New American Standard Bible 2020
1 Kings 20:32
32So 1they put sackcloth 2around their waists and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “3Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let 4me live.’” And Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
1 Kings 20:32 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Ben–hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
- New International Version (NIV)Wearing sackcloth around their waists and ropes around their heads, they went to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says: ‘Please let me live.’ ” The king answered, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)So they tied sackcloth around their waists and put ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel and said, "Your servant Ben-hadad says, 'Please, let me live.'" And he said, "Does he still live? He is my brother."
- New King James Version (NKJV)So they wore sackcloth around their waists and put ropes around their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” And he said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Context of 1 Kings 20:32
30But the rest fled to Aphek into the city, and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled and came into the city, going from one inner room to another. 31But his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Please let’s put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel; perhaps he will let you live.” So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’” And Ahab said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” 33Now the men took this as a good omen, and quickly accepting it from him, they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came out to him, and he had him mount the chariot. 34And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you can make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” Ahab said, “And I will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him and let him go.
Read all of 1 Kings 201 Kings 20:32 word by word
וַיַּחְגְּרוּ֩ שַׂקִּ֨ים בְּמָתְנֵיהֶ֜ם וַחֲבָלִ֣ים בְּרָאשֵׁיהֶ֗ם וַיָּבֹ֙אוּ֙ אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיֹּ֣אמְר֔וּ עַבְדְּךָ֧ בֶן־הֲדַ֛ד אָמַ֖ר תְּחִֽי־נָ֣א נַפְשִׁ֑י וַיֹּ֛אמֶר הַעוֹדֶ֥נּוּ חַ֖י אָחִ֥י הֽוּא׃Read the interlinear
- they putחָגַרchâgar · to girdH2296
- sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
- around their waistsמׇתְנַ֫יִםmôthen · loinH4975
- and ropesחֶ֫בֶלchebel chêbel · cordH2256
- on their headsרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
- and cameבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- to the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Your servantעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- Ben-hadadבֶּן־הֲדַדben-hădad · Ben-hadadH1130
- Pleaseנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
- Is he stillעוֹד‛ôd ‛ôd · stillH5750
- aliveחַיchay · aliveH2416
- He is my brotherאָח'âch · brother: compatriotH251
Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:32
- 1 Kings 15:20So Ben-hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-beth-maacah, and all Chinneroth, besides all the land of Naphtali.
- 2 Chronicles 16:4And Ben-hadad listened to King Asa, and he sent the commanders of his armies against the cities of Israel, and they conquered Ijon, Dan, Abel-maim, and all the storage cities of Naphtali.
- 1 Kings 20:42And the prophet said to him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Since you have let go from your hand the man I had designated for destruction, your life shall be forfeited in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.’”
- 1 Kings 22:31Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:30Now the king of Aram had commanded the commanders of his chariots, saying, “Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel.”
- Isaiah 8:12“You are not to say, ‘It is a conspiracy!’ Regarding everything that this people call a conspiracy, And you are not to fear what they fear or be in dread of it.
- Isaiah 26:10Though the wicked person is shown compassion, He does not learn righteousness; He deals unjustly in the land of uprightness, And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 32Thy servant Ben-hadad - See the vicissitude of human affairs! A little before he was the haughtiest of all tyrants, and Ahab calls him his lord; now, so much is he humbled, that he will be glad to be reputed Ahab's slave!Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 32Ben-hadad is now as humble as Ahab had been a year before 1 Kings 20:9. He professes himself the mere “slave” of his conqueror.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. 32-33my brother: Ahab spoke to Ben-hadad in a polite way, showing respect for the Aramean king's authority and Ahab's wish for good relations. Ahab invited Ben-hadad into his chariot to warmly welcome him and to show that he should see Ahab as his equal. In the ancient Near East, kings spoke to each other as brothers to express friendship, good relations, or formal equality.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 32-3432-34. put ropes on their heads--Captives were dragged by ropes round their necks in companies, as is depicted on the monuments of Egypt. Their voluntary attitude and language of submission flattered the pride of Ahab, who, little concerned about the dishonor done to the God of Israel by the Syrian king, and thinking of nothing but victory, paraded his clemency, called the vanquished king "his brother," invited him to sit in the royal chariot, and…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 20:32
In the dictionaries
Notes
- 1. 1 Kings 20:32 1 Kin 20:31 ↩
- 2. 1 Kings 20:32 Lit on ↩
- 3. 1 Kings 20:32 1 Kin 20:3-6 ↩
- 4. 1 Kings 20:32 Lit my soul ↩
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
New American Standard Bible 2020 — © 1960–2020 The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Commentaries