1 Kings 20:38

1 Kings 20:38 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
• New International Version (NIV)Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
• English Standard Version (ESV)So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

Context of 1 Kings 20:38

36Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as you leave me, a lion will kill you.” And as soon as he left him, a lion found him and killed him. 37Then the prophet found another man and said, “Please strike me.” So the man struck him hard, wounding him. So the prophet left and waited for King Ahab by the road, and disguised himself [as a wounded soldier] with a bandage over his eyes. 39As the king passed by, the prophet called out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle, and behold, a man turned aside and brought a man to me and said, ‘Guard this man; if for any reason he is missing, then your life shall be required for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’ 40But while your servant was busy here and there, he [escaped and] was gone.” And the king of Israel said to him, “Such is your own judgment (verdict); you have determined it.”

1 Kings 20:38 word by word

וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הַנָּבִ֔יא וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ עַל־הַדָּ֑רֶךְ וַיִּתְחַפֵּ֥שׂ בָּאֲפֵ֖ר עַל־עֵינָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• So the prophetנָבִיאnâbîy' · prophetH5030
• departedיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• and waitedעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: standH5975
• for the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• by the wayדֶּ֫רֶךְderek · way: roadH1870
• and disguisedחָפַשׂchâphaώ · to searchH2664
• himself with ashesאֲפֵר'ăphêr · bandageH666
• upon his faceעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eyeH5869

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:38

• 2 Samuel 12:5Then David’s anger burned intensely against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die.
• Job 15:6Your own mouth condemns you, and not I; Yes, your own lips testify against you.
• Matthew 21:41They said to Him, “He will put those despicable men to a miserable end, and rent out the vineyard to other tenants [of good character] who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”
• Matthew 25:24“The one who had received one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a harsh and demanding man, reaping [the harvest] where you did not sow and gathering where you did not scatter seed.
• Luke 19:22He said to the servant, ‘I will judge and condemn you by your own words, you worthless servant! Did you [really] know that I was a stern man, picking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:38

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Disguised himself with ashes upon his face - It does not immediately appear how putting ashes upon his face could disguise him. Instead of אפר apher, dust, Houbigant conjectures that it should be אפד aphad, a fillet or bandage. It is only the corner of the last letter which makes the difference; for the ד daleth and ר resh are nearly the same, only the shoulder of the former is square, the latter round. That bandage, not dust, was the original reading…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38Ashes - Rather, “a bandage” (and in 1 Kings 20:41). The object of the wound and bandage was double. Partly, it was to prevent Ahab from recognizing the prophet‘s face; partly, to induce him to believe that the man had really been engaged in the recent war.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. 35-43Ahab showed mercy to Ben-hadad, which displeased God. An unnamed prophet used symbolic actions to show this disapproval. God's prophets often used symbols to deliver his messages (Isaiah 20; Jeremiah 27:1–7; Ezekiel 4:1–3, 9–17; 5:1–4). By sparing an untrustworthy enemy, Ahab brought judgment on himself and his people instead of relying more on the Lord.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 35-3835-38. Smite me--This prophet is supposed (1Ki 20:8) to have been Micaiah. The refusal of his neighbor to smite the prophet was manifestly wrong, as it was a withholding of necessary aid to a prophet in the discharge of a duty to which he had been called by God, and it was severely punished [1Ki 20:36], as a beacon to warn others (see on 1Ki 13:2-24). The prophet found a willing assistant, and then, waiting for Ahab, leads the king unconsciously, in the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:38

• Ashes
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Ahab
• Mark
• Micaiah
• Israel, Kingdom of
• Prophecy; Prophets

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