1 Kings 20:31

1 Kings 20:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)His officials said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Let us go to the king of Israel with sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads. Perhaps he will spare your life.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And his servants said to him, "Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will spare your life."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then his servants said to him, “Look now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please, let us put sackcloth around our waists and ropes around our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.”

Context of 1 Kings 20:31

29So they camped opposite each other for seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle began, and the sons of Israel killed 100,000 of the Aramean foot soldiers in a single day. 30But the rest ran to the city of Aphek, and the [city] wall fell on 27,000 of the men who were left. Ben-hadad escaped and came into the city, going into an inner chamber [to hide]. But his servants said to him, “We have heard that the kings of the house (royal line) of Israel are merciful kings. Please let us put sackcloth around our loins and ropes on our necks [as symbols of submission], and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will spare your life.” 32So they put sackcloth around their loins and ropes on their necks, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And Ahab asked, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33Now the men took it as a good omen, and quickly understanding his meaning said, “Yes, your brother Ben-hadad lives.” Then the king said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and Ahab had him come up into the chariot.

1 Kings 20:31 word by word

וַיֹּאמְר֣וּ אֵלָיו֮ עֲבָדָיו֒ הִנֵּֽה־נָ֣א שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ כִּ֗י מַלְכֵי֙ בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כִּֽי־מַלְכֵ֥י חֶ֖סֶד הֵ֑ם נָשִׂ֣ימָה נָּא֩ שַׂקִּ֨ים בְּמָתְנֵ֜ינוּ וַחֲבָלִ֣ים בְּרֹאשֵׁ֗נוּ וְנֵצֵא֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל אוּלַ֖י יְחַיֶּ֥ה אֶת־נַפְשֶֽׁךָ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And his servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
• saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• unto him, Behold now, we have heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
• that the kingsמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• mercifulחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
• let us, I pray thee, putשׂוּםώûm ώîym · to set: putH7760
• sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
• on our loinsמׇתְנַ֫יִםmôthen · loinH4975
• and ropesחֶ֫בֶלchebel chêbel · cordH2256
• upon our headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• and go outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• peradventure he will saveחָיָהchâyâh · to liveH2421
• thy lifeנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:31

• Proverbs 25:13Like the cold of snow [brought from the mountains] in the time of harvest, So is a faithful messenger to those who send him; For he refreshes the life of his masters.
• Luke 16:8And his master commended the unjust manager [not for his misdeeds, but] because he had acted shrewdly [by preparing for his future unemployment]; for the sons of this age [the non-believers] are shrewder in relation to their own kind [that is, to the ways of the secular world] than are the sons of light [the believers].
• 2 Kings 10:15When Jehu went on from there, he met Jehonadab the son of Rechab coming to meet him. He greeted him and said to him, “Is your heart right, as my heart is with yours?” Jehonadab answered, “It is.” Jehu said “If it is, give me your hand.” He gave him his hand, and Jehu pulled him up into the chariot.
• Acts 8:31And he said, “Well, how could I [understand] unless someone guides me [correctly]?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31Put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads - Let us show ourselves humbled in the deepest manner, and let us put ropes about our necks, and go submitting to his mercy, and deprecating his wrath. The citizens of Calais are reported to have acted nearly in the same way when they surrendered their city to Edward III., king of England, in 1346. See at the end, 1 Kings 20:43; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31And ropes upon our heads - “Ropes about our necks” is probably meant. They, as it were, put their lives at Ahab‘s disposal, who, if he pleased, might hang them at once.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 31-43Verses 31-43 This encouragement sinners have to repent and humble themselves before God; Have we not heard, that the God of Israel is a merciful God? Have we not found him so? That is gospel repentance, which flows from an apprehension of the mercy of God, in Christ; there is forgiveness with him. What a change is here! The most haughty in prosperity often are most abject in adversity; an evil spirit will thus affect a man in both these conditions. There…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 31sackcloth … ropes: Ben-hadad's officers knew the kings of Israel were often merciful. They advised approaching Ahab with signs of humble repentance (Joel 1:13; Jonah 3:5–9) and submission (Job 12:18; Lamentations 1:14). Ancient Near Eastern art often shows captured enemies with ropes around their necks. Assyrian kings bragged about piercing the lips or cheeks of their captives with ropes.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 27-3127-31. like two little flocks of kids--Goats are never seen in large flocks, or scattered, like sheep; and hence the two small but compact divisions of the Israelite force are compared to goats, not sheep. Humanly speaking, that little handful of men would have been overpowered by numbers. But a prophet was sent to the small Israelite army to announce the victory, in order to convince the Syrians that the God of Israel was omnipotent everywhere, in the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:31

• Cord
• Diplomacy
• Rope
• Sackcloth

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Ahab
• Mark
• Alliance
• Benhadad
• Cord
• Hat
• Israel, Kingdom of
• War; Warfare

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