Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1 Kings 20

111 catchwords611 parallels

← 1 Kings | ← Ch 19 | Ch 21 →

1 Kings 20 . 1 , Ben-hadad , not content with Ahab’s homage , besieges Samaria; 1 Kings 20 . 13 , By the direction of a prophet , the Syrians are slain; 1 Kings 20 . 22 , As the prophet forewarned Ahab , the Syrians , trusting in the valleys , come against him in Aphek; 1 Kings 20 . 28 , By the word of the prophet , and God’s judgment , the Syrians are smitten again; 1 Kings 20 . 31 , The Syrians submitting themselves , Ahab sends Ben-hadad away with a covenant; 1 Kings 20 . 35 , The prophet , under the parable of a prisoner , making Ahab judge himself , denounces God’s judgment against him.

1 Kings 20:1

Now Ben-hadad king of Aram assembled his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he marched up, besieged Samaria, and waged war against it.

1 Kings 20:1 · BSB

Benhadad6 parallels

Thirty and two8 parallels

and horses5 parallels

besieged5 parallels

Reciprocal5 parallels

am 3103 , bc 901

1 Kings 20:2

Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel,

1 Kings 20:2 · BSB

the whole verse4 parallels

1 Kings 20:3

saying, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘Your silver and gold are mine, and your best wives and children are mine!’”

1 Kings 20:3 · BSB

the whole verse3 parallels

Reciprocal1 parallel

1 Kings 20:4

And the king of Israel replied, “Just as you say, my lord the king: I am yours, along with all that I have.”

1 Kings 20:4 · BSB

I am thine6 parallels

Reciprocal5 parallels

1 Kings 20:6

But about this time tomorrow I will send my servants to search your palace and the houses of your servants. They will seize and carry away all that is precious to you.’”

1 Kings 20:6 · BSB

and they shall search4 parallels

pleasant8 parallels

Heb. desirable

Reciprocal3 parallels

1 Kings 20:7

Then the king of Israel summoned all the elders of the land and said, “Please take note and see that this man is looking for trouble, for when he demanded my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold, I did not deny him.”

1 Kings 20:7 · BSB

all the elders5 parallels

Mark1 parallel

seeketh mischief10 parallels

denied him not1 parallel

Heb. kept not back from him

Reciprocal1 parallel

1 Kings 20:10

Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”

1 Kings 20:10 · BSB

The gods2 parallels

if the dust8 parallels

follow me2 parallels

Heb. are at my feet

Reciprocal18 parallels

1 Kings 20:11

And the king of Israel replied, “Tell him: ‘The one putting on his armor should not boast like one taking it off.’”

1 Kings 20:11 · BSB

Let not him10 parallels

etc. This was no doubt a proverbial mode of expression. Jonathan renders it . "Let not him who girds himself , and goes down to battle , boast as one who has conquered and returned from it."

Reciprocal18 parallels

harness The word harness is an obsolete word for armour , derived from the French harnois. See note on Exodus 13 . 18.

1 Kings 20:12

Ben-hadad received this message while he and the kings were drinking in their tents, and he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they stationed themselves against the city.

1 Kings 20:12 · BSB

drinking10 parallels

pavilions1 parallel

or , tents , That persons of regal dignity regaled themselves in this manner , we may learn from Dr. Chandler , who , when he went to visit the Aga of Suki , after his return from hawking , found him vexed and tired; and "a couch was prepared from him beneath a shed made against a cottage , and covered with green boughs to keep off the sun. He entered as we were standing by , and fell down on it to sleep , without taking any notice of us."

Reciprocal2 parallels

message Heb. word

Set yourselves in array , And they set etc. or , Place the engines , And they placed engines

1 Kings 20:13

Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”

1 Kings 20:13 · BSB

Hast thou6 parallels

and thou shalt8 parallels

Reciprocal15 parallels

came Heb. approached

1 Kings 20:14

“By whom?” Ahab asked. And the prophet replied, “This is what the LORD says: ‘By the young officers of the district governors.’” “Who will start the battle?” asked Ahab. “You will,” answered the prophet.

1 Kings 20:14 · BSB

young men4 parallels

or , servants

order1 parallel

Heb. bind , or tie

Reciprocal3 parallels

1 Kings 20:15

So Ahab assembled the young officers of the district governors, and there were 232 men. And after them, he assembled the rest of the Israelite troops, 7,000 in all.

1 Kings 20:15 · BSB

two hundred4 parallels

seven thousand4 parallels

Reciprocal2 parallels

1 Kings 20:16

They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.

1 Kings 20:16 · BSB

Benhadad7 parallels

the thirty1 parallel

  • Isaiah 54:15 The Syrians , the besiegers , had their directions from a drunken king , who gave orders over his cups , while he was drinking at noon. Drunkenness is a sin which is most detestable in all , but more so in a king than in a private individual , inasmuch as the greater weight a man's situation carries , whether from accumulated riches , family connections , hereditary authority , or invested command , so is the influence which his vices must have on those around him. Perhaps it may be said , from past experience , that drunkenness , which is a most heinous sin in the sight of God , may be charged on those who indulge only now and then in that which may eventually lead them into drunkenness; for they shut their eyes against the most palpable facts , and rather than give up the paltry gratification of a debauch , involve thousands by their example to positive harm. Benhadad's drunkenness was the forerunner of his fall. Belshazzar also , we read , drank wine with his princes , his wives , and his concubines , and praised the gods of gold , silver , brass , iron , wood , and stone , and in the same hour came forth the finger of a man's hand and wrote his doom on the plaster of the wall. Those who fancy themselves perfectly secure , and above the possibility of falling , are commonly nearest their destruction . there is always an Ahab read to take advantage of and improve the self-imposed imbecility

Reciprocal10 parallels

1 Kings 20:17

And the young officers of the district governors marched out first. Now Ben-hadad had sent out scouts, who reported to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.”

1 Kings 20:17 · BSB

the whole verse3 parallels

1 Kings 20:18

“If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”

1 Kings 20:18 · BSB

the whole verse7 parallels

Reciprocal9 parallels

1 Kings 20:19

Meanwhile, these young officers of the district governors marched out of the city, with the army behind them,

1 Kings 20:19 · BSB

Reciprocal2 parallels

1 Kings 20:20

and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.

1 Kings 20:20 · BSB

they slew2 parallels

the Syrians7 parallels

escaped3 parallels

Reciprocal2 parallels

1 Kings 20:21

Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.

1 Kings 20:21 · BSB

went out6 parallels

1 Kings 20:22

Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”

1 Kings 20:22 · BSB

the prophet5 parallels

strengthen9 parallels

at the return7 parallels

Reciprocal5 parallels

1 Kings 20:23

Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail.

1 Kings 20:23 · BSB

Their gods10 parallels

It was the general belief in the heathen world , that each district had its tutelary and protecting deity , who could do nothing out of his own province

Reciprocal5 parallels

1 Kings 20:24

So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers.

1 Kings 20:24 · BSB

Take the4 parallels

Reciprocal1 parallel

1 Kings 20:25

And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.” And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

1 Kings 20:25 · BSB

and surely1 parallel

thou hast lost Heb. was fallen

1 Kings 20:26

In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

1 Kings 20:26 · BSB

Aphek7 parallels

Supposed to be the Aphek near the river Adonis , between Heliopolis and Biblos , and probably the same place that Paul Lucas mentions in his Voyage to the Levant. It was swallowed up by an earthquake , and formed a lake about nine miles in circumference , in which he says there were several houses still to be seen entire , under the water

Reciprocal4 parallels

to fight against Israel Heb. to the war with Israel

1 Kings 20:27

The Israelites also mobilized, gathered supplies, and marched out to meet them. The Israelites camped before them like two small flocks of goats, while the Arameans covered the countryside.

1 Kings 20:27 · BSB

were all present2 parallels

or , were victualled

like two7 parallels

Reciprocal6 parallels

1 Kings 20:28

Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

1 Kings 20:28 · BSB

there came5 parallels

Because2 parallels

therefore will15 parallels

ye shall know10 parallels

Reciprocal16 parallels

1 Kings 20:29

For seven days the armies camped opposite each other, and on the seventh day the battle ensued, and the Israelites struck down the Arameans—a hundred thousand foot soldiers in one day.

1 Kings 20:29 · BSB

seven days3 parallels

an hundred thousand5 parallels

Reciprocal3 parallels

1 Kings 20:30

The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.

1 Kings 20:30 · BSB

the rest1 parallel

a wall7 parallels

fled3 parallels

into an inner chamber2 parallels

or , from chamber to chamber , Heb. into a chamber within a chamber

Reciprocal16 parallels

1 Kings 20:31

Then the servants of Ben-hadad said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful. Let us go out to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”

1 Kings 20:31 · BSB

his servants2 parallels

merciful kings4 parallels

put sackcloth12 parallels

peradventure4 parallels

Reciprocal7 parallels

I pray thee Six of the citizens of Calais are reported to have acted nearly in the same manner , when they surrendered their city to Edward the Third , king of England , in 1346. See the whole story circumstantially related by Sir John Froissart . who lived in that time with that simplicity and detail that give it every appearance of truth.

1 Kings 20:32

So with sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please spare my life.’” And the king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”

1 Kings 20:32 · BSB

Thy servant11 parallels

he is my brother2 parallels

Reciprocal5 parallels

1 Kings 20:33

Now the men were looking for a sign of hope, and they quickly grasped at this word and replied, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad.” “Go and get him!” said the king. Then Ben-hadad came out, and Ahab had him come up into his chariot.

1 Kings 20:33 · BSB

the men2 parallels

and he caused2 parallels

Reciprocal6 parallels

1 Kings 20:34

Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” “By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

1 Kings 20:34 · BSB

The cities2 parallels

So he made a covenant5 parallels

One of the conditions of this covenant , we learn , was , that Ahab should have "streets (chutzoth) in Damascus;" a proposal better relished by Ahab then understood by the generality of commentators. This , however , is well illustrated by Mr. Harmer , from William of Tyre , the great historian of the Crusades; from whom it appears that it was customary to give those nations which were engaged in them , churches , streets , and great jurisdiction therein , in those places which they assisted to conquer. The Genoese and Venetians had each a street in Acon , or Acre , in which they had their own jurisdiction , with liberty to have an oven , mill , baths , weights , and measures , etc

Reciprocal8 parallels

1 Kings 20:35

Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.

1 Kings 20:35 · BSB

of the sons9 parallels

in the word4 parallels

Smite me8 parallels

Reciprocal10 parallels

1 Kings 20:36

Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

1 Kings 20:36 · BSB

the whole verse4 parallels

Reciprocal5 parallels

1 Kings 20:37

Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded him,

1 Kings 20:37 · BSB

Smite me2 parallels

so that etc. Heb. smiting and wounding

1 Kings 20:38

and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.

1 Kings 20:38 · BSB

disguised4 parallels

Reciprocal6 parallels

1 Kings 20:39

As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver.’

1 Kings 20:39 · BSB

Thy servant4 parallels

thy life2 parallels

or else7 parallels

Reciprocal3 parallels

pay Heb. weigh

1 Kings 20:40

But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.”

1 Kings 20:40 · BSB

So shall thy judgment be5 parallels

Reciprocal2 parallels

he was gone Heb. he was not

1 Kings 20:41

Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

1 Kings 20:41 · BSB

the ashes away4 parallels

Reciprocal4 parallels

1 Kings 20:42

And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”

1 Kings 20:42 · BSB

Because3 parallels

thy life shall go5 parallels

Reciprocal19 parallels

1 Kings 20:43

Sullen and angry, the king of Israel went home to Samaria.

1 Kings 20:43 · BSB

went7 parallels

Reciprocal3 parallels

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge is the classical cross-reference layer — centuries of catchword parallels beneath the site’s quotations, allusions, and echoes. Every reference above also flows into the wider web of connections.

In the wider web1 thread
Intertextuality Pairs
Echoes Acts 26:28 → 1 Kings 20:7
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