1 Kings 20 10

1 Kings 20:10 kjv

And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

1 Kings 20:10 nkjv

Then Ben-Hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me, and more also, if enough dust is left of Samaria for a handful for each of the people who follow me."

1 Kings 20:10 niv

Then Ben-Hadad sent another message to Ahab: "May the gods deal with me, be it ever so severely, if enough dust remains in Samaria to give each of my men a handful."

1 Kings 20:10 esv

Ben-hadad sent to him and said, "The gods do so to me and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people who follow me."

1 Kings 20:10 nlt

Then Ben-hadad sent this message to Ahab: "May the gods strike me and even kill me if there remains enough dust from Samaria to provide even a handful for each of my soldiers."

1 Kings 20 verses

1 Kings 20 10 Meaning

This verse conveys Ben-hadad's extreme and arrogant threat to King Ahab of Israel. He boasts that his army is so overwhelmingly vast that if the entire city of Samaria were pulverized into dust, there would not be enough dust to provide even a single handful for each of his soldiers. This is a highly rhetorical, hyperbolic declaration meant to display his absolute military supremacy and intimidate Israel into submission, sealed with an imprecatory oath calling upon his pagan gods.

1 Kings 20 10 Context

This verse is situated in 1 Kings chapter 20, which details two significant conflicts between the northern kingdom of Israel, ruled by King Ahab, and Aram (Syria), led by King Ben-hadad. Initially, Ben-hadad besieges Samaria and sends humiliating demands for tribute and possessions. This verse represents an escalation of those demands into a colossal, seemingly insurmountable military threat. Ben-hadad's words express his utter confidence in his overwhelming forces and contempt for Israel's ability to resist. Historically, Aram and Israel were regional powers with fluctuating alliances and frequent conflicts. Ben-hadad's threat aligns with typical ancient Near Eastern war rhetoric designed to break an enemy's will to fight. Although Ahab was largely disobedient to the Lord, God nonetheless intervened in these wars, not for Ahab's merit, but to demonstrate His own power to Israel and the surrounding nations against the false gods worshipped by their enemies, specifically Aram's Hadad. This verse thus sets the stage for God to vividly display His sovereignty over human boasting and pagan deities.

1 Kings 20 10 Word analysis

• And Ben-hadad (וַיִּשְׁלַח בֶּן-הֲדַד, wa-yishlakh Ben-Hadad):

  • Ben-hadad: "Son of Hadad." Hadad was a prominent Aramaean storm and thunder god, akin to Baal. This name signals Ben-hadad's devotion to pagan deities, upon whom he implicitly relies for his military prowess and invokes in his oath. His confidence is rooted in human strength and idol worship.
  • sent unto him, and said: Indicates a formal communication, a direct and arrogant challenge sent from the besieging king to Ahab.

• The gods (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim) do so unto me, and more also,:

  • The gods (אֱלֹהִים, Elohim): While Elohim can refer to the God of Israel, in this context, spoken by Ben-hadad, it refers to his plural pagan deities (e.g., Hadad, Ashtarte). This is a stark contrast between the Aramaean worldview and Yahwism.
  • do so unto me, and more also (יַעֲשׂוּ לִי וְכֹה יֹסִפוּ, ya‘aṣu li wəḵōh yōsîpū): This is a powerful, self-imprecatory oath formula common in ancient Near Eastern treaties and declarations. By invoking a curse upon himself if his boast fails to materialize, Ben-hadad demonstrates extreme certainty and unwavering resolve. "Do so unto me" implies unspecified, dreadful calamities, and "more also" intensifies the threat, suggesting even greater woe if he doesn't achieve his destructive goal. It's a testament to the solemnity and weight he attaches to his vow, as well as his perceived invincibility.

• if the dust of Samaria (אִם־יִסְפֹּק עֲפַר שֹׁמְרוֹן, ’im-yisppōq ‘ap̄ar Šōmərôn):

  • if (אִם, ’im): Introduces a conditional clause that, in the context of an oath, asserts the opposite as the intended truth—the dust will not suffice.
  • the dust of Samaria (עֲפַר שֹׁמְרוֹן, ‘ap̄ar Šōmərôn): Samaria was the fortified capital of the northern kingdom of Israel. "Dust" implies not just ruin but total pulverization, signifying complete destruction and obliteration, leaving nothing but ground-up remnants of the city.

• shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me (לַחֲפָנִים לְכָל־הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלָי, lakhaphānîm ləkōl-hā‘ām ’ašer bəraglay):

  • shall suffice (יִסְפֹּק, yisppōq): From sāpak, "to be enough, sufficient." Here used in the negative, asserting utter insufficiency.
  • for handfuls (לַחֲפָנִים, lakhaphānîm): Literally "for cupped hands." A "handful" is the smallest imaginable unit of measurement, representing a trivial quantity. This extreme hyperbole underscores the immense, almost limitless size of Ben-hadad's army. Even if the entire, grand capital were reduced to the minutest particles, there wouldn't be enough to satisfy even a trivial demand of each soldier.
  • for all the people that follow me (לְכָל-הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בְּרַגְלָי, ləkōl-hā‘ām ’ašer bəraglay): Literally, "for all the people who are at my feet," indicating his vast army and camp followers. This idiom portrays the overwhelming multitude that he commanded, presenting them as an unstoppable force. The phrase serves as the basis for the numerical boasting that reveals Ben-hadad’s pride and the scale of the threat.

1 Kings 20 10 Bonus section

• Ben-hadad's oath-bound boast positions the upcoming battle as a test of deities: Ben-hadad's "gods" versus the Lord God of Israel. The outcome would therefore establish which deity was superior, providing a crucial lesson for Israel regarding Yahweh's unparalleled might.
• The idiom "dust of Samaria for handfuls" may also subtly imply the intention of totally obliterating Samaria as a city and scattering its population, a common ancient practice of total war.
• This boast acts as dramatic irony; despite the seemingly insurmountable threat, Ben-hadad will soon suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of a much smaller Israeli force, proving the futility of relying on human strength and pagan gods against the true God.

1 Kings 20 10 Commentary

This verse, uttered by King Ben-hadad of Aram to King Ahab of Israel, epitomizes hubris and overweening confidence. Ben-hadad's threat is hyperbolic, intended to paralyze Ahab with fear, implying an army so numerous that it would literally consume a destroyed Samaria entirely, leaving nothing even for the smallest of tokens for each soldier. His self-imprecatory oath, invoking his pagan gods, underscores the depth of his commitment to this absolute destruction and his belief in his military superiority. It reflects a typical ancient Near Eastern mindset where power resided in numbers and pagan deity endorsement. However, the true significance lies in how this boast sets the stage for a divine polemic. Ben-hadad's trust in his gods and vast army stands in stark contrast to the God of Israel's impending intervention. Yahweh, not Aram's gods or overwhelming numbers, will soon demonstrate ultimate sovereignty, delivering Israel not because of Ahab's faithfulness, but to defend His own name and demonstrate that true victory does not depend on human strength but on divine power.