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KING JAMES BIBLE · PCE

1 Kings 20:1–5

TEXT EDITION
Pure Cambridge Edition selected
AND Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,
Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.
And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.
And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;
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PASSAGE SELECTION

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Choose up to 10 verses in this chapter. The study tools update with the selected passage.

SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE

Cross References

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Reference depth

From verse 1

  1. 1 Kings 15:18Rank 1 from verse 1
    Open

    18Then Asa took all the silver and the gold that were left in the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house, and delivered them into the hand of his servants: and king Asa sent them to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus, saying,

  2. 1 Kings 15:20Rank 2 from verse 1
    Open

    20So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa, and sent the captains of the hosts which he had against the cities of Israel, and smote Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-beth-maachah, and all Cinneroth, with all the land of Naphtali.

  3. 1 Kings 22:31Rank 3 from verse 1
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    31But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

  4. 1 Kings 16:24Rank 4 from verse 1
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    24And he bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built, after the name of Shemer, owner of the hill, Samaria.

  5. 1 Kings 20:16Rank 5 from verse 1
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    16And they went out at noon. But Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

From verse 2

  1. 2 Kings 19:9Rank 1 from verse 2
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    9And when he heard say of Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, Behold, he is come out to fight against thee: he sent messengers again unto Hezekiah, saying,

  2. Isaiah 36:2–22Rank 2 from verse 2
    Open

    2And the king of Assyria sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem unto king Hezekiah with a great army. And he stood by the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller’s field.

    3Then came forth unto him Eliakim, Hilkiah’s son, which was over the house, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, Asaph’s son, the recorder.

    4¶ And Rabshakeh said unto them, Say ye now to Hezekiah, Thus saith the great king, the king of Assyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trustest?

    5I say, sayest thou, (but they are but vain words) I have counsel and strength for war: now on whom dost thou trust, that thou rebellest against me?

    6Lo, thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on Egypt; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust in him.

    7But if thou say to me, We trust in the Lord our God: is it not he, whose high places and whose altars Hezekiah hath taken away, and said to Judah and to Jerusalem, Ye shall worship before this altar?

    8Now therefore give pledges, I pray thee, to my master the king of Assyria, and I will give thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.

    9How then wilt thou turn away the face of one captain of the least of my master’s servants, and put thy trust on Egypt for chariots and for horsemen?

    10And am I now come up without the Lord against this land to destroy it? the Lord said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

    11¶ Then said Eliakim and Shebna and Joah unto Rabshakeh, Speak, I pray thee, unto thy servants in the Syrian language; for we understand it: and speak not to us in the Jews’ language, in the ears of the people that are on the wall.

    12¶ But Rabshakeh said, Hath my master sent me to thy master and to thee to speak these words? hath he not sent me to the men that sit upon the wall, that they may eat their own dung, and drink their own piss with you?

    13Then Rabshakeh stood, and cried with a loud voice in the Jews’ language, and said, Hear ye the words of the great king, the king of Assyria.

    14Thus saith the king, Let not Hezekiah deceive you: for he shall not be able to deliver you.

    15Neither let Hezekiah make you trust in the Lord, saying, The Lord will surely deliver us: this city shall not be delivered into the hand of the king of Assyria.

    16Hearken not to Hezekiah: for thus saith the king of Assyria, Make an agreement with me by a present, and come out to me: and eat ye every one of his vine, and every one of his fig tree, and drink ye every one the waters of his own cistern;

    17Until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of corn and wine, a land of bread and vineyards.

    18Beware lest Hezekiah persuade you, saying, The Lord will deliver us. Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?

    19Where are the gods of Hamath and Arphad? where are the gods of Sepharvaim? and have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?

    20Who are they among all the gods of these lands, that have delivered their land out of my hand, that the Lord should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand?

    21But they held their peace, and answered him not a word: for the king’s commandment was, saying, Answer him not.

    22¶ Then came Eliakim, the son of Hilkiah, that was over the household, and Shebna the scribe, and Joah, the son of Asaph, the recorder, to Hezekiah with their clothes rent, and told him the words of Rabshakeh.

  3. Isaiah 37:9–10Rank 3 from verse 2
    Open

    9And he heard say concerning Tirhakah king of Ethiopia, He is come forth to make war with thee. And when he heard it, he sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

    10Thus shall ye speak to Hezekiah king of Judah, saying, Let not thy God, in whom thou trustest, deceive thee, saying, Jerusalem shall not be given into the hand of the king of Assyria.

From verse 3

  1. Exodus 15:9Rank 1 from verse 3
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    9The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

  2. Isaiah 10:13–14Rank 2 from verse 3
    Open

    13For he saith, By the strength of my hand I have done it, and by my wisdom; for I am prudent: and I have removed the bounds of the people, and have robbed their treasures, and I have put down the inhabitants like a valiant man:

    14And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people: and as one gathereth eggs that are left, have I gathered all the earth; and there was none that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped.

From verse 4

  1. 1 Samuel 13:6–7Rank 1 from verse 4
    Open

    6When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait, (for the people were distressed,) then the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits.

    7And some of the Hebrews went over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.

  2. 2 Kings 18:14–16Rank 2 from verse 4
    Open

    14And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria to Lachish, saying, I have offended; return from me: that which thou puttest on me will I bear. And the king of Assyria appointed unto Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.

    15And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the Lord, and in the treasures of the king’s house.

    16At that time did Hezekiah cut off the gold from the doors of the temple of the Lord, and from the pillars which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid, and gave it to the king of Assyria.

  3. Deuteronomy 28:48Rank 3 from verse 4
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    48Therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have destroyed thee.

  4. Judges 15:11–13Rank 4 from verse 4
    Open

    11Then three thousand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and said to Samson, Knowest thou not that the Philistines are rulers over us? what is this that thou hast done unto us? And he said unto them, As they did unto me, so have I done unto them.

    12And they said unto him, We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philistines. And Samson said unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourselves.

    13And they spake unto him, saying, No; but we will bind thee fast, and deliver thee into their hand: but surely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock.

  5. Leviticus 26:36Rank 5 from verse 4
    Open

    36And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.

WORDS IN THIS PASSAGE

Definitions

Open a word for its full definition and concordance.

DEFINED WORDS

1 Kings 20:1

COMBINED MEANING

king

↗

A sovereign ruler; one exercising royal authority over a kingdom.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

gathered

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of gather, meaning to collect, bring together, or assemble.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

host

↗

Sense 1: An army, assembled company, or multitude, including the ordered host of heaven. Sense 2: A person who receives, lodges, or entertains another.

Meaning drawn from: Direct Scripture definition · KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893 · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

thirty

↗

The number equal to three tens, following twenty-nine and preceding thirty-one.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

besieged

↗

Surrounded and shut in by hostile forces seeking to take or subdue a city, place, or people; under siege.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

against

↗

Opposed to, contrary to, facing, toward, or in contact with; in some settings, exposed to or ready for a stated time.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Skeat 1893

DEFINED WORDS

1 Kings 20:2

COMBINED MEANING

messengers

↗

Persons who bear messages or errands; bearers of spoken or written communications or dispatches.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

king

↗

A sovereign ruler; one exercising royal authority over a kingdom.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

Israel

↗

The name given to Jacob and, by extension, his descendants, their nation, or the people so called.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

1 Kings 20:3

COMBINED MEANING

silver

↗

A precious white metal used for money, vessels, ornaments, images, trade, valuation, and refining; by extension, money or wealth reckoned in that metal.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

children

↗

Sons or daughters; descendants; or persons likened to children by age, relation, or character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

even

↗

1. Used to emphasize, include, or precisely identify what is meant: indeed, precisely, or namely. 2. Used to mark a boundary, endpoint, or full reach in place, time, or degree: up to, as far as, or through. 3. In ‘even as,’ ‘even so,’ and like constructions, just as, exactly so, or in the same manner. 4. The evening, or close of day. 5. Equal, level, identical, balanced, or uniform.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

DEFINED WORDS

1 Kings 20:4

COMBINED MEANING

king

↗

A sovereign ruler; one exercising royal authority over a kingdom.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

Israel

↗

The name given to Jacob and, by extension, his descendants, their nation, or the people so called.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

answered

↗

Past-tense, participial, or adjectival form of answer, meaning to reply, respond, or give account.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

DEFINED WORDS

1 Kings 20:5

COMBINED MEANING

messengers

↗

Persons who bear messages or errands; bearers of spoken or written communications or dispatches.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

again

↗

Another time; once more; back to a former place or condition; or in return.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

although

↗

Even though; notwithstanding that; introducing a fact or supposition that does not prevent the main statement.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

thou

↗

The singular second-person subject pronoun, meaning you when directly addressing one person, being, or individually treated addressee.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references · Webster 1828

COMBINED MEANING

deliver

↗

Sense 1: To rescue, save, free, or bring safely out of danger or bondage. Sense 2: To hand over, give up, or place into another's power or possession. Sense 3: To bring forth, convey, declare, or commit something to another. Sense 4: To give birth or be delivered of a child.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

silver

↗

A precious white metal used for money, vessels, ornaments, images, trade, valuation, and refining; by extension, money or wealth reckoned in that metal.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

COMBINED MEANING

children

↗

Sons or daughters; descendants; or persons likened to children by age, relation, or character.

Meaning drawn from: KJV context and cross-references

READ THE PASSAGE

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Suggested context · 1 Kings 20:1–12

The selected passage is highlighted. Context is a study aid.

20:1AND Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots: and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

Selected passage

20:2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Ben-hadad,

Selected passage

20:3Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

Selected passage

20:4And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.

Selected passage

20:5And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben-hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

Selected passage

20:6Yet 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.

20:7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

20:8And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

20:9Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Ben-hadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

20:10And Ben-hadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

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

20:12And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

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