He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
- BSB “If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”
- ESV He said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive. Or if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
- NKJV So he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; and if they have come out for war, take them alive.”
- NASB Then he said, “If they have come out for peace, take them alive; or if they have come out for war, take them alive as well.”
- NLT “Take them alive,” Ben-hadad commanded, “whether they have come for peace or for war.”
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
Ben-Hadad arrogantly orders that the men be taken alive whether they come for peace or war. His overconfidence blinds him to the danger.
Overview
So contemptuous is Ben-Hadad of the small Israelite force that he commands his men to capture them alive regardless of their intent. His careless presumption, issued while drunk, reflects a pride that underestimates both Israel and Israel's God. The instruction ironically sets the stage for his own rout, illustrating how pride goes before destruction.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- 2 Kgs 14:8–12Then Amaziah sent messengers to Jehoash, the son of Jehoahaz son of Jehu, king of Israel, saying, “Come, let us look one another in the face.”
- Prov 18:12Before destruction the heart of man is proud, but before honor is humility.
- 1 Sam 17:44The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the sky, and to the animals of the field.”
- 1 Sam 14:11–12Both of them revealed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines: and the Philistines said, “Behold, the Hebrews are coming out of the holes where they had hidden themselves!”
- 1 Sam 2:3–4“Don’t keep talking so exceedingly proudly. Don’t let arrogance come out of your mouth, For Yahweh is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.
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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 20:18 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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