaking of him -my brother". Cf. above on 1 Kings 9:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
_the men did diligently observe whether_any thing would come _from him, and did hastily catch_it] R.V. THE MEN OBSERVED DILIGENTLY AND HASTED TO CATCH WHETHER IT WERE HIS MIND. There are several difficulties in this verse. The italics of A.V. being omitted, we have an expression meaning -whether fro... [ Continue Reading ]
This verse is very singular from the omission of the names of both the speakers. It is clear enough from the sense, to whom each clause must be assigned, but the omissions are so unusual that one can hardly help suspecting some error in the text. The LXX. joins the two clauses as though they were sp... [ Continue Reading ]
A prophetic message rebuking Ahab because he had let Ben-hadad go (Not in Chronicles) 35. _a certain man of the sons of the prophets_ It is clear from what follows in the history (2 Kings 2) about the taking of Elijah into heaven, that in spite of Jezebel's persecution, the prophets and their schoo... [ Continue Reading ]
_a lion_ On the frequency of wild beasts in the Holy Land at this time, see above on 1 Kings 13:24. The incident here recorded is not without its importance as a comment on disobedience to God's command, for which a punishment was just to be pronounced against Ahab.... [ Continue Reading ]
_so that in smiting he wounded_him] The R.V. has adopted the literal rendering which stands on the margin of A. V. SMITING AND wounding him. Josephus specifies the nature of the wound θραύσαντος αὐτοῦ τὸ κράνιον -breaking his head". This of course is to be inferred from what follows.... [ Continue Reading ]
_waited for the king by the way_ He wished to intercept Ahab just as he was coming from his interview with Ben-hadad. A parallel this to the lion meeting the disobedient prophet as soon as he had departed from his fellow. _and disguised himself_ With this action may be compared the assumed mourning... [ Continue Reading ]
_cried unto the king_ The appeal for the king's intervention is made with a view of getting free from the punishment which had been threatened to him. _a man turned aside_ Evidently meant to indicate one of authority who had a right to command the services which he desires and to impose a penalty i... [ Continue Reading ]
_he was gone_ The sentence would of course continue thus: -Let me however find grace and let not thy servant suffer for this neglect". _So_shall _thy judgement_be] i.e. As he laid down who entrusted his prisoner to thy care. The LXX. rendering here is utterly without sense, and it is impossible to... [ Continue Reading ]
_the ashes away from his face_ Here R.V. (as in 38) THE HEAD BAND FROM HIS EYES. _that he was of the prophets_ It is clear that the prophets were distinguished by dress, or in some evident manner, so that they were easy of recognition. Perhaps the hairy prophetic mantle was the usual garb, and that... [ Continue Reading ]
_a man_ R.V. THE MAN. For the whole multitude, and of course the king above all, had been delivered into Ahab's hand (see 1 Kings 20:28), and the victory was to be an evidence that Jehovah had fought for Israel. _appointed to utter destruction_ R.V. DEVOTED TO DESTRUCTION. This was the purpose for... [ Continue Reading ]
_heavy and displeased_ Said again of Ahab in the next chapter (1 Kings 20:4) when he could not prevail upon Naboth to part with his vineyard. The first of these words is used in 1 Kings 21:5 to signify sadness of spirit, the second indicates anger arising from disappointment. It describes the sort o... [ Continue Reading ]