1 Kings 20:28 kjv
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
1 Kings 20:28 nkjv
Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.' "
1 Kings 20:28 niv
The man of God came up and told the king of Israel, "This is what the LORD says: 'Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not a god of the valleys, I will deliver this vast army into your hands, and you will know that I am the LORD.'?"
1 Kings 20:28 esv
And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"
1 Kings 20:28 nlt
Then the man of God went to the king of Israel and said, "This is what the LORD says: The Arameans have said, 'The LORD is a god of the hills and not of the plains.' So I will defeat this vast army for you. Then you will know that I am the LORD."
1 Kings 20 28 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ex 6:7 | ...you shall know that I am the LORD your God... | God revealing Himself to Israel. |
| Ex 7:5 | ...Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD... | God proving Himself to nations. |
| Ex 8:10 | ...none is like the LORD our God. | God's unique power. |
| Ex 14:4 | ...Egyptians will know that I am the LORD. | God's glory revealed in judgment. |
| Deut 3:24 | ...Who is a god in heaven or on earth who can do such works...? | God's incomparability. |
| Ps 24:1 | The earth is the LORD's, and the fullness thereof... | God's universal dominion. |
| Ps 46:10 | ...I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! | God's global supremacy. |
| Ps 96:5 | For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens. | Contrast with pagan deities. |
| Isa 40:12 | Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand...? | God's transcendent power over creation. |
| Isa 40:18 | To whom then will you liken God...? | God's unique being. |
| Isa 43:10 | ...before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. | God as the only true God. |
| Isa 44:6 | I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no God. | Monotheistic declaration. |
| Jer 10:10 | But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God... | True God vs. idols. |
| Jer 23:23-24 | Am I a God at hand, declares the LORD, and not a God afar off?...Do I not fill heaven and earth? | God's omnipresence. |
| Joel 3:17 | So you shall know that I am the LORD your God... | God revealing Himself through judgment/salvation. |
| Zech 14:3 | Then the LORD will go out and fight against those nations... | God fighting for His people. |
| Rom 1:19-20 | For what can be known about God is plain to them... | God's knowability to all through creation. |
| Rom 1:21-23 | ...they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him...exchanged the glory of the immortal God... | Human rejection of God's true nature. |
| Acts 17:24 | The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth... | God as Creator and sovereign over all. |
| Eph 4:6 | one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. | God's supreme authority. |
| Phil 2:9-11 | Therefore God has highly exalted him...every knee should bow...every tongue confess... | Universal acknowledgment of God (through Christ). |
| 1 Chr 29:11-12 | Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power...for all that is in heaven and in earth is yours. | God's total dominion. |
| Job 42:2 | I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. | God's omnipotence and unthwartable will. |
1 Kings 20 verses
1 Kings 20 28 Meaning
A prophet, described as a "man of God," delivers a direct message from the LORD to King Ahab. This message responds to the Syrian assertion that the God of Israel is confined to hills and powerless in valleys. The LORD declares He will hand the vast Syrian army over to Israel, proving His absolute and universal sovereignty, demonstrating that He alone is God over all places and circumstances.
1 Kings 20 28 Context
This verse appears after the first major battle between Israel (under King Ahab) and Aram (under King Ben-Hadad) described in 1 Kings 20. Israel, though greatly outnumbered, had miraculously defeated the Syrians, who besieged Samaria. The Syrian advisors then suggested that Israel's victory was because the LORD was "God of the hills," implying He had no power in the flat plains, which were preferred for cavalry operations. Their counsel leads Ben-Hadad to fight Israel again in a valley location (Aphek). In response to this pagan misconception, the LORD sends a prophet to King Ahab with the declaration of this verse, emphasizing His universal sovereignty and His intent to humble the Syrians and make known His true nature. This narrative highlights a theological conflict more than just a military one, countering polytheistic and territorial views of deity common in the ancient Near East.
1 Kings 20 28 Word analysis
- And there came: Indicates divine initiative and direct intervention.
- a man of God (Hebrew: ’îsh ’Ĕlōhîm): A standard title for a prophet, indicating one divinely appointed and authorized to deliver God's message. This prophet remains unnamed, focusing attention on the message's source – God.
- and spake unto the king of Israel: Direct, authoritative communication to Ahab, even amidst his wickedness.
- Thus saith the LORD (Hebrew: Kōh ’āmar Yahweh): The characteristic formula introducing a direct, unalterable divine pronouncement. It signifies absolute authority and certainty of the message's origin.
- Because the Syrians have said: Highlights the specific, blasphemous challenge from the pagan enemy that provoked God's response. Their words are a direct affront to God's nature.
- The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys: This statement reflects pagan, polytheistic thought, common in the ancient Near East, which compartmentalized deities and attributed localized or specialized power to them (e.g., storm gods, fertility gods, gods of specific regions). It's a fundamental misunderstanding and limitation placed upon the infinite God of Israel. The implication is that in the valleys, Syrian gods would be superior.
- therefore will I deliver: God's direct, personal action and resolve. The consequence flows directly from the Syrian's challenge.
- all this great multitude: Refers to the massive Syrian army, underscoring the miraculous nature of the impending victory and magnifying God's power against overwhelming odds.
- into thine hand: Implies a complete and decisive victory granted to Israel.
- and ye shall know: The ultimate purpose and educational outcome of the divine action. It is for Israel and the nations to learn a fundamental truth about God.
- that I am the LORD: This declarative statement (Hebrew: ’ănî Yahweh) asserts God's unique, absolute, and incomparable identity. It counters all pagan claims and demonstrates His sovereignty over all creation, circumstances, and all false gods. It emphasizes His being as the one true, transcendent, and omnipresent God, limitless in power and dominion.
1 Kings 20 28 Bonus section
The anonymity of the "man of God" emphasizes that the message's authority stems solely from God, not the messenger. This incident, while demonstrating God's power, also served as a judgment against the spiritual blindness of both the Syrians and, implicitly, a reminder to Israel who had also been susceptible to territorial pagan gods. God’s intervention was a divine polemic, using the battlefield to wage a theological war and correct a grave misunderstanding of His boundless nature. The phrase "and ye shall know that I am the LORD" is a recurrent divine signature throughout Exodus and Ezekiel, consistently pointing to God's self-revelation through acts of judgment, salvation, and power, for His glory.
1 Kings 20 28 Commentary
This verse powerfully asserts God's absolute and universal sovereignty in the face of pagan, localized beliefs. The Syrians, accustomed to polytheism and territorial deities, erroneously assumed Yahweh's power was confined to specific geographical features like hills. God’s response, delivered through an unnamed "man of God," is swift and categorical. He intervenes not primarily because of Israel’s righteousness (King Ahab was notoriously wicked) but to defend His own honor and reveal His true nature. The ensuing miraculous victory over a numerically superior Syrian force in a valley served as an undeniable object lesson: Yahweh is the God of all places—hills and valleys, plains and mountains—and His power knows no bounds. The core message is that God acts to make His unique identity known, forcing both Israel and the pagan nations to "know that I am the LORD," affirming His exclusive claim to deity and rejecting any attempt to limit His omnipotence or omnipresence.