God’s Word Translation
1 Kings 21:20
20Ahab asked Elijah, “So you’ve found me, my enemy?” Elijah answered, “I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil.
1 Kings 21:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord.
- New International Version (NIV)Ahab said to Elijah, “So you have found me, my enemy!” “I have found you,” he answered, “because you have sold yourself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Ahab said to Elijah, "Have you found me, O my enemy?" He answered, "I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do what is evil in the sight of the Lord.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, O my enemy?” And he answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do evil in the sight of the Lord:
Context of 1 Kings 21:20
18“Go, meet King Ahab of Israel, who lives in Samaria. He went to confiscate Naboth’s vineyard. 19Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord asks: Have you murdered someone just to confiscate ⌞a vineyard⌟?’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: At the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will lick up your blood.’ ” Ahab asked Elijah, “So you’ve found me, my enemy?” Elijah answered, “I found you. Because you sold yourself to do what the Lord considers evil. 21So I am going to bring evil on you. I will destroy your descendants. I will destroy every male in Ahab’s ⌞house⌟, whether slave or freeman in Israel. 22I will make your family like the family of Jeroboam (Nebat’s son) and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah, because you made me furious. You led Israel to sin.”
Read all of 1 Kings 211 Kings 21:20 word by word
וַיֹּ֤אמֶר אַחְאָב֙ אֶל־אֵ֣לִיָּ֔הוּ הַֽמְצָאתַ֖נִי אֹיְבִ֑י וַיֹּ֣אמֶר מָצָ֔אתִי יַ֚עַן הִתְמַכֶּרְךָ֔ לַעֲשׂ֥וֹת הָרַ֖ע בְּעֵינֵ֥י יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Ahabאַחְאָב'ach'âb 'echâb · AhabH256
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- to Elijahאֵלִיָּה'êlîyâh 'êlîyâhû · ElijahH452
- Hast thou foundמָצָאmâtsâ' · to findH4672
- me, O mine enemyאֹיֵב'ôyêb 'ôyêb · enemyH341
- because thou hast soldמָכַרmâkar · to sellH4376
- thyself to workעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- evilרַעra‛ râ‛âh · bad: evilH7451
- in the sightעַ֫יִן‛ayin · eye: seeingH5869
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
Cross-references for 1 Kings 21:20
- 1 Kings 18:17When he saw Elijah, Ahab said, “Is that you, you troublemaker of Israel?”
- 1 Kings 22:8The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imlah, but I hate him. He doesn’t prophesy anything good about me, only evil.” Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:7The king of Israel told Jehoshaphat, “We can ask the Lord through Micaiah, son of Imla, but I hate him. Nothing he prophesies about me is good; it’s always evil.” Jehoshaphat answered, “The king must not say that.”
- Amos 5:10Israel, you hate anyone who speaks out against injustice. You are disgusted by anyone who speaks the truth.
- Mark 12:12They wanted to arrest him but were afraid of the crowd. They knew that he had directed this illustration at them. So they left him alone and went away.
- Galatians 4:16Can it be that I have become your enemy for telling you the truth?
- Revelation 11:10Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses’ death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
- 1 Kings 21:25There was no one else like Ahab. At the urging of his wife, he sold himself to do what the Lord considered evil.
- 2 Kings 17:17They sacrificed their sons and daughters by burning them alive. They practiced black magic and cast evil spells. They sold themselves by doing what the Lord considered evil, and they made him furious.
- Isaiah 50:1This is what the Lord says: Where are your mother’s divorce papers? Did I give her any to get rid of her? To which of my creditors did I sell you? You were sold because of your sins. I got rid of your mother because of your rebellion.
- Isaiah 52:3This is what the Lord says: You were sold, but no price was paid. You will be bought back, but without money.
- Romans 7:14I know that God’s standards in Moses’ Teachings are spiritual, but I have a corrupt nature, sold as a slave to sin.
- 1 Kings 16:30Ahab, son of Omri, did what the Lord considered evil. He was worse than all ⌞the kings⌟ who were before him.
- 2 Kings 21:2He did what the Lord considered evil by copying the disgusting things done by the nations that the Lord had forced out of the Israelites’ way.
- 2 Chronicles 33:6He burned his son as a sacrifice in the valley of Ben Hinnom, consulted fortunetellers, cast evil spells, practiced witchcraft, and appointed ⌞royal⌟ mediums and psychics. He did many things that made the Lord furious.
- Ephesians 4:19Since they no longer have any sense of shame, they have become promiscuous. They practice every kind of sexual perversion with a constant desire for more.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 21:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Thou hast sold thyself to work evil - See a similar form of speech, Romans 7:14; (note). Thou hast totally abandoned thyself to the service of sin. Satan is become thy absolute master, and thou his undivided slave.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20The words “O mine enemy,” may refer partly to the old antagonism (marginal reference; 1 Kings 17:1; 1 Kings 19:2-3); but the feeling which it expresses is rather that of present oppositions - the opposition between good and evil, light and darkness John 3:20. Thou hast sold thyself to work evil - Compare the marginal references. The metaphor is taken from the practice of men‘s selling themselves into slavery, and so giving themselves wholly up to work the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 17-29Verses 17-29 Blessed Paul complains that he was sold under sin, Ro 7:14, as a poor captive against his will; but Ahab was willing, he sold himself to sin; of choice, and as his own act and deed, he loved the dominion of sin. Jezebel his wife stirred him up to do wickedly. Ahab is reproved, and his sin set before his eyes, by Elijah. That man's condition is very miserable, who has made the word of God his enemy; and very desperate, who reckons the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17-22Elijah announced God's judgment on Ahab as he was about to take over the vineyard. Since Ahab caused Naboth's death and took his field, Ahab and his family would be destroyed. The prophecy about Ahab's children would come true when Jehu removed Baal worshipers from Israel (2 Kings 9:30–37; 10:1–11).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. thou hast sold thyself to work evil--that is, allowed sin to acquire the unchecked and habitual mastery over thee (2Ki 17:17; Ro 7:11).Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 21:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on 1 Kings 21
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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