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Selected Verse: 1 Kings 20:13 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Ki 20:13	Strong Concordance	And, behold, there came [05066] a [0259] prophet [05030] unto Ahab [0256] king [04428] of Israel [03478], saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Hast thou seen [07200] all this great [01419] multitude [01995]? behold, I will deliver [05414] it into thine hand [03027] this day [03117]; and thou shalt know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].
	King James	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.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
THE SYRIANS ARE SLAIN. (Kg1 20:13-20) behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab--Though the king and people of Israel had highly offended Him, God had not utterly cast them off. He still cherished designs of mercy towards them, and here, though unasked, gave them a signal proof of His interest in them, by a prophet's animating announcement that the Lord would that day deliver the mighty hosts of the enemy into his hand by means of a small, feeble, inadequate band. Conformably to the prophet's instructions, two hundred thirty-two young men went boldly out towards the camp of the enemy, while seven thousand more, apparently volunteers, followed at some little distance, or posted themselves at the gate, to be ready to reinforce those in front if occasion required it. Ben-hadad and his vassals and princes were already, at that early hour--scarcely midday--deep in their cups; and though informed of this advancing company, yet confiding in his numbers, or it may be, excited with wine, he ordered with indifference the proud intruders to be taken alive, whether they came with peaceful or hostile intentions. It was more easily said than done; the young men smote right and left, making terrible havoc among their intended captors; and their attack, together with the sight of the seven thousand, who soon rushed forward to mingle in the fray, created a panic in the Syrian army, who immediately took up flight. Ben-hadad himself escaped the pursuit of the victors on a fleet horse, surrounded by a squadron of horse guards. 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 (Kg1 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.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

THE SYRIANS ARE SLAIN. (Kg1 20:13-20)

behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab--Though the king and people of Israel had highly offended Him, God had not utterly cast them off. He still cherished designs of mercy towards them, and here, though unasked, gave them a signal proof of His interest in them, by a prophet's animating announcement that the Lord would that day deliver the mighty hosts of the enemy into his hand by means of a small, feeble, inadequate band. Conformably to the prophet's instructions, two hundred thirty-two young men went boldly out towards the camp of the enemy, while seven thousand more, apparently volunteers, followed at some little distance, or posted themselves at the gate, to be ready to reinforce those in front if occasion required it. Ben-hadad and his vassals and princes were already, at that early hour--scarcely midday--deep in their cups; and though informed of this advancing company, yet confiding in his numbers, or it may be, excited with wine, he ordered with indifference the proud intruders to be taken alive, whether they came with peaceful or hostile intentions. It was more easily said than done; the young men smote right and left, making terrible havoc among their intended captors; and their attack, together with the sight of the seven thousand, who soon rushed forward to mingle in the fray, created a panic in the Syrian army, who immediately took up flight. Ben-hadad himself escaped the pursuit of the victors on a fleet horse, surrounded by a squadron of horse guards. 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 (Kg1 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.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The rabbinical commentators conjecture that this prophet was Micaiah, the son of Imlah, who is mentioned below Kg1 22:8. Hast thou seen all this great multitude? - The boast of Ben-hadad Kg1 20:10, was not without a basis of truth; his force seems to have exceeded 130, 000 (compare Kg1 20:25, Kg1 20:29-30). In his wars with the Assyrians we find him sometimes at the head of 100, 000 men.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
And behold, &c. - God, though forsaken and neglected by Ahab, prevents him with his gracious promise of help: that Ahab and the idolatrous Israelites, might hereby be fully convinced, or left without excuse, that Ben - hadad's intolerable pride, and contempt of God, and of his people, might be punished: and that the remnant of his prophets and people who were involved in the same calamity with the rest of the Israelites, might be preserved and delivered. I am the Lord - And not Baal, because I will deliver thee, which he cannot do.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
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?

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¹³ And, behold, there came [05066] a [0259] prophet [05030] unto Ahab [0256] king [04428] of Israel [03478], saying [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Hast thou seen [07200] all this great [01419] multitude [01995]? behold, I will deliver [05414] it into thine hand [03027] this day [03117]; and thou shalt know [03045] that I am the LORD [03068].
¹⁴ And Ahab [0256] said [0559], By whom? And he said [0559], Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Even by the young men [05288] of the princes [08269] of the provinces [04082]. Then he said [0559], Who shall order [0631] the battle [04421]? And he answered [0559], Thou.
¹⁵ Then he numbered [06485] the young men [05288] of the princes [08269] of the provinces [04082], and they were two [08147] hundred [03967] and thirty [07970] two [08147]: and after [0310] them he numbered [06485] all the people [05971], even all the children [01121] of Israel [03478], being seven [07651] thousand [0505].
¹⁶ And they went out [03318] at noon [06672]. But Benhadad [01130] was drinking [08354] himself drunk [07910] in the pavilions [05521], he and the kings [04428], the thirty [07970] and two [08147] kings [04428] that helped [05826] him.
¹⁷ And the young men [05288] of the princes [08269] of the provinces [04082] went out [03318] first [07223]; and Benhadad [01130] sent out [07971], and they told [05046] him, saying [0559], There are men [0582] come out [03318] of Samaria [08111].
¹⁸ And he said [0559], Whether they be come out [03318] for peace [07965], take [08610] them alive [02416]; or whether they be come out [03318] for war [04421], take [08610] them alive [02416].
¹⁹ So these young men [05288] of the princes [08269] of the provinces [04082] came out [03318] of the city [05892], and the army [02428] which followed [0310] them.
²⁰ And they slew [05221] every one [0376] his man [0376]: and the Syrians [0758] fled [05127]; and Israel [03478] pursued [07291] them: and Benhadad [01130] the king [04428] of Syria [0758] escaped [04422] on an horse [05483] with the horsemen [06571].

²⁹ And they pitched [02583] one [0428] over against [05227] the other [0428] seven [07651] days [03117]. And so it was, that in the seventh [07637] day [03117] the battle [04421] was joined [07126]: and the children [01121] of Israel [03478] slew [05221] of the Syrians [0758] an hundred [03967] thousand [0505] footmen [07273] in one [0259] day [03117].
³⁰ But the rest [03498] fled [05127] to Aphek [0663], into the city [05892]; and there a wall [02346] fell [05307] upon twenty [06242] and seven [07651] thousand [0505] of the men [0376] that were left [03498]. And Benhadad [01130] fled [05127], and came [0935] into the city [05892], into an inner [02315] chamber [02315].

²⁵ And number [04487] thee an army [02428], like the army [02428] that thou hast lost [05307], horse [05483] for horse [05483], and chariot [07393] for chariot [07393]: and we will fight [03898] against [0854] them in the plain [04334], and surely we shall be stronger [02388] than they. And he hearkened [08085] unto their voice [06963], and did so [06213].

¹⁰ And Benhadad [01130] sent [07971] unto him, and said [0559], The gods [0430] do so [06213] unto me, and more also [03254], if the dust [06083] of Samaria [08111] shall suffice [05606] for handfuls [08168] for all the people [05971] that follow [07272] me.

⁸ And the king [04428] of Israel [03478] said [0559] unto Jehoshaphat [03092], There is yet one [0259] man [0376], Micaiah [04321] the son [01121] of Imlah [03229], by whom we may enquire [01875] of the LORD [03068]: but I hate [08130] him; for he doth not prophesy [05012] good [02896] concerning me, but evil [07451]. And Jehoshaphat [03092] said [0559], Let not the king [04428] say [0559] so.