1 Kings 20:1

1 Kings 20:1 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Ben–hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it.
• New Living Translation (NLT)About that time King Ben-hadad of Aram mobilized his army, supported by the chariots and horses of thirty-two allied kings. They went to besiege Samaria, the capital of Israel, and launched attacks against it.

Context of 1 Kings 20:1

Now Ben-Hadad king of Aram mustered his entire army. Accompanied by thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots, he went up and besieged Samaria and attacked it. 2He sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, saying, “This is what Ben-Hadad says: 3‘Your silver and gold are mine, and the best of your wives and children are mine.’ ”

1 Kings 20:1 word by word

וּבֶן־הֲדַ֣ד מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֗ם קָבַץ֙ אֶת־כָּל־חֵיל֔וֹ וּשְׁלֹשִׁ֨ים וּשְׁנַ֥יִם מֶ֛לֶךְ אִתּ֖וֹ וְס֣וּס וָרָ֑כֶב וַיַּ֗עַל וַיָּ֙צַר֙ עַל־שֹׁ֣מְר֔וֹן וַיִּלָּ֖חֶם בָּֽהּ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Ben–hadadבֶּן־הֲדַדben-hădad · Ben-hadadH1130
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
• gatheredקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
• all his hostחַ֫יִלchayil · armyH2428
• thirtyשְׁלֹשִׁיםshelôshîym shelôshîym · thirtyH7970
• and twoשְׁנַ֫יִםshenayim shettayim · twoH8147
• with him, and horsesסוּסsûs sûs · horseH5483
• and chariotsרֶ֫כֶבrekeb · chariotH7393
• and he went upעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: riseH5927
• and besiegedצוּרtsûr · to confineH6696
• Samariaשֹׁמְרוֹןshômerôn · SamariaH8111
• and warredלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898

Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:1

• 1 Kings 15:18Asa then took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace. He entrusted it to his officials and sent them to Ben-Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, the king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.
• 2 Kings 8:7Elisha went to Damascus, and Ben-Hadad king of Aram was ill. When the king was told, “The man of God has come all the way up here,”
• 2 Chronicles 16:2Asa then took the silver and gold out of the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of his own palace and sent it to Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who was ruling in Damascus.
• Jeremiah 49:27“I will set fire to the walls of Damascus; it will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.”
• Amos 1:4I will send fire on the house of Hazael that will consume the fortresses of Ben-Hadad.
• 1 Kings 20:16They set out at noon while Ben-Hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
• Genesis 14:1At the time when Amraphel was king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Kedorlaomer king of Elam and Tidal king of Goyim,
• Judges 1:7Then Adoni-Bezek said, “Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them.” They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.
• Ezra 7:12Artaxerxes, king of kings, To Ezra the priest, teacher of the Law of the God of heaven: Greetings.
• Isaiah 10:8‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he says.
• Ezekiel 26:7“For this is what the Sovereign Lord says: From the north I am going to bring against Tyre Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, king of kings, with horses and chariots, with horsemen and a great army.
• Daniel 2:37Your Majesty, you are the king of kings. The God of heaven has given you dominion and power and might and glory;
• Exodus 14:7He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.
• Deuteronomy 20:1When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.
• Judges 4:3Because he had nine hundred chariots fitted with iron and had cruelly oppressed the Israelites for twenty years, they cried to the Lord for help.
• 1 Samuel 13:5The Philistines assembled to fight Israel, with three thousand chariots, six thousand charioteers, and soldiers as numerous as the sand on the seashore. They went up and camped at Mikmash, east of Beth Aven.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 1Ben-hadad - Several MSS., and some early printed editions, have Ben-hadar, or the son of Hadar, as the Septuagint. He is supposed to be the same whom Asa stirred up against the king of Israel, 1 Kings 15:18; or, as others, his son or grandson. Thirty and two kings - Tributary chieftains of Syria and the adjacent countries. In former times every town and city had its independent chieftain. Both the Septuagint and Josephus place this war after the history…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 1Ben-hadad, the king of Syria - Probably the son of the Ben-hadad who assisted Asa against Baasha (1 Kings 15:18 note). Thirty and two kings with him - Not allies, but feudatories 1 Kings 20:24. Damascus had in the reign of this Ben-hadad become the center of an important monarchy, which may not improbably have extended from the Euphrates to the northern border of Israel. The Assyrian inscriptions show that this country was about the period in question…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 1Benhadad besieges Samaria. (1-11) Benhadad's defeat. (12-21) The Syrians again defeated. (22-30) Ahab makes peace with Benhadad. (31-43) Verses 1-11 Benhadad sent Ahab a very insolent demand. Ahab sent a very disgraceful submission; sin brings men into such straits, by putting them out of the Divine protection. If God do not rule us, our enemies shall: guilt dispirits men, and makes them cowards. Ahab became desperate. Men will part with their most…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1We do not know if this refers to Ben-hadad I or II. Accompanied by thirty-two kings: Groups of kings often united in the ancient Near East. Shalmaneser III recorded Ben-hadad’s name as Hadad-ezer and noted he was in a twelve-king alliance against him at the Battle of Qarqar in 853 BC.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-121Ki 20:1-12. Ben-hadad Besieges Samaria. 1. Ben-hadad the king of Syria--This monarch was the son of that Ben-hadad who, in the reign of Baasha, made a raid on the northern towns of Galilee (1Ki 15:20). The thirty-two kings that were confederate with him were probably tributary princes. The ancient kings of Syria and Phoenicia ruled only over a single city, and were independent of each other, except when one great city, as Damascus, acquired the…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 20:1

• Chariot
• Confederacies
• Siege

In the dictionaries

• Samaria
• Syria
• Ahab
• Mark
• Benhadad
• Israel, Kingdom of
• King; Kingdom
• Samaria, City of
• Siege
• Aram

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