Berean Standard Bible
1 Kings 20:28
28Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that 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 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Arameans think the Lord is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the Lord.’ ”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the Lord, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The Lord is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because the Syrians have said, “The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,” therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’ ”
Context of 1 Kings 20:28
26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. 27The 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. Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that 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.’” 29For 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. 30The 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.
Read all of 1 Kings 201 Kings 20:28 word by word
וַיִּגַּ֞שׁ אִ֣ישׁ הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים וַיֹּאמֶר֮ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ וַיֹּ֜אמֶר כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֗ה יַ֠עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר אָמְר֤וּ אֲרָם֙ אֱלֹהֵ֤י הָרִים֙ יְהוָ֔ה וְלֹֽא־אֱלֹהֵ֥י עֲמָקִ֖ים ה֑וּא וְ֠נָתַתִּי אֶת־כָּל־הֶהָמ֨וֹן הַגָּ֤דוֹל הַזֶּה֙ בְּיָדֶ֔ךָ וִֽידַעְתֶּ֖ם כִּֽי־אֲנִ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
- Then the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- approachedנָגַשׁnâgash · to approach: approachH5066
- the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- ·אֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
- This is whatכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
- the LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- Becauseיַעַןya‛an · becauseH3282
- ·אֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
- the Arameansאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
- of the hillsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- and notלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
- of the valleysעֵ֫מֶק‛êmeq · valleyH6010
- of the valleysהוּאhû' hîy' · he/she/itH1931
- I will deliverנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
- thisזֶהzeh · thisH2088
- greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- armyהָמוֹןhâmôn hâmôn · crowdH1995
- ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
- into your handיָדyâd · hand: powerH3027
- Then you will knowיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- thatכִּיkîy · forH3588
- Iאֲנִי'ănîy · IH589
Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:28
- Psalms 18:25To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
- Isaiah 24:18Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
- Jeremiah 48:44“Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.
- Amos 2:14Escape will fail the swift, the strong will not prevail by his strength, and the mighty will not save his life.
- Amos 5:19It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
- Amos 9:3Though they hide themselves atop Carmel, there I will track them and seize them; and though they hide from Me at the bottom of the sea, there I will command the serpent to bite them.
- Luke 13:4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?
- 1 Kings 20:10Then 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.”
- Daniel 4:37Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.
- 1 Kings 22:25Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:24Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:28
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 28Because the Syrians have said - God resents their blasphemy, and is determined to punish it. They shall now be discomfited in such a way as to show that God's power is every where, and that the multitude of a host is nothing against him.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28A man of God - Evidently not the prophet who had spoken to Ahab the year before 1 Kings 20:13, 1 Kings 20:22. He probably dwelt in the neighborhood of Samaria. Now that Ahab and his army had marched out into the Trans-Jordanic territory, another prophet, a native probably of that region, announced God‘s will to them.Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-30Verses 22-30 Those about Benhadad advised him to change his ground. They take it for granted that it was not Israel, but Israel's gods, that beat them; but they speak very ignorantly of Jehovah. They supposed that Israel had many gods, to whom they ascribed limited power within a certain district; thus vain were the Gentiles in their imaginations concerning God. The greatest wisdom in worldly concerns is often united with the most contemptible folly in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 27-30Even though the Arameans had more soldiers, Israel won a great victory with God's help. Everyone learned that "nothing is impossible with God" (Luke 1:37; see Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27). When God supports you, the enemy will retreat (Psalm 56:9) and suffer heavy losses (Deuteronomy 32:30–31; 2 Kings 19:32–36). Israel could face their enemies without fear (Psalms 3:6; 27:1–3). God's promise to Israel through the prophet showed that this battle was for both…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 20:28
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
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