So they put sackcloth on their bodies and ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live.’ ” He said, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”
Now the men observed diligently, and hurried to take this phrase; and they said, “Your brother Ben Hadad.” Then he said, “Go, bring him.” Then Ben Hadad came out to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.
Ben Hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore. You shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” “I”, said Ahab, “will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv33–34 He is alive.
He is alive.
Or, and caught it of him.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv32–34 1Ki 20:32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins,…
1Ki 20:32 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.
Ver. 32. So they girded sackcloth.] See 1Ki 20:31.
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Thy servant Benhadad saith.] Not long since it was, Thy lord Benhadad saith, All that thou hast is mine. Pride goeth before a fall. It was a great foretoken of Darius’s ruin, when in his proud embassy to Alexander he called himself king of kings, and cousin of the gods; but for Alexander, he called him his servant. Decent fortunas secundas superbiae, said he in Plautus, but without reason; Great men may well be proud. How much better Polybius, that grave historian, who by the example of M. Attilius Regulus, - haughty and merciless to the Carthaginians, of whom he was shortly after glad to crave mercy, - teacheth men to use their prosperity moderately; and not to look for any long continuance of it. {a}
I pray thee, let me live.] Life is a sweet mercy, {Est 7:3; Jer 39:18; Jer 45:5} and man is a life loving creature, said Aesop.
He is my brother.] Haec non clementia fuit, sed dementia, saith one. This was not courtsey, but foolery. {b} Brother Benhadad will ere long fight against Ahab with that life which he had given him. {1Ki 22:31}
{a} απιστειν τη τυχη και μαλιστα κατα τας ευπραγιαν.
{b} Chald. Paraph.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv32–34 I do not only freely pardon him, but honour…
I do not only freely pardon him, but honour and love him as my brother.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv32–34 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put…
So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads,.... Signifying they came to surrender themselves to him as his captives and prisoners, and he might do with them as seemed good to him, hang them up if he pleased, for which they brought ropes with them, as a token that they deserved it, see Isa 20:2,
and came to the king of Israel, and said, thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee let me live: he that a little while ago insolently demanded his wives, and children, and silver, and gold, as his property, now is his humble servant, and begs, not for his crown and kingdom, but for his life:
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and he said, is he yet alive? he is my brother; which was intimating at once, that not only they might expect he would spare his life, who seemed to be so glad that he was alive, but that he would show him more favour, having a great affection for him as his brother; this was a very foolish expression from a king in his circumstances, with respect to one who had given him so much trouble and distress, and had behaved with so much haughtiness and contempt towards him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv32–34 My brother - I do not only pardon him,…
My brother - I do not only pardon him, but honour and love him as my brother. What a change is here! From the height of prosperity, to the depth of distress. See the uncertainty of human affairs! Such turns are they subject to, that the spoke of the wheel which is uppermost now, may soon be the lowest of all.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Verse 32. Thy servant Ben-hadad] See the vicissitude of…
Verse 32. Thy servant Ben-hadad] See the vicissitude of human affairs! A little before he was the haughtiest of all tyrants, and Ahab calls him his lord; now, so much is he humbled, that he will be glad to be reputed Ahab's slave!
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv32–34 1Ki 20:32. Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee,…
1Ki 20:32. Thy servant Ben-hadad saith, I pray thee, let me live — He now as humbly petitions Ahab, as Ahab a little while ago had petitioned him, and begs of him his life. What a change from the height of prosperity to the depth of distress! Such is the uncertainty of human affairs! Such the strange turns which are continually taking place! The spoke of the wheel which is uppermost now, may soon be the lowest of all. And he said, is he yet alive? He is my brother — I do not only pardon him, but honour and love him as a brother. This was rather folly than mercifulness, or good nature; to treat a man thus, who had so lately used him with such extreme haughtiness, and brought so much confusion, terror, and damage, into his kingdom.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv32–34 Ben-hadad is now as humble as Ahab had been…
Ben-hadad is now as humble as Ahab had been a year before 1Ki 20:9. He professes himself the mere “slave” of his conqueror.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv33–34 Men. Protestants, "Now the men did diligently observe whether…
Men. Protestants, "Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it, and they said." They heard him mention the title of brother with joy, concluding that he was not so much irritated, as they might have expected. Allied kings style each other brother; those who are tributary, call themselves servants, (like Achaz, 4 Kings xvi. 7.; Calmet) as well as those who seek for favour; as Benadad does at present, ver. 32. (Haydock) --- Luck. The pagans were accustomed to make vain observations. (Menochius)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv32, 34 put ropes on their heads--Captives were dragged by ropes…
put ropes on their heads--Captives were dragged by ropes round their necks in companies, as is depicted on the monuments of Egypt. Their voluntary attitude and language of submission flattered the pride of Ahab, who, little concerned about the dishonor done to the God of Israel by the Syrian king, and thinking of nothing but victory, paraded his clemency, called the vanquished king "his brother," invited him to sit in the royal chariot, and dismissed him with a covenant of peace.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv32–34 32. He is my brother — Ahab’s vanity was…
32. He is my brother — Ahab’s vanity was flattered by this humiliation of his royal foe; and the king, who is subject to such vanity, will be likely to do many foolish things.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv32–34 32. Is he yet alive? he is my brother]…
32. Is he yet alive? he is my brother] Ahab could not know whether Ben-hadad had perished under the falling wall, but as soon as he hears that he is safe, his sympathy is stirred for one of his own rank, and he uses the kingly form of address in speaking of him ‘my brother’. Cf. above on 1Ki_9:13.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv33–34 (33) Now the men.—There has been much discussion of…
(33) Now the men.—There has been much discussion of the meaning here, and some proposals of slight emendations of the reading. But the general sense seems accurately rendered by our version. “The men watched” (“as for augury,” says the LXX.), “and hasted, and caught up” (so as to make it sure) “what fell from him.” What follows may be a question, “Is Ben-hadad thy brother?” but probably the simple acceptance of the title is better. The whole description is graphic. The Syrians speak of “thy slave Ben-hadad.” Ahab, in compassion or show of magnanimity, says, “my brother.” Eagerly the ambassadors catch up the word, which, according to Eastern custom, implied a pledge of amity not to be recalled; and Ahab accepts their inference, and seals it publicly by taking the conquered king into his chariot. (Comp. 2Ki_10:15-16.)
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv32–34 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put…
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. Compare with this abject petition for life the arrogant insolence of vers. 6, 10. The tables are indeed turned. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v33 Now the men did diligently observe whether anything would…
1Ki_20:33
Now the men did diligently observe whether anything would come from him, and did hastily catch it.
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Observing the kings word
I. It is a pity that awakened sinners do not copy the example of these men.
1. There is far too little of diligent observance of what God says in His word.
2. The same thing ought to be done when you are heating the Gospel preached; for God has been pleased, in order that His truth may be brought home to your hearts, to choose certain of His servants to speak His word; and, so far as they speak in accordance with His mind and will, they speak for God to you.
3. Then, again, while there is too little of diligent observation of what God has said, there is also far too little of hastily catching at the word.
II. It is very strange that sinners act thus, for it is not consistent with the usual ways of mankind.
1. We have a proverb which says that drowning men catch at straws. So they do; and when a man is in peril, he will usually grasp at anything that seems to offer him a hope of escape. How is it, then, that, with a Bible full of promises, and a Gospel full of encouragements, the mass of people with troubled consciences do not at once catch at what God says? There is another proverb of ours which says that the wish is father to the thought. Sometimes, a man wishes for a thing so long that, at last, he believes it is really his; but how strange it is that, in spiritual things, men wish, and wish, and wish,--or say that they do,--and yet they do not believe that it is as they wish! The more they wish, the further they seem to be from the blessing they desire to possess.
2. This is the more strange, too, because you can continually see how sinners catch at everything else. See how they cling to their own righteousness. A thousand tons of it are not worth a farthing; it is neither fit for the land nor yet for the dunghill, yet they prize it as if it was a heap of diamonds. See what confidence many put in utterly worthless forms and ceremonies.
III. When we are dealing with God, there is very much to catch at. Many years ago, when I was in great distress of soul, and could not find Christ for a long while, I would have been glad if I had heard anybody speak about how much there is for a troubled soul to catch at. Perhaps I did hear something about it; but, if so, I did not catch at it, though I think I should have done so if it had really been made plain and clear to me. Until God the Holy Ghost enlightens the soul, the truth may be put very plainly, but we do not see it. I will try, now, to set it before any one here who is willing to catch at it.
1. Now, poor troubled soul, if it had been Gods purpose to destroy you,--if He never intended to hear your prayers--if He never meant to save you--let me ask you, very earnestly--Why did He give you the Bible? I want you to catch at this thought.
2. Again, why has God raised up a ministry, and given you the opportunity of listening to it? Why are you continually being warned to flee from the wrath to come? Why are you constantly being instructed in the truths of the Gospel?
3. I remind you also that you are still on praying ground.
4. See, next, if you cannot catch at this great truth--God has given Jesus Christ to die for sinners. You are a sinner, so catch at this glorious fact: He gave Himself for our sins.
5. There is another truth that I think some of you might catch at; it is this one: God now commandeth all men everywhere to repent. This was the message that our Lord Jesus Christ Himself preached, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
6. Then, again, what can be the meaning of that other command, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, except that if, as a guilty sinner, I come and trust in Christ, I shall be saved? It is even so; indeed, I am saved as soon as ever I do believe in Jesus.
IV. There is much greater encouragement for you and for me, than there was for those messengers from Ben-hadad.
1. For, first, suppose Ahab did utter a hopeful word, he was very deceitful.
2. Then, again, when those men listened to Ahab, he might have uttered a friendly word without meaning it.
3. These messengers from Ben-hadad said that the Kings of Israel were merciful kings; and we know that God is much more merciful than they were, for His mercy endureth for ever.
4. Those messengers from Ben-hadad might have believed be: tar of Ahab than would have been true, but you cannot believe better of God than will be true. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Lying at the catch
Sinner, whoever thou art coming to Christ, believe it, thou wilt not injure Christ at all, if, as Ben-hadads servants served Ahab, thou shalt catch Him at His word. The men did diligently observe whether anything would come from him, to wit, any word of grace, and did hastily catch it. And it happened that Ahab had called Ben-hadad his brother. The men replied, therefore, Thy brother Benhadad: catching him at his word. Sinner, coming sinner, serve Jesus Christ thus, and He will take it kindly at thy hands. When He in His argument called the Canaanitish woman dog, she catched Him at it, and said, Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters table. I say she catched Him thus in His words, and He took it kindly, saying, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee as thou wilt. Catch Him, coming sinner, catch Him in His words; surely He will take it kindly, and will not be offended at thee. (J. Bunyan.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v33 Now the men
Now the men
The word "Now" does not mean "at this moment," but is used to draw attention to the important point that follows.
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for any sign from Ahab
"Sign" is metonymy for an action that gives a meaning. AT: "for any action from Ahab that would show them that Ahab wanted to be merciful" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
sign
Ahab
chariot
restore
ancestor
Damascus
Samaria
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv32, 34 20:32-33 my brother: Ahab spoke to Ben-hadad in terms…
20:32-33 my brother: Ahab spoke to Ben-hadad in terms that politely indicated the Aramean king’s royal authority and Ahab’s desire for good relations. Ahab welcomed Ben-hadad into his chariot to demonstrate his warm reception of the king, yet serving notice that he should recognize Ahab as his equal. Correspondence and parity agreements between kings of the ancient Near East used the language of brotherhood to express friendship, good relations, or formal equality.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.