1 Kings 20:15

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 20:12-21

The treaty between the besiegers and the besieged being broken off abruptly, we have here an account of the battle that ensued immediately. I. The Syrians, the besiegers, had their directions from a drunken king, who gave orders over his cups, as he was drinking (1 Kgs. 20:12), drinking himself drunk (1 Kgs. 20:16) with the kings in the pavilions, and this at noon. Drunkenness is a sin which armies and their officers have of old been addicted to. Say not thou then that the former days were, in... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 20:15

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

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 20:15

Two hundred and thirty-two - These were probably the king's life or body guards; not all the militia, but two hundred and thirty of them who constituted the royal guard in Samaria. They were therefore the king's own regiment, and he is commanded by the prophet to put himself at their head. Seven thousand - How low must the state of Israel have been at this time! These Jarchi thinks were the seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 20:1-21

Veiled Mercies . I. AHAB 'S EXTREMITY ( 1 Kings 20:1-11 ). God's goodness to the froward is shown by His bringing them into circumstances where they may prove and know Him. The clouds they "so much dread are big with mercy." 1 . The land is overrun and the capital besieged . The fruit of sin is difficulty and disaster. The land and the life which will not acknowledge God will know at last what it is to be bereft of His protecting care and the ministrations of His goodness.... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 20:1-43

The Purgatory of Nations and Kings. The two invasions of Israel by the armies of Syria, and their defeat by the finger of God, may suggest some lessons as to God's dealings with nations, and with oppressive and tyrannical kings. Two considerations must, however, be borne in mind here. First, that the present age, unlike the Mosaic, is not a dispensation of temporal rewards and punishments. It is true that even now men do receive a rough sort of retribution, according to their... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 20:12-21

The hand of God. The notable answer of the king of Israel to the insolent king of Syria, "Let not him that girdeth on the harness boast himself as he that putteth it off," came to Ben-hadad when he was drinking wine with the thirty and two kings that followed him. He at once gave orders to his servants to set themselves in battle array. While the enormous host which "filled the country" (see 1 Kings 20:25 , 1 Kings 20:27 ) disposed itself to attack the city, the men of Israel, who were... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 20:15

Then he numbered [or reviewed (cf. Numbers 1:44 sqq.; Numbers 3:39-43 )] the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty-two [cf. 2 Chronicles 14:11 ; Psalms 33:16 ; Deuteronomy 32:30 , etc. LXX . διακόσια τριάκοντα . Theodoret remarks that by this band—230, as he understood it—Almighty God would destroy the hosts of thirty and two kings. The numbers may have been recorded because of the correspondency]: and after them he numbered... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 20:15

" The young men … were two hundred and thirty-two. " "Not by might nor by power (Zechariah 15:6). God's host is ever a little flock (cf. 7:2-7 ; 2 Chronicles 20:12 ; 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 ). The "weak things" were chosen then, as subsequently, "that no flesh should glory in his presence." God never departs from that rule. The "carpenter's son," the "fishermen," the "unlearned and ignorant men"—it is the same principle underlies His choice in every case. read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 20:15

Seven thousand - Considering how populous Palestine was in the time of the earlier Israelite kings (see 2 Chronicles 13:3; 2 Chronicles 14:8; 2 Chronicles 17:14-18), the smallness of this number is somewhat surprising. If the reading be sound, we must suppose, first, that Ben-hadad’s attack was very sudden, and that Ahab had no time to collect forces from distant parts of the country; and secondly, that during the long siege the garrison of Samaria had been greatly reduced, until it now did not... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 20:15

1 Kings 20:15. He numbered all the men of Israel All in Samaria and the neighbourhood that were fit to go out to war; all except those whom their age, or infirmity, or other sufficient causes excused; but certainly not all the men of war in Israel, who must have been far more than seven thousand. read more

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