So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.
Parallel translations
- WEB So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with his headband over his eyes.
- BSB and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
- ESV So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the way, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.
- NKJV Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
- NASB So the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.
- NLT The prophet placed a bandage over his eyes to disguise himself and then waited beside the road for the king.
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
The prophet disguises himself with a bandage over his eyes and waits by the road for the king. He prepares an enacted parable to expose Ahab's sin.
Overview
Wounded and posing as a soldier, the prophet hides his identity with a headband and stations himself along the king's route. The disguise will let him draw Ahab into pronouncing judgment on himself, as Nathan once did with David. This prophetic method shows God's wisdom in leading the guilty to condemn their own actions before the verdict is revealed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 1 Kgs 14:2And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.
- Matt 6:16Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
- 2 Sam 14:2And Joab sent to Tekoah, and fetched thence a wise woman, and said unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner, and put on now mourning apparel, and anoint not thyself with oil, but be as a woman that had a long time mourned for the dead:
- 1 Kgs 22:30And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 20:38 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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