1Ki 20:1
20:1 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host
     together: and [there were] thirty and two {a} kings with
     him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged
     Samaria, and warred against it.

     (a) That is, governors and rulers of provinces.

1Ki 20:4
20:4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king,
     according to thy saying, {b} I [am] thine, and all that I
     have.

     (b) I am content to obey and pay tribute.

1Ki 20:6
20:6 {c} Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about
     this time, and they shall search thine house, and the
     houses of thy servants; and it shall be, [that] whatsoever
     is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put [it] in their
     hand, and take [it] away.

     (c) He would not accept his answer unless he out of hand
         delivered whatever he asked, for he sought an
         opportunity to make war against him.

1Ki 20:8
20:8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him,
     Hearken {d} not [unto him], nor consent.

     (d) They thought it their duty to risk their lives, rather
         than grant that thing which was not lawful, only to
         satisfy the lust of a tyrant.

1Ki 20:10
20:10 And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto
      me, and more also, if the {e} dust of Samaria shall
      suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

      (e) Much less will there be found any prey that is worth
          anything, when they are so many.

1Ki 20:11
20:11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell [him], Let
      not him that girdeth on [his harness] boast himself as he
      that {f} putteth it off.

      (f) Do not boast before the victory is won.

1Ki 20:13
20:13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of
      Israel, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou seen all
      this great multitude?  behold, I will deliver it into
      thine hand this day; and thou shalt know {g} that I [am]
      the LORD.

      (g) Before God went about with signs and miracles to pull
          Ahab from his impiety, and now again with wonderful
          victories.

1Ki 20:17
20:17 And the {h} young men of the princes of the provinces went
      out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him,
      saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

      (h) That is, young men trained in the service of princes.

1Ki 20:20
20:20 And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and
      Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria
      escaped on an horse with the {i} horsemen.

      (i) They who were appointed for the preservation of his
          person.

1Ki 20:23
20:23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their
      {k} 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.

      (k) Thus the wicked blaspheme God in their fury, who
          nonetheless he does not permit to go unpunished.

1Ki 20:27
20:27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all {l}
      present, and went against them: and the children of Israel
      pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but
      the Syrians filled the country.

      (l) All those who were in the battle of the previous
          years, @1Ki 20:15.

1Ki 20:28
20:28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of
      Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians
      have said, The LORD [is] God of the hills, but he [is] not
      God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this
      great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that
      {m} I [am] the LORD.

      (m) Who has the same power in the valley as on the hills
          and can also destroy a multitude with few as with
          many.

1Ki 20:31
20:31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard
      that the kings of the house of Israel [are] merciful
      kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our {n}
      loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of
      Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

      (n) In sign of submission and that we have deserved death,
          if he will punish us with rigour.

1Ki 20:33
20:33 Now the men did diligently observe whether [any thing
      would come] from him, and did hastily catch [it]: and they
      said, Thy brother {o} Benhadad.  Then he said, Go ye,
      bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused
      him to come up into the chariot.

      (o) He is alive.

1Ki 20:34
20:34 And [Benhadad] said unto him, The cities, which my father
      took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make
      streets for thee in {p} Damascus, as my father made in
      Samaria. Then [said Ahab], I will send thee away with this
      covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him
      away.

      (p) You shall appoint in my chief city what you will, and
          I will obey you.

1Ki 20:35
20:35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto
      his neighbour in the word of the LORD, {q} Smite me, I
      pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

      (q) By this external sign he would more likely touch the
          king's heart.

1Ki 20:36
20:36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the
      voice of the LORD, behold, as soon as thou art departed
      from me, a lion shall {r} slay thee. And as soon as he was
      departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

      (r) Because you have transgressed the commandment of the
          Lord.

1Ki 20:39
20:39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he
      said, {s} Thy servant went out into the midst of the
      battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man
      unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be
      missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou
      shalt pay a talent of silver.

      (s) By this parable he makes Ahab condemn himself who made
          a covenant with God's enemy, and let him escape whom
          God had appointed to be slain.



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