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

29They camped facing one another for seven days, and on the seventh day the battle started. The Israelites killed 100,000 Aramean foot soldiers in one day. 30The survivors fled to Aphek, the city where the wall fell on 27,000 of them. Benhadad had also fled. He came to the city and hid in an inner room. His officers told him, “We have heard that the kings of Israel are merciful. Allow us to dress in sackcloth, put ropes around our necks, and go to the king of Israel. Maybe he’ll let you live.” 32So they dressed in sackcloth and put ropes around their necks. They went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Benhadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” Ahab asked, “He’s still alive? He’s my brother.” 33The men, watching for a good sign, were quick to take him at his word. “Benhadad is your brother,” they said. Ahab said, “Bring him here.” When Benhadad arrived, Ahab had him come up on the chariot with him.

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 coolness of snow on a harvest day, ⌞so⌟ is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him: He refreshes his masters.
• Luke 16:8“The master praised the dishonest manager for being so clever. Worldly people are more clever than spiritually-minded people when it comes to dealing with others.”
• 2 Kings 10:15When he left that place, he met Jehonadab, son of Rechab, who was coming to meet him. Jehu greeted him and asked, “Are you as loyal to me as I am to you?” “I am,” Jehonadab answered. ⌞So Jehu said,⌟ “If you are, give me your hand.” When he gave Jehu his hand, Jehu helped him up into the chariot.
• Acts 8:31The official answered, “How can I understand unless someone guides me?” So he invited Philip to sit with him in his carriage.

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