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Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel,
1 Kings 20:2 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel, into the city, and said to him, “Thus says Ben Hadad,
  • KJV And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,
  • ESV And he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel and said to him, “Thus says Ben-hadad:
  • NKJV Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad:
  • NASB Then he sent messengers to the city to Ahab, king of Israel, and said to him, “This is what Ben-hadad says:
  • NLT Ben-hadad sent messengers into the city to relay this message to King Ahab of Israel: “This is what Ben-hadad says:

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 sends messengers into Samaria with demands for Ahab. The siege gives way to humiliating terms.

Overview

Confident in his strength, Ben-Hadad opens negotiations from a position of dominance. His message will demand Ahab's wealth and family, asserting total mastery. The exchange begins a confrontation that God will ultimately turn into a victory for Israel, displaying His power over arrogant nations.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 3

  • Isa 36:2–22And the king of Assyria sent the Rabshakeh, with a great army, from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And he stopped by the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road to the Launderer’s Field.
  • 2 Kgs 19:9Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “Look, he has set out to fight against you.” So Sennacherib again sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
  • Isa 37:9–10Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 1 Kings videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 1 Kings 20:2YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 1 KingsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 20:2 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.