And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.
Parallel translations
- WEB They went out at noon. But Ben Hadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty-two kings who helped him.
- BSB They marched out at noon while Ben-hadad and the 32 kings allied with him were in their tents getting drunk.
- ESV And they went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the booths, he and the thirty-two kings who helped him.
- NKJV So they went out at noon. Meanwhile Ben-Hadad and the thirty-two kings helping him were getting drunk at the command post.
- NASB They went out at noon, while Ben-hadad was drinking himself drunk in the temporary shelters with the thirty-two kings who were helping him.
- NLT About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two allied kings were still in their tents drinking themselves into a stupor,
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Israel attacks at noon while Ben-Hadad and his thirty-two allied kings are getting drunk. The enemy's self-indulgence leaves them unprepared for judgment.
Overview
Israel advances at midday as the Syrian king and his royal allies are drinking themselves drunk in their tents. Their reckless revelry, repeated for emphasis, exposes the folly of pride that despises a humbled foe. Their unreadiness is the setting in which the Lord overturns human strength, a reminder that judgment often comes upon the complacent when they least expect it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Kgs 16:9And his servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him, as he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza steward of his house in Tirzah.
- Eccl 10:16–17Woe to thee, O land, when thy king is a child, and thy princes eat in the morning!
- Prov 23:29–32Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes?
- 1 Kgs 16:7And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani came the word of the LORD against Baasha, and against his house, even for all the evil that he did in the sight of the LORD, in provoking him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam; and because he killed him.
- 1 Kgs 20:11–12And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
- Hos 4:11Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.
- Isa 54:15Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by me: whosoever shall gather together against thee shall fall for thy sake.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 20:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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