American Standard Version
1 Kings 20:39
39And 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.
1 Kings 20:39 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)As the king passed by, the prophet called out to him, “Your servant went into the thick of the battle, and someone came to me with a captive and said, ‘Guard this man. If he is missing, it will be your life for his life, or you must pay a talent of silver.’
- English Standard Version (ESV)And as the king passed, he cried to the king and said, "Your servant went out into the midst of the battle, and behold, a soldier turned and brought a man to me and said, 'Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.'
- New King James Version (NKJV)Now as the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’
Context of 1 Kings 20:39
37Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, smiting and wounding him. 38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes. 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. 40And 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. 41And he hasted, and took the headband away from his eyes; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.
Read all of 1 Kings 201 Kings 20:39 word by word
וַיְהִ֤י הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ עֹבֵ֔ר וְה֖וּא צָעַ֣ק אֶל־הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ וַיֹּ֜אמֶר עַבְדְּךָ֣׀ יָצָ֣א בְקֶֽרֶב־הַמִּלְחָמָ֗ה וְהִנֵּֽה־אִ֨ישׁ סָ֜ר וַיָּבֵ֧א אֵלַ֣י אִ֗ישׁ וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ שְׁמֹר֙ אֶת־הָאִ֣ישׁ הַזֶּ֔ה אִם־הִפָּקֵד֙ יִפָּקֵ֔ד וְהָיְתָ֤ה נַפְשְׁךָ֙ תַּ֣חַת נַפְשׁ֔וֹ א֥וֹ כִכַּר־כֶּ֖סֶף תִּשְׁקֽוֹל׃Read the interlinear
- kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- passedעָבַר‛âbar · to passH5674
- criedצָעַקtsâ‛aq · to cryH6817
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- wentיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- midstקֶ֫רֶבqereb · entrails: amongH7130
- battleמִלְחָמָהmilchâmâh · battleH4421
- manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- turnedסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
- asideסוּרsûr ώûr · to turn aside: turn asideH5493
- broughtבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- Keepשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- beהָיָהhâyâh · to beH1961
- missingפָּקַדpâqad · to reckon: listH6485
- lifeנֶ֫פֶשׁnephesh · soul: lifeH5315
- talentכִּכָּרkikâr · talentH3603
- silverכֶּ֫סֶףkeseph · silver: moneyH3701
Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:39
- 1 Kings 20:38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes.
- 2 Samuel 13:19And Tamar put ashes on her head, and rent her garment of divers colors that was on her; and she laid her hand on her head, and went her way, crying aloud as she went.
- Job 2:8And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself therewith; and he sat among the ashes.
- Jeremiah 6:26O daughter of my people, gird thee with sackcloth, and wallow thyself in ashes: make thee mourning, as for an only son, most bitter lamentation; for the destroyer shall suddenly come upon us.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:39
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39Keep this man - The drift of this is at once seen; but Ahab, not knowing it, was led to pass sentence on himself.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. 3939. a talent of silver--£342.Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 20:39
In the dictionaries
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
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries