1 Kings 20:10

1 Kings 20:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Ben–hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, “The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me.”

Context of 1 Kings 20:10

8Then all the elders and all the people said to him, “Do not listen nor consent.” 9So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, “Tell my lord the king, ‘Everything that you sent as a demand to your servant at the first, I will do; but this thing I cannot do.’” Then the messengers departed, and brought him word again. Ben-hadad sent word to him and said, “May the gods do so to me and more so, if the dust of Samaria will be enough for handfuls for all the people who follow me.” 11Then the king of Israel replied, “Tell him, ‘He who straps on his weapons had better not boast like one who takes them off.’” 12And when Ben-hadad heard this message, while he was drinking with the kings in the temporary shelters, he said to his servants, “Take your positions.” So they took their positions against the city.

1 Kings 20:10 word by word

וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח אֵלָיו֙ בֶּן־הֲדַ֔ד וַיֹּ֕אמֶר כֹּֽה־יַעֲשׂ֥וּן לִ֛י אֱלֹהִ֖ים וְכֹ֣ה יוֹסִ֑פוּ אִם־יִשְׂפֹּק֙ עֲפַ֣ר שֹׁמְר֔וֹן לִשְׁעָלִ֕ים לְכָל־הָעָ֖ם אֲשֶׁ֥ר בְּרַגְלָֽי׃Read the interlinear

• Ben-hadadבֶּן־הֲדַדben-hădad · Ben-hadadH1130
• sentשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: departH7971
• to him and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• the godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
• doעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
• soכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
• to me and moreיָסַףyâsaph · to addH3254
• ifאִם'im · ifH518
• the dustעָפָר‛âphâr · dustH6083
• of Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
• for handfulsשֹׁ֫עַלshô‛al · handfulH8168
• for allכֹּלkôl kôl · allH3605
• the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• whoאֲשֶׁר'ăsher · whichH834
• followרֶ֫גֶלregel · footH7272

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:10

• 1 Kings 20:16They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
• 1 Kings 16:9And his servant Zimri, commander of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now Elah was in Tirzah drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was in charge of the household in Tirzah.
• 1 Samuel 25:36Then Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, he was having a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s heart was cheerful within him, for he was very drunk; so she did not tell him anything at all until the morning light.
• 2 Samuel 13:28Then Absalom commanded his servants, saying, “See now, when Amnon’s heart is cheerful with wine, and I say to you, ‘Strike Amnon,’ then put him to death. Do not fear; have I not commanded you myself? Be courageous and be valiant.”
• Proverbs 31:4It is not for kings, Lemuel, It is not for kings to drink wine, Or for rulers to desire intoxicating drink,
• Daniel 5:2While he tasted the wine, Belshazzar gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which his father Nebuchadnezzar had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, so that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines could drink out of them.
• Luke 21:34“But be on your guard, so that your hearts will not be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that this day will not come on you suddenly, like a trap;
• Ephesians 5:18And do not get drunk with wine, in which there is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit,
• Jeremiah 43:10and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I am going to send men and get My servant Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and I am going to set his throne over these stones that I have hidden; and he will spread his canopy over them.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10If the dust of Samaria shall suffice - This is variously understood. Jonathan translates thus: "If the dust of Shomeron shall be sufficient for the soles of the feet of the people that shall accompany me;" i.e., I shall bring such an army that there will scarcely be room for them to stand in Samaria and its vicinity.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10If the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls … - In its general sense this phrase is undoubtedly a boast that the number of Ben-hadad‘s troops was such as to make resistance vain and foolish. We may parallel it with the saying of the Trachinian at Thermopylae, that the Persian arrows would darken the light of the sun. Probably the exact meaning is, “When your town is reduced to ruins, as it will be if you resist, the entire heap will not suffice to…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 10-11Ben-hadad’s third group gave an ultimatum: Surrender or die. His harsh threat to plunder Samaria was reinforced with a curse. This was a form of psychological warfare common in the ancient Near East (see 2 Kings 18:19–35). Ahab’s third response to Ben-hadad included wise sayings. The conflict's outcome was still uncertain.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-122-12. Thus said Ben-hadad, Thy silver and thy gold is mine--To this message sent him during the siege, Ahab returned a tame and submissive answer, probably thinking it meant no more than an exaction of tribute. But the demand was repeated with greater insolence; and yet, from the abject character of Ahab, there is reason to believe he would have yielded to this arrogant claim also, had not the voice of his subjects been raised against it. Ben-hadad's…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:10

• Boasting
• Presumption

In the dictionaries

• Samaria
• Ahab
• Mark
• Benhadad
• Handful
• Hollow
• Israel, Kingdom of
• Samaria, City of

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