Revised Webster's Bible
1 Kings 20:38
38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
1 Kings 20:38 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
- New International Version (NIV)Then the prophet went and stood by the road waiting for the king. He disguised himself with his headband down over his eyes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
Context of 1 Kings 20:38
36Then said he to him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou hast departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he had departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him. 37Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him . So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face. 39And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he shall be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver. 40And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said to him, So shall thy judgment be ; thyself hast decided it .
Read all of 1 Kings 201 Kings 20:38 word by word
וַיֵּ֙לֶךְ֙ הַנָּבִ֔יא וַיַּעֲמֹ֥ד לַמֶּ֖לֶךְ עַל־הַדָּ֑רֶךְ וַיִּתְחַפֵּ֥שׂ בָּאֲפֵ֖ר עַל־עֵינָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Cross-references for 1 Kings 20:38
- 2 Samuel 12:5And David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, As the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die:
- Job 15:6Thy own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thy own lips testify against thee.
- Matthew 21:41They say to him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard to other vinedressers, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
- Matthew 25:24Then he who had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not scattered seed:
- Luke 19:22And he saith to him, Out of thy own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up what I laid not down, and reaping what I did not sow:
Commentaries on 1 Kings 20:38
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 38Disguised himself with ashes upon his face - It does not immediately appear how putting ashes upon his face could disguise him. Instead of אפר apher, dust, Houbigant conjectures that it should be אפד aphad, a fillet or bandage. It is only the corner of the last letter which makes the difference; for the ד daleth and ר resh are nearly the same, only the shoulder of the former is square, the latter round. That bandage, not dust, was the original reading…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 38Ashes - Rather, “a bandage” (and in 1 Kings 20:41). The object of the wound and bandage was double. Partly, it was to prevent Ahab from recognizing the prophet‘s face; partly, to induce him to believe that the man had really been engaged in the recent war.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. 35-43Ahab showed mercy to Ben-hadad, which displeased God. An unnamed prophet used symbolic actions to show this disapproval. God's prophets often used symbols to deliver his messages (Isaiah 20; Jeremiah 27:1–7; Ezekiel 4:1–3, 9–17; 5:1–4). By sparing an untrustworthy enemy, Ahab brought judgment on himself and his people instead of relying more on the Lord.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 35-3835-38. Smite me--This prophet is supposed (1Ki 20:8) to have been Micaiah. The refusal of his neighbor to smite the prophet was manifestly wrong, as it was a withholding of necessary aid to a prophet in the discharge of a duty to which he had been called by God, and it was severely punished [1Ki 20:36], as a beacon to warn others (see on 1Ki 13:2-24). The prophet found a willing assistant, and then, waiting for Ahab, leads the king unconsciously, in the…Read the comment
Topics related to 1 Kings 20:38
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
Revised Webster's Bible — 1833 — Public Domain
Commentaries