And all the elders and all the people said unto him ,.... They were unanimous in their advice: hearken not unto him , nor consent ; promising, no doubt, that they would stand by him. read more
Wherefore he sent unto the messengers of Benhadad ,.... Upon the advice the elders had given him, and encouraged thereby, though in a poor sneaking manner after all: tell my lord the king, all that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do ; owning him as his lord, and himself as his servant, and promising to grant his first demand, though so insolent, in the sense he understood him, of paying tribute to him for it: but this thing I may not do ; to have not only all... read more
And Benhadad sent unto him, and said ,.... That is, to Ahab: the gods do so unto me, and more also ; bring greater evils upon me than I can think or express: if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me , signifying that he made no doubt of it of reducing it to dust by numbers of men he should bring with him, which would be so many, that if each was to take an handful of dust of the ruins of Samaria, there would not enough for them all; which... read more
Very mildly and very wisely: tell him, let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off ; that is, he that prepares for the battle as he that has got the victory; the sense is, let no man triumph before the battle is over and the victory won; the events of war are uncertain; the battle is not always to the strong. read more
And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message (as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions) ,.... Though it was at noon, or before, 1 Kings 20:16 , which shows that he and they were addicted to intemperance: that he said unto his servants ; some of the principal officers of his army: set yourselves in array ; prepare for battle, betake yourselves to your arms, invest the city at once, and place the engines against it to batter it down: and they set themselves... read more
And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel ,.... Supposed by the Jewish writers to be Micaiah the son of Imlah, 1 Kings 22:9 one of those perhaps that Obadiah hid in the cave, and now is sent out publicly on an errand to Ahab: saying, thus saith the Lord, hast thou seen all this great multitude ? considered what a vast number Benhadad's army consisted of: behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day ; as great as it is: and thou shalt know that I am the... read more
And Ahab said, by whom ?.... Knowing he had no army with him sufficient to go out with against the Syrian army: and he said, thus saith the Lord, even by the young men of the princes of the provinces ; either such, as Kimchi thinks, who were brought up with him; or, as others, the sons of governors of provinces, who were kept as hostages, that their fathers might not rebel; neither of which is likely: but rather the servants of such princes who waited on them, and lived delicately and at... read more
Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two ,.... A very small number to go forth against so great an army as the host of the Syrians, and these raw unexperienced young men: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand ; which could never be the number of all the people in the land, nor even in the city of Samaria, who were able to bear arms; but it must mean such who were... read more
And they went out at noon ,.... From Samaria, the two hundred and thirty two young men, and the 7000 Israelites, openly, with great spirit and courage, fearless and undaunted; but it is not said that Ahab went out at the head of them; it seems as if he did not by what is said, 1 Kings 20:21 , but Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions (or booths, or tents), he, and the kings, the thirty two kings that helped him ; who either were his subjects, or his tributaries, or... read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 20:7
Then the King of Israel called all the elders of the land ,.... His poor sneaking spirit was a little aroused with the last message, and therefore called a council of the elders of the people upon it, which was a piece of wisdom in him: and said, mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief ; nothing less than the entire ruin of the nation: 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 ; in the sense he... read more