1 Kings 20:35
in 1 Kings 20Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
KJV
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.
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This verse in 1 Kings 20
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
The sons of the prophets - The expression occurs here for the first time. It signifies (marginal references), the schools or colleges of prophets which existed in several of the Israelite, and probably of the Jewish, towns, where young men were regularly educated for the prophetical office. These “schools” make their first appearance under Samuel 1Sa 19:
This site's exposition
sons of the prophets
on 1 Kings 20:35-36
A member of the sons of the prophets, a title Barnes notes appears here for the first time in Scripture, tells his neighbor to strike him at the word of the Lord; the man refuses and is killed by a lion for that refusal. Matthew Henry compares the refusing prophet to the disobedient prophet of chapter 13, also slain by a lion, a warning that disregarding a plain command carries its own sentence regardless of the reason given. The whole strange scene exists to set up the parable Ahab is about to hear.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
A commentator
John ChrysostomDISCOURSE AGAINST JUDAIZING CHRISTIANS 4.2.1-2 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Ahab once captured a king of Syria and, contrary to God's decree, saved his life. He had the Syrian king enjoy a seat by his side and sent him off with great honor. About that time a prophet came to his companion and said to him, "In the word of the Lord, strike me." But his companion was not willing to strike him. And the prophet said to him, "Because you would not listen to the word of the Lord, behold, you will depart from me, and a lion will strike you." And he departed from him, and the lion found him and struck him. Then the prophet found another man and said, "Strike me." And the man did strike him and wounded him, and the prophet bandaged up his own face.What greater paradox than this could there be? The man who struck the prophet was saved; the one who spared the prophet was punished. Why? That you may learn that when God commands, you must not question too much the nature of the action; you have only to obey. So that the first man might not spare him out of reverence, the prophet did not simply say "strike me" but said "strike me, in the word of God." That is, God commands it; seek no further. It is the King who ordains it; reverence the rank of him who commands and with all eagerness heed his word. But the man lacked the courage to strike him and, on this account, he paid the ultimate penalty. But by the punishment he subsequently suffered, he encourages us to yield and obey God's every command.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
"If it must be done, let another do it, not I; I cannot find it in my heart to strike my friend." Good men can much more easily receive a wrongful blow than give one; yet because he disobeyed an express command of God (which was so much the worse if he was himself a prophet), like that other disobedient prophet ( ch. xiii. 24 ), he was presently slain by a lion,
2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad, 3 Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:97%@v2-3
In the word - ln the name, and by the command of God, whereof doubtless he had informed him. Smite me - So as to wound me, ver. 37. He speaks what God commanded him, though it was to his own hurt; by which obedience to God, he secretly reproacheth Ahab's disobedience in a far easier matter.
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets,....
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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).
In the word of the Lord - By the word or command of the Lord; that is, God has commanded thee to smite me. Refusing to do it, this man forfeited his life, as we are informed in the next verse. By this emblematical action he intended to inform Ahab that, as the man forfeited his life who refused to smite him when he had the Lord’s command to do it; so he (Ahab) had forfeited his life, because he did not smite Ben-hadad when he had him in his power.
The words behind it
14 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְאִ֨ישׁ | veish | and a man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| אֶחָ֜ד | ʾechad | one | H259 → | 971 times |
| מִבְּנֵ֣י | mibenei | one of [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים | haneviim | the prophets | H5030 → | 314 times |
| אָמַ֧ר | ʾamar | he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| רֵעֵ֛הוּ | reehu | companion his | H7453 → | 188 times |
| בִּדְבַ֥ר | bidvar | at [the] word of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| יְהוָ֖ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הַכֵּ֣ינִי | hakeini | strike me | H5221 → | 499 times |
| נָ֑א | na' | please | H4994 → | 404 times |
| וַיְמָאֵ֥ן | vaymaen | and he refused | H3985 → | |
| הָאִ֖ישׁ | haish | the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לְהַכֹּתֽוֹ׃ | lehakoto | to strike him | H5221 → | 499 times |
וְאִ֨ישׁand a man
veishH376 →1663 times
אֶחָ֜דone
ʾechadH259 →971 times
מִבְּנֵ֣יone of [the] sons of
mibeneiH1121 →4930 times
הַנְּבִיאִ֗יםthe prophets
haneviimH5030 →314 times
אָמַ֧רhe said
ʾamarH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
רֵעֵ֛הוּcompanion his
reehuH7453 →188 times
בִּדְבַ֥רat [the] word of
bidvarH1697 →1440 times
יְהוָ֖הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הַכֵּ֣ינִיstrike me
hakeiniH5221 →499 times
נָ֑אplease
na'H4994 →404 times
וַיְמָאֵ֥ןand he refused
vaymaenH3985 →
הָאִ֖ישׁthe man
haishH376 →1663 times
לְהַכֹּתֽוֹ׃to strike him
lehakotoH5221 →499 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 Kings 4:1Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor…
it leads to
- Matthew 18:25
Since the man was unable to pay, the master ordered that he be sold to pay his debt, along with his wife and children and everything he owned.
- 2 Kings 2:3
Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, “Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?” “Yes, I know,” he replied. “Do…
- Nehemiah 5:2–5
Some were saying, “We and our sons and daughters are numerous. We must get grain in order to eat and stay alive.”
- Psalms 147:11
The LORD is pleased with those who fear Him, who hope in His loving devotion.
- Matthew 18:25
Through
Ezekiel 4:3Then take an iron plate and set it up as an iron wall between yourself and the city. Turn your face toward it so that it is under siege, and besiege it. This will…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 12:6
And as they watch, lift your bags to your shoulder and take them out at dusk; cover your face so that you cannot see the land. For I have made you a sign to…
- Isaiah 20:3
Then the LORD said, “Just as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a sign and omen against Egypt and Cush,
- Isaiah 8:18
Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me as signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD of Hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion.
- Ezekiel 12:11
You are to say, ‘I am a sign to you.’ Just as it happened here, so will it be done to them; they will go into exile as captives.
- Ezekiel 12:6
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, DISCOURSE AGAINST JUDAIZING CHRISTIANS 4.2.1-2; 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.