New King James Version
1 Kings 20:23
23Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.
1 Kings 20:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
- New International Version (NIV)Meanwhile, the officials of the king of Aram advised him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they were too strong for us. But if we fight them on the plains, surely we will be stronger than they.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills, and so they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
- New Living Translation (NLT)After their defeat, Ben-hadad’s officers said to him, “The Israelite gods are gods of the hills; that is why they won. But we can beat them easily on the plains.
Context of 1 Kings 20:23
21Then the king of Israel went out and attacked the horses and chariots, and killed the Syrians with a great slaughter. 22And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself; take note, and see what you should do, for in the spring of the year the king of Syria will come up against you.” Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they. 24So do this thing: Dismiss the kings, each from his position, and put captains in their places; 25and you shall muster an army like the army that you have lost, horse for horse and chariot for chariot. Then we will fight against them in the plain; surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice and did so.
Read all of 1 Kings 201 Kings 20:23 word by word
וְעַבְדֵ֨י מֶֽלֶךְ־אֲרָ֜ם אָמְר֣וּ אֵלָ֗יו אֱלֹהֵ֤י הָרִים֙ אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם עַל־כֵּ֖ן חָזְק֣וּ מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וְאוּלָ֗ם נִלָּחֵ֤ם אִתָּם֙ בַּמִּישׁ֔וֹר אִם־לֹ֥א נֶחֱזַ֖ק מֵהֶֽם׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And the servantsעֶ֫בֶד‛ebed · servant/slaveH5650
- of the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Syriaאֲרָם'ărâm · SyriaH758
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto him, Their godsאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- of the hillsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
- therefore they were strongerחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: strengthenH2388
- than we; butאוּלָם'ûlâm · butH199
- let us fightלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898
- against them in the plainמִישׁוֹרmîyshôr mîyshôr · plainH4334
- and surelyלֹאlô' lô' lôh · notH3808
People and places in 1 Kings 20:23
Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:23
Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23Their gods are gods of the hills - It is very likely that the small Israelitish army availed itself of the heights and uneven ground, that they might fight with greater advantage against the Syrian cavalry, for Ben-hadad came up against Samaria with horses and chariots, 1 Kings 20:1. These therefore must be soon thrown into confusion when charging in such circumstances; indeed, the chariots must be nearly useless. Let us fight against them in the plain…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23Their gods are gods of the hills - The local power and influence of deities was a fixed principle of the ancient polytheism. Each country was considered to have its own gods; and wars were regarded as being to a great extent struggles between the gods of the nations engaged in them. This is apparent throughout the Assyrian inscriptions. Compare also 2 Kings 18:33-35; 2 Kings 19:12. The present passage gives an unusual modification of this view. The…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 22-30Verses 22-30 Those about Benhadad advised him to change his ground. They take it for granted that it was not Israel, but Israel's gods, that beat them; but they speak very ignorantly of Jehovah. They supposed that Israel had many gods, to whom they ascribed limited power within a certain district; thus vain were the Gentiles in their imaginations concerning God. The greatest wisdom in worldly concerns is often united with the most contemptible folly in…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 23The Arameans thought that Israel’s God had power only in the hills. This mistake gave the Lord an opportunity to show his true identity (1 Kings 20:28). Ben-hadad’s officers had a pagan way of thinking. They may have believed this error because of Israel’s history on Mount Sinai, where the Lord appeared to his people (Exodus 19:1–3, 16–18) or because Israel lived for a long time in the hill country of Canaan (see Joshua 10:40; 11:16; Judges 1:19). But the…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2622-26. the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said--The same prophet who had predicted the victory shortly reappeared, admonishing the king to take every precaution against a renewal of hostilities in the following campaign. at the return of the year--that is, in spring, when, on the cessation of the rainy season, military campaigns (2Sa 11:1), were anciently begun. It happened as the prophet had forewarned. Brooding over their late disastrous…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 20:23
In the dictionaries
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 King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries