1 Kings 20:13
in 1 Kings 20Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And, behold, a prophet came near unto Ahab king of Israel, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thy hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am Jehovah.
KJV
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 that I am the Lord.
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This verse in 1 Kings 20
Commentary
7 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The rabbinical commentators conjecture that this prophet was Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who is mentioned below 1Ki 22:8. Hast thou seen all this great multitude? - The boast of Ben-hadad 1Ki 20:10, was not without a basis of truth; his force seems to have exceeded 130, 000 (compare 1Ki 20:25, 1Ki 20:29-30). In his wars with the Assyrians we find him sometimes at the head of 100, 000 men.
This site's exposition
as he was drinking
on 1 Kings 20:12-13
Ben-hadad orders his army into position while still at his wine, a detail the narrator plants before the battle rather than after it. Into this scene an unnamed prophet comes to Ahab with a promise and its purpose stated together, I will deliver it into thine hand, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. The same formula, that ye shall know that I am the Lord, runs through the plagues of Exodus, spoken here over a king who has asked for no sign at all.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Behold, and wonder, that God should send a prophet with a kind and gracious message to so wicked a prince as Ahab was; but he did it, (1.) For his people Israel's sake, who, though wickedly degenerated, were the seed of Abraham his friend and Jacob his chosen, the children of the covenant, and not yet cast off.
And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel,....
He is informed what use he ought to make of this blessed turn of affairs: " Thou shalt know that I am Jehovah, the sovereign Lord of all." God's foretelling a thing that was so very unlikely proved that it was his own doing.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
This glorious victory, won so easily, and with such a paltry force opposed to overwhelming numbers, was granted that Ahab and his people might know (1Ki 20:13) that God is the Lord. But we do not read of this acknowledgment being made, or of any sacrifices being offered in token of their national gratitude.
There came a prophet - Who this was we cannot tell; Jarchi says it was Micaiah, son of Imlah. It is strange that on such an occasion we hear nothing of Elijah or Elisha. Is it not possible that this was one of them disguised?
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
A certain prophet. That was Michoyhu the son of Yimloh. 9 See below:8.
1 more on this passage, in their own words ▾
By the youths of the officers of the provinces. They are the hostages, for all the governors of the other nations would give their children into his custody [as a guarantee] that they will not rebel against him.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 4 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
26 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִנֵּ֣ה׀ | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| נָבִ֣יא | navi' | a prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֶחָ֗ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| נִגַּשׁ֮ | nigash | he drew near | H5066 → | 125 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| אַחְאָ֣ב | ʾachav | Ahab | H256 → | 92 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| כֹּ֚ה | koh | thus | H3541 → | 577 times |
| אָמַ֣ר | ʾamar | he says | H559 → | 5305 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הְֽרָאִ֔יתָ | heraita | ¿ do you see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֵ֛ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| הֶהָמ֥וֹן | hehamon | the multitude | H1995 → | 83 times |
| הַגָּד֖וֹל | hagadol | <the> great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| הַזֶּ֑ה | hazeh | <the> this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הִנְנִ֨י | hini | here I | H2005 → | 316 times |
| נֹתְנ֤וֹ | noteno | [am] about to give it | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בְיָֽדְךָ֙ | veyadekha | in hand your | H3027 → | 1618 times |
| הַיּ֔וֹם | haiyom | this day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| וְיָדַעְתָּ֖ | veyada'ta | and you will know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| כִּֽי־ | ki- | that | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| אֲנִ֥י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| יְהוָֽה׃ | yahweh | [am] Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
וְהִנֵּ֣ה׀and there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
נָבִ֣יאa prophet
navi'H5030 →314 times
אֶחָ֗דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
נִגַּשׁ֮he drew near
nigashH5066 →125 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
אַחְאָ֣בAhab
ʾachavH256 →92 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
יִשְׂרָאֵל֒Israel
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
כֹּ֚הthus
kohH3541 →577 times
אָמַ֣רhe says
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הְֽרָאִ֔יתָ¿ do you see
heraitaH7200 →1300 times
אֵ֛ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
כָּל־all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
הֶהָמ֥וֹןthe multitude
hehamonH1995 →83 times
הַגָּד֖וֹל<the> great
hagadolH1419 →526 times
הַזֶּ֑ה<the> this
hazehH2088 →1180 times
הִנְנִ֨יhere I
hiniH2005 →316 times
נֹתְנ֤וֹ[am] about to give it
notenoH5414 →2011 times
בְיָֽדְךָ֙in hand your
veyadekhaH3027 →1618 times
הַיּ֔וֹםthis day
haiyomH3117 →2304 times
וְיָדַעְתָּ֖and you will know
veyada'taH3045 →945 times
כִּֽי־that
ki-H3588 →4482 times
אֲנִ֥יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
יְהוָֽה׃[am] Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Ezekiel 20:22But I withheld My hand and acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
it leads to
- Ezekiel 20:9
But I acted for the sake of My name, that it should not be profaned in the eyes of the nations among whom they were living, in whose sight I had revealed Myself to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezekiel 20:14
But I acted for the sake of My name, so that it would not be profaned in the eyes of the nations in whose sight I had brought them out.
- Psalms 78:38
And yet He was compassionate; He forgave their iniquity and did not destroy them. He often restrained His anger and did not unleash His full wrath.
- Isaiah 48:9–11
For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.
- Ezekiel 20:9
Through
Isaiah 37:20And now, O LORD our God, save us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that You alone, O LORD, are God.”
it leads to
- Psalms 46:10
“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted over the earth.”
- Psalms 83:17–18
May they be ever ashamed and terrified; may they perish in disgrace.
- 1 Kings 18:36–37
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in…
- Psalms 46:10
Through
1 Kings 20:28Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 17:18
“O man of God,” said the woman to Elijah, “what have you done to me? Have you come to remind me of my iniquity and cause the death of my son?”
- 1 Kings 17:18
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.