1 Kings 20:23

After the Syrian army was defeated, Ben-Hadad’s officials said to him, “The gods that the Israelis worship are gods who live in the hills. Samaria is built on a hill, and that is why their soldiers were able to defeat us. But if we fight against them in the plains/lowlands, we certainly will be able to defeat them.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

In Context

22Then that same prophet went to King Ahab and said to him, “Go back and prepare your soldiers, and think carefully about what will be necessary for you to do, because the king of Syria with attack with his army again in the springtime of next year.”

24So, this is what you should do: You must remove the 32 kings who are leading your troops and replace them with army commanders.

Read all of 1 Kings 20

Cross References

1 Samuel 4:8◄Who can/Can anyone► save us from their powerful gods [RHQ]? They are the gods who struck the people of Egypt with many plagues before the Israelis left Egypt and traveled through the desert.

1 Kings 20:28A prophet came to King Ahab and said to him, “This is what Yahweh says: ‘The Syrians say that I am a god who lives in the hills, and that I am not a god who lives in the valleys. So I will show that they are wrong by enabling your men to defeat this huge army [IDM] in the valley, and you will know that I, Yahweh, have done it.’”

2 Chronicles 32:13'Do you people not know what I and my ancestors have done to all the people-groups in other countries? We destroyed them all, and none of the gods of those nations were ever able to prevent my troops from conquering them! So how can your god prevent my soldiers from conquering you?

Psalms 121:1When we travel toward Jerusalem, I look up toward the hills and I ask myself, “Who will help me?”

Romans 1:21Although the non-Jews knew what God is like, they did not honor him as God, nor did they thank him for what he had done. But instead, they began to think foolish things about him, and they became unable to understand [MET] what he wanted them to know.

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 20:23-31

Ahab's Folly Reproved. ( b. c. 900.) 22 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. 23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. 24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study 1 Kings 20:23