1 Kings 20:22
in 1 Kings 20Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
KJV
And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
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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)
Go, strengthen thyself ... - That is, “collect troops, raise fortifications, obtain allies ... take all the measures thou canst to increase thy military strength. Be not rash, but consider well every step ... for a great danger is impending.” At the return of the year - i. e., “When the season for military operations again comes round.” The wars of the Oriental monarchs at this time, like those of early Rome, were almost always of the nature of annual incursions into the territories of their neighbors, begun in spring and terminating in early autumn.
This site's exposition
strengthen thyself, and mark
on 1 Kings 20:22-23
A prophet, likely the same one, warns Ahab that Syria will return at the turn of the year and tells him to strengthen himself in the meantime. Ben-hadad's own servants read the defeat through the logic of their religion, the Lord is a god of the hills, so a battle fought on the plain will favor Syria's horses and chariots instead. Barnes notes this territorial reading of the gods was a fixed principle of the old polytheism, each people's god bound to its own ground.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Did not the Lord wish Ben-hadad, king of Syria, whom besides countless thousands of his own people, thirty-two kings and armies of the same number of kings served, to be conquered by a few foot soldiers of the princes in order that he who was …
Here the Scripture relates the two battles of the king of Israel against the Arameans, at which we have already hinted, and the twin slaughters of the Arameans, of which the second caused the death of 127,000 men, as God took his revenge on the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
God had decreed the end, but Ahab must use the means, else he tempts God: "Help thyself, strengthen thyself, and God will help and strengthen thee." The enemies of God's Israel are restless in their malice, and, though they may take some breathing-time for themselves, yet they are still breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the church.
And the prophet came to the king of Israel,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
It happened as the prophet had forewarned. Brooding over their late disastrous defeat, the attendants of Ben-hadad ascribed the misfortune to two causes--the one arose from the principles of heathenism which led them to consider the gods of Israel as "gods of the hills"; whereas their power to aid the Israelites would be gone if the battle was maintained on the plains.
The words behind it
21 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיִּגַּ֤שׁ | vaiyigash | and he drew near | H5066 → | 125 times |
| הַנָּבִיא֙ | hanavi' | the prophet | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| מֶ֣לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל | yisrael | Israel | H3478 → | 2507 times |
| וַיֹּ֤אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לוֹ֙ | lo | to him | ||
| לֵ֣ךְ | lekh | go | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| הִתְחַזַּ֔ק | hitchazak | strengthen yourself | H2388 → | 291 times |
| וְדַ֥ע | veda' | and know | H3045 → | 945 times |
| וּרְאֵ֖ה | ureeh | and see | H7200 → | 1300 times |
| אֵ֣ת | ʾet | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| אֲשֶֽׁר־ | ʾasher- | [that] which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| תַּעֲשֶׂ֑ה | taaseh | you will do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| כִּ֚י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| לִתְשׁוּבַ֣ת | litshuvat | to [the] return of | H8666 → | |
| הַשָּׁנָ֔ה | hashanah | the year | H8141 → | 877 times |
| מֶ֥לֶךְ | melekh | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| אֲרָ֖ם | ʾaram | Aram | H758 → | 143 times |
| עֹלֶ֥ה | ʾoleh | [is] coming up | H5927 → | 890 times |
| עָלֶֽיךָ׃ ס | ʾaleikha | on you | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וַיִּגַּ֤שׁand he drew near
vaiyigashH5066 →125 times
הַנָּבִיא֙the prophet
hanavi'H5030 →314 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
מֶ֣לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔לIsrael
yisraelH3478 →2507 times
וַיֹּ֤אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לוֹ֙to him
lo
לֵ֣ךְgo
lekhH1980 →1546 times
הִתְחַזַּ֔קstrengthen yourself
hitchazakH2388 →291 times
וְדַ֥עand know
veda'H3045 →945 times
וּרְאֵ֖הand see
ureehH7200 →1300 times
אֵ֣ת<obj.>
ʾetH853 →10935 times
אֲשֶֽׁר־[that] which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
תַּעֲשֶׂ֑הyou will do
taasehH6213 →2628 times
כִּ֚יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
לִתְשׁוּבַ֣תto [the] return of
litshuvatH8666 →
הַשָּׁנָ֔הthe year
hashanahH8141 →877 times
מֶ֥לֶךְ[the] king of
melekhH4428 →2525 times
אֲרָ֖םAram
ʾaramH758 →143 times
עֹלֶ֥ה[is] coming up
ʾolehH5927 →890 times
עָלֶֽיךָ׃ סon you
ʾaleikhaH5921 →5755 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
2 Samuel 11:1In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David…
it leads to
- 1 Chronicles 20:1
In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained…
- 1 Kings 20:26
In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 20:1
Through
1 Kings 20:13Meanwhile 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,…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 20:28
Then 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…
- 1 Kings 20:28
Through
2 Chronicles 25:8Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
it leads to
- 2 Chronicles 14:11
Then Asa cried out to the LORD his God: “O LORD, there is no one besides You to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O LORD our God, for we rely on…
- 2 Chronicles 20:6
and said, “O LORD, God of our fathers, are You not the God who is in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations? Power and might are in…
- Philippians 4:19
And my God will supply all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
- 2 Chronicles 14:11
Through
1 Kings 20:26In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 13:17
“Open the east window,” said Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And Elisha declared: “This is the LORD’s arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for…
- 2 Kings 13:17
Through
1 Chronicles 20:1In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained…
it leads to
- 2 Samuel 11:1
In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David…
- 2 Samuel 11:1
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Ephrem the Syrian, ON THE FIRST BOOK OF KINGS 20:1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Salvian the Presbyter, THE GOVERNANCE OF GOD 7.8.