1 Kings 20:1

1 Kings 20:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it.

Context of 1 Kings 20:1

Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were [allied] with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria [Israel’s capital], and fought against it. 2Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab king of Israel; and he said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad: 3‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives and your children, even the fairest, also are mine [as conditions of peace].’ ”

1 Kings 20:1 word by word

וּבֶן־הֲדַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֗ם קָבַץ֙ אֶת־כָּל־חֵיל֔וֹ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים וּשְׁנַ֥יִם מֶ֛לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ וְס֣וּס וָרָ֑כֶב וַיַּ֗עַל וַיָּ֙צַר֙ עַל־שֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם בָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Ben–hadadבֶּן־הֲדַדben-hădad · Ben-hadadH1130
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
• gatheredקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
• all his hostחַ֫יִלchayil · armyH2428
• thirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
• and twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• with him, and horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
• and chariotsרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
• and he went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• and besiegedצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
• Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
• and warredלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:1

• 1 Kings 15:18Then Asa took all the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of the Lord and the treasuries of the palace of the king and handed them over to his servants. And King Asa sent them to Ben-hadad the son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Aram (Syria), who lived in Damascus, saying,
• 2 Kings 8:7Now Elisha came to Damascus, and Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) was sick; and he was told, “The man of God has come here.”
• 2 Chronicles 16:2Then Asa brought out silver and gold from the treasuries of the house of the Lord and from the king’s house, and sent them to Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria), who lived in Damascus, saying,
• Jeremiah 49:27“I will set fire to the wall of Damascus, And it will consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.”
• Amos 1:4So I will send a fire [of war, conquest, and destruction] upon the house of Hazael, And it shall devour the palaces and strongholds of Ben-hadad (Hazael’s son).
• 1 Kings 20:16They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was getting drunk in the temporary shelters, he and the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
• Genesis 14:1In the days of the [Eastern] kings Amraphel of Shinar, Arioch of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer of Elam, and Tidal of Goiim,
• Judges 1:7Adoni-bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off used to gather up scraps of food under my table; as I have done [to others], so God has repaid me.” So they brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
• Ezra 7:12“Artaxerxes, king of kings, to Ezra the priest, the scribe of the Law of the God of heaven, perfect peace (greetings). And now
• Isaiah 10:8For Assyria says, “Are not my princes all kings?
• Ezekiel 26:7For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will bring upon Tyre from the north Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots and with horsemen and a great army.
• Daniel 2:37You, O king, are the king of [earthly] kings, to whom the God of heaven has given the kingdom, the power, the strength and the glory;
• Exodus 14:7and he took six hundred chosen war-chariots, and all the other war-chariots of Egypt with fighting charioteers over all of them.
• Deuteronomy 20:1“When you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots and people more numerous than you, do not be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt, is with you.
• Judges 4:3Then the Israelites cried out to the Lord [for help], for Jabin had nine hundred iron chariots and had oppressed and tormented the sons of Israel severely for twenty years.
• 1 Samuel 13:5Now the Philistines gathered to fight against Israel, 30,000 chariots and 6,000 horsemen, and troops in multitude, like sand on the seashore. They came up and camped at Michmash, east of Beth-aven.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Ben-hadad - Several MSS., and some early printed editions, have Ben-hadar, or the son of Hadar, as the Septuagint. He is supposed to be the same whom Asa stirred up against the king of Israel, 1 Kings 15:18; or, as others, his son or grandson. Thirty and two kings - Tributary chieftains of Syria and the adjacent countries. In former times every town and city had its independent chieftain. Both the Septuagint and Josephus place this war after the history…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Ben-hadad, the king of Syria - Probably the son of the Ben-hadad who assisted Asa against Baasha (1 Kings 15:18 note). Thirty and two kings with him - Not allies, but feudatories 1 Kings 20:24. Damascus had in the reign of this Ben-hadad become the center of an important monarchy, which may not improbably have extended from the Euphrates to the northern border of Israel. The Assyrian inscriptions show that this country was about the period in question…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Benhadad besieges Samaria. (1-11) Benhadad's defeat. (12-21) The Syrians again defeated. (22-30) Ahab makes peace with Benhadad. (31-43) Verses 1-11 Benhadad sent Ahab a very insolent demand. Ahab sent a very disgraceful submission; sin brings men into such straits, by putting them out of the Divine protection. If God do not rule us, our enemies shall: guilt dispirits men, and makes them cowards. Ahab became desperate. Men will part with their most…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1We do not know if this refers to Ben-hadad I or II. Accompanied by thirty-two kings: Groups of kings often united in the ancient Near East. Shalmaneser III recorded Ben-hadad’s name as Hadad-ezer and noted he was in a twelve-king alliance against him at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-121Ki 20:1-12. Ben-hadad Besieges Samaria. 1. Ben-hadad the king of Syria--This monarch was the son of that Ben-hadad who, in the reign of Baasha, made a raid on the northern towns of Galilee (1Ki 15:20). The thirty-two kings that were confederate with him were probably tributary princes. The ancient kings of Syria and Phoenicia ruled only over a single city, and were independent of each other, except when one great city, as Damascus, acquired the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:1

• Chariot
• Confederacies
• Siege

In the dictionaries

• Samaria
• Syria
• Ahab
• Mark
• Benhadad
• Israel, Kingdom of
• King; Kingdom
• Samaria, City of
• Siege
• Aram

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary