About noontime, as Ben-hadad and the thirty-two allied kings were still in their tents drinking themselves into a stupor,
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.
- KJV 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.
- 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.
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 16:9His servant Zimri, captain of half his chariots, conspired against him. Now he was in Tirzah, drinking himself drunk in the house of Arza, who was over the household in Tirzah;
- Eccl 10:16–17Woe to you, land, when your king is a child, and your princes eat in the morning!
- Prov 23:29–32Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has strife? Who has complaints? Who has needless bruises? Who has bloodshot eyes?
- 1 Kgs 16:7Moreover Yahweh’s word came by the prophet Jehu the son of Hanani against Baasha and against his house, both because of all the evil that he did in Yahweh’s sight, to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in being like the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him.
- 1 Kgs 20:11–12The king of Israel answered, “Tell him, ‘Don’t let him who puts on his armor brag like he who takes it off.’”
- Hos 4:11Prostitution, wine, and new wine take away understanding.
- Isa 54:15Behold, they may gather together, but not by me. Whoever gathers together against you will fall because of you.
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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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