1 Kings 20:34

Ben-Hadad said to him, “I will give back to you the towns that my father’s army took from your father. And I will allow you to set up market areas for your merchants in Damascus my capital, just as my father did in Samaria your capital.” Ahab replied, “Because you agree to do that, I will not execute you.” So Ahab made an agreement with Ben-Hadad, and allowed him to go home.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.

In Context

33Ben-Hadad’s officials were trying to find out if Ahab would act mercifully, and when Ahab said “brother,” they ◄were optimistic/thought that Ahab would be merciful►. So they replied, “Yes, he is like your brother!” Ahab said, “Go and bring him to me.” So they went and brought Ben-Hadad to him. When Ben-Hadad arrived, Ahab told him to get in his chariot and sit with him.

35Then Yahweh spoke to a member of a group of prophets and said to him, “Ask one of your fellow prophets to strike and wound you.” So he did what Yahweh told him to do. He said to one of his fellow prophets, ‘Strike me and wound me.’ But that man refused to do it.

Read all of 1 Kings 20

Cross References

1 Samuel 15:8Saul’s army captured Agag, the king of the Amalek people-group, but they killed everyone else.

1 Kings 15:20So the workers went and gave the message to Ben-Hadad, and he did what Asa suggested. He sent his army commanders and their soldiers to attack some of the towns in Israel. They captured Ijon, Dan, Abel-Beth-Maacah, the area near Galilee Lake, and all the land of the tribe of Naphtali.

1 Kings 22:31The King of Syria told this to his thirty-two men who were driving the chariots: “Attack only the king of Israel!”

2 Chronicles 18:30The King of Syria told his soldiers who were driving the chariots, “Attack only the king of Israel!”

Isaiah 26:10But your acting kindly toward wicked people does not cause them to do what is good. Even in places where people do what is right, the wicked people continue to do what is evil, and they do not realize that you, Yahweh, are great.

Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 20:32-43

31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life. 32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother. 33 Now the men did diligently observe… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study 1 Kings 20:34