CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
1 Kings 20
Chapter 20 of 22
Chapter Overview
What happens in 1 Kings 20
King Ben-hadad of Aram attacks Israel with a massive army. God gives Ahab two surprising victories, but Ahab makes the foolish mistake of letting Ben-hadad go free. A prophet condemns Ahab for releasing the man God had marked for destruction.
Scripture
1 Kings 20
Ben-hadad Besieges Samaria
Study note
Ben-hadad of Syria gathered thirty-two allied kings and besieged Samaria. He made outrageous demands for Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. Ahab initially agreed, but when Ben-hadad escalated his demands to include searching homes, Ahab's elders urged him to resist. Ben-hadad boasted he would turn Samaria to dust, but Ahab answered with a proverb: 'A soldier putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.'
1 King Ben-hadad of Aram assembled his whole army, along with 32 allied kings with their horses and chariots. They besieged Samaria and attacked it. And Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
2 He sent messengers into the city to give this demand to King Ahab of Israel: And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,
3 "Your silver and gold belong to me. Your best wives and children are mine." Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
4 The king of Israel answered, "Whatever you say, my lord king. I and everything I own are yours." And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
5 The runners came back with a new demand. "Ben-hadad says, 'I have claimed your silver, gold, wives, and children.'" And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
6 "But tomorrow around this time, I am sending my men to search your palace and your officials' homes. They will help themselves to anything valuable they find.'" Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
7 Ahab called the leaders of his country together and said, "This man is looking for a fight! He already demanded my wives, children, silver, and gold -- and I agreed to everything!" Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
8 The elders and all the people advised him, "Do not give in. Do not agree to this." And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.
9 Ahab sent word to Ben-hadad's messengers: "Tell my lord the king, 'I agreed to your first set of demands, but I cannot accept this second one.'" The messengers carried the answer back. Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
10 Ben-hadad sent yet another note. "May the gods crush me if enough rubble is left in Samaria for each soldier to grab a handful!" And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
11 Ahab sent this reply. "Tell him, 'Do not brag when you put on armor. Brag when you take it off.'" And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
12 Ben-hadad received this answer while he was drinking with the other kings in his camp. He barked the order: "Get into battle position!" And they prepared to attack the city. And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.
Israel's First Victory
Study note
A prophet told Ahab that God would give him victory that very day through the young officers of the provincial commanders. With just 232 officers leading 7,000 soldiers, Israel routed the Syrian army while Ben-hadad was getting drunk in his tent.
13 Then, a prophet came to Ahab king of Israel with a message: "The Lord says, 'Do you see this enormous army? Today I will hand them all over to you, and you will know that I am the Lord.'" And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD.
14 Ahab asked, "But who will lead the attack?" The prophet answered, "The Lord says the young officers of the provincial commanders will do it." Ahab asked, "Who starts the battle?" The prophet said, "You do." And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the LORD, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.
15 Ahab counted the young officers of the provincial commanders: 232 men. Then he counted the rest of the Israelite soldiers: 7,000. Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.
16 They marched out at noon. Meanwhile, Ben-hadad and his 32 allied kings were getting drunk in their tents. And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
17 The young officers charged out first. Ben-hadad's scouts reported, "Men are marching out of Samaria." And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Ben-hadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.
18 Ben-hadad ordered, "Capture them alive, whether they come for peace or war." And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
19 The young officers poured out of the city with the main army right behind them. So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.
20 Each Israelite struck down his opponent. The Aramean army broke and fled, with Israel in pursuit. Ben-hadad escaped on horseback with a few riders. And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Ben-hadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.
21 The king of Israel swept through. He destroyed horses and chariots and killed huge numbers of the Arameans. And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.
Israel's Second Victory at Aphek
Study note
Syria's advisers told Ben-hadad that Israel's God was a god of the hills, so they should fight on flat ground. The next spring, Syria attacked at Aphek. God proved he was God of the valleys too by giving Israel a massive victory: 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers fell in one day, and a wall collapsed on 27,000 more.
22 Afterward, the prophet returned and warned Ahab, "Build up your defenses and plan carefully. The king of Aram will attack again next spring." 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 thee.
23 Meanwhile, Ben-hadad's advisors told him, "Israel's God is a god of the mountains -- therefore they beat us. But if we fight them on flat ground, we will definitely win." 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 stronger than they.
24 "Here is what you should do: Get rid of all the kings in your group. Put trained military officers in their place." And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:
25 "Rebuild your army to match the one you lost -- the same number of horses, chariots, and soldiers. Then fight Israel on the plains, and victory will be ours." Ben-hadad took their advice. And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.
26 The following spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Aramean army and advanced to the town of Aphek to fight Israel. And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.
27 Israel also mobilized and marched out to meet them. The Israelite camp looked like two small clusters of goats next to the Arameans, who blanketed the landscape. And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.
28 A man of God came to the king of Israel and said, "The Lord declares: 'Because the Arameans said I am only a god of the mountains and not of the valleys, I will hand this massive army over to you. Then you will know that I am the Lord.'" And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
29 The two armies faced each other for seven days. On the seventh day, battle erupted. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day. And they pitched one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined: and the children of Israel slew of the Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.
30 The survivors fled into the city of Aphek, where a wall collapsed on 27,000 of them. Ben-hadad ran into the city and hid in a back room. But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
Ahab Releases Ben-hadad
Study note
Ben-hadad's servants came to Ahab wearing sackcloth and ropes, begging for mercy. Ahab called Ben-hadad his 'brother' and made a treaty with him. Ben-hadad promised to return captured cities and give Ahab trading rights in Damascus.
31 His advisors told him, "We have heard that Israel's kings are known for mercy. Let us dress in sackcloth with ropes around our necks and beg for your life." 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 They wrapped sackcloth around their bodies, put ropes on their heads, and went to the king of Israel. "Your servant Ben-hadad asks, 'Please spare my life,'" they said. Ahab responded, "Is he still alive? He is like a brother to me." So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
33 The men jumped on those words as a hopeful sign. "Yes! Your brother Ben-hadad!" they exclaimed. Ahab said, "Go get him." Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab invited him to ride in his chariot. Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Ben-hadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Ben-hadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
34 Ben-hadad offered, "I will return the cities my father captured from your father. And you may establish trading districts in Damascus, like my father had in Samaria." Ahab agreed, "On those conditions, you are free to go." They sealed a treaty, and Ahab released him. And Ben-hadad 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.
A Prophet Condemns Ahab
Study note
One of the prophets used a parable to trap Ahab into pronouncing his own sentence. The prophet disguised himself as a wounded soldier and told Ahab a story about a prisoner who escaped. Ahab judged that the soldier should pay with his life. The prophet revealed his true identity and declared that because Ahab had let Ben-hadad go free, Ahab's life would be taken in place of Ben-hadad's.
35 Directed by the Lord, one of the prophets told a companion, "Hit me." But the man would not do it. 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.
36 The prophet warned, "Because you refused to obey the Lord, a lion will kill you as soon as you leave." Sure enough, after the man left, a lion found him and killed him. Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.
37 The prophet found someone else and said, "Hit me." This man struck him and wounded him. Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.
38 The prophet then went and waited along the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage wrapped over his eyes. So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
39 As the king passed, the prophet called out, "I was right in the middle of the fighting when a soldier brought me a prisoner and said, 'Guard this man. If he gets away, you will pay with your own life, or you will owe a talent of silver.'" And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
40 "But I got busy with other things, and the prisoner slipped away." The king of Israel declared, "Well, you have pronounced your own sentence. That is what will happen to you." And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
41 The prophet quickly ripped off the bandage, and the king recognized him as one of the prophets. And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
42 The prophet told him, "The Lord says: 'You freed the man I marked for death. Your life will pay for his. Your people will pay for his people.'" And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.
43 The king of Israel went back to Samaria, bitter and angry. And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.
Key Themes
Themes in 1 Kings 20
God fights for His people even when they are outnumberedDisobedience disguised as mercyGod is Lord of every domain, not just certain areas of lifeIncomplete obedience carries serious consequences
Apply This Today
Living 1 Kings 20
The Syrians assumed God was only powerful in the hills, but God proved He is Lord everywhere. We must not compartmentalize God, believing He is relevant only at church or during prayer time. He is sovereign over every area of our lives: work, relationships, finances, and every decision we make.
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