1 Kings 20:9 kjv
Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.
1 Kings 20:9 nkjv
Therefore he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you sent for to your servant the first time I will do, but this thing I cannot do.' " And the messengers departed and brought back word to him.
1 Kings 20:9 niv
So he replied to Ben-Hadad's messengers, "Tell my lord the king, 'Your servant will do all you demanded the first time, but this demand I cannot meet.'?" They left and took the answer back to Ben-Hadad.
1 Kings 20:9 esv
So he said to the messengers of Ben-hadad, "Tell my lord the king, 'All that you first demanded of your servant I will do, but this thing I cannot do.'" And the messengers departed and brought him word again.
1 Kings 20:9 nlt
So Ahab told the messengers from Ben-hadad, "Say this to my lord the king: 'I will give you everything you asked for the first time, but I cannot accept this last demand of yours.'" So the messengers returned to Ben-hadad with that response.
1 Kings 20 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Ki 20:3-4 | "...Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives also..." "...According to your word, my lord, I am yours, and all that I have." | Ahab's initial capitulation to demands. |
| 1 Ki 20:5-6 | "...Tomorrow about this time I will send my servants to you, and they shall search your house and the houses of your servants, and whatever is pleasant in their eyes, they shall take it..." | Ben-hadad's escalating, unreasonable demands. |
| 1 Ki 20:7-8 | "Then the king of Israel called all the elders... 'You see how this man is seeking trouble; he sent to me for my wives and my children...and I did not withhold them from him.' And all the elders...said to him, 'Do not listen or comply.'" | Seeking wise counsel and rejection of further demands. |
| Prov 16:18 | "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." | Ben-hadad's arrogance leading to his downfall. |
| Prov 28:25 | "The greedy stirs up conflict..." | Greed (Ben-hadad's) causing war. |
| Matt 6:24 | "No one can serve two masters..." | Impossibility of serving conflicting desires/lords. |
| Matt 25:29 | "...from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away." | Consequences of unchecked oppression. |
| Gen 13:8-9 | "Let there be no strife between us... Is not the whole land before you?..." | Contrast to Lot and Abraham's resolution of strife. |
| Judg 11:28 | "But the king of the Ammonites did not listen to the words that Jephthah sent him." | Stubborn refusal of an ultimatum. |
| 2 Ki 14:10 | "...you are puffed up on account of your victory... why should you provoke trouble so that you fall...?" | Pride leading to self-inflicted downfall. |
| Ps 20:7 | "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God." | Ahab relied on human counsel; contrast with reliance on God. |
| Jer 9:23-24 | "Thus says the Lord: 'Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom... but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me...'" | Human boastfulness vs. knowing God (relevant to Ben-hadad). |
| Jas 4:6 | "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." | God's stance against Ben-hadad's pride. |
| 1 Pet 5:5 | "...Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for 'God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.'" | Reminder of humility's importance for all. |
| 1 Sam 17:45-47 | "Then David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword and with a spear... but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts...' " | Trusting God in unequal battle, contrasting Ahab's lack thereof initially. |
| Exod 7:14-25 | Pharaoh's heart hardening and refusing demands. | Stubbornness leading to judgment (like Ben-hadad). |
| Acts 5:29 | "We must obey God rather than men." | Implicit boundary for obedience; applies here as a "cannot do" for an unjust human demand. |
| Deut 28:15, 43-44 | Consequences of disobedience including a foreign power being lifted over Israel. | Shows the curses related to Israel's idolatry, explaining the nation's vulnerability. |
| Neh 5:1-13 | Nehemiah confronts exploitation, refuses to tolerate further oppression. | Setting boundaries against oppressive demands from fellow countrymen. |
| Isa 36:10 | Assyrian general's boastful demand for surrender. | Parallel to an arrogant foreign king's ultimatum. |
| Gal 1:10 | "For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ." | Principles of not bowing to excessive human demands that compromise. |
1 Kings 20 verses
1 Kings 20 9 Meaning
This verse details King Ahab's reply to Ben-hadad's second, exorbitant demand. Having initially agreed to surrender his material wealth, wives, and children, Ahab draws a line at Ben-hadad's escalated request to freely plunder everything in the palace and the homes of his officials. Ahab, counseled by the elders, states he will comply with the initial terms but firmly declares that this new, insatiable demand "I cannot do." This refusal shifts the situation from an oppressive negotiation to inevitable conflict, highlighting a surprising boundary for Ahab.
1 Kings 20 9 Context
King Ahab, known for his wickedness and idolatry, is under siege in Samaria by Ben-hadad, King of Aram (Syria), leading a vast army and many allied kings. In 1 Kings 20:3-4, Ben-hadad makes initial demands of surrender, including Ahab's silver, gold, wives, and children. Ahab, desiring to avoid war, humbly accepts these terms. However, Ben-hadad, perhaps sensing Ahab's weakness, immediately escalates his demands in 1 Kings 20:5-6, declaring that the next day his servants would enter Samaria and seize anything desirable from Ahab's palace and his officials' homes, implying total plunder without limit. Ahab then consults the elders of Israel (1 Kings 20:7-8), who strongly advise him not to consent to this ultimate demand for unrestrained looting. This verse, 1 Kings 20:9, is Ahab's resulting reply to Ben-hadad's messengers, rejecting the escalated demand and setting the stage for the conflict that ensues. The immediate historical context is the perennial conflict between the Northern Kingdom of Israel and Aram.
1 Kings 20 9 Word analysis
- So he said: This indicates Ahab's direct response after consulting his elders, a significant shift from his immediate and compliant "I am yours, and all that I have" in verse 4. It marks a moment of regained resolve, however limited.
- to the messengers: Hebrew: מַלְאָכֵי (malʾāḵê) - "envoys" or "representatives." Messengers carried the authority and words of the king who sent them, and how they were received was often indicative of the response to the king himself. Their role here is crucial in transmitting the formal reply.
- of Ben-hadad: Ben-hadad (בֶּן־הֲדַד, ben-Hadad) means "son of Hadad." Hadad was a prominent Aramaean storm and fertility deity, often associated with Baal. The mention of Ben-hadad underscores the clash not just between kings, but subtly between the Lord God of Israel and a kingdom aligned with pagan deities.
- 'Tell my lord the king: This deferential address indicates Ahab's continued politeness and perhaps an attempt to de-escalate, despite his firm refusal. It maintains proper diplomatic protocol even in rejection.
- "All that you sent to your servant at the first I will do: Refers to Ben-hadad's initial ultimatum in 1 Kings 20:3: the surrender of silver, gold, wives, and "best children" (implied as desirable or chief children, 1 Kings 20:3 mentions sons also). Ahab here reaffirms his agreement to this extreme initial concession, showcasing his desperation to avoid war. The term "your servant" (עַבְדְּךָ, ʿaḇdəḵā) highlights his subjugated posture.
- but this thing I cannot do.'": Hebrew: זֶ֤ה הַדָּבָר֙ לֹא־אוּכַ֣ל לַעֲשׂוֹת֙ (zeh haDāḇār lo-ʾuḵal laʿăśôṯ) – literally, "this thing not I am able to do." The phrase "this thing" refers to Ben-hadad's escalated demand in 1 Kings 20:6 for his servants to take "whatever is pleasant in their eyes" from Ahab's palace and officials' homes, an act of limitless plundering. "Cannot do" (לֹא־אוּכַל, lo-ʾuḵal) signifies a definitive refusal. It's not a negotiation, but a boundary statement. This point marks the transition from negotiation to imminent battle, as Ahab is unwilling (or politically unable, given the elders' counsel) to give away everything. It implies the king has reached his people's limit of submission and their sense of national dignity.
- And the messengers departed and brought him word.": Standard conclusion to such an interaction. It means the message was accurately delivered, setting in motion Ben-hadad's furious response and the commencement of hostilities.
1 Kings 20 9 Bonus section
The proverb "Let not him who straps on his armor boast like him who takes it off" (1 Kings 20:11) is Ben-hadad's immediate response to Ahab's refusal. This highlights his initial confidence and contempt, which God would later humble. This account underscores God's ability to use unexpected circumstances, even the stubbornness or the flawed wisdom of human leaders, to bring about His purposes, often leading to the humbling of the proud and the unexpected triumph for His people, regardless of their leader's moral standing. Ahab's boundary, though borne of pragmatic political counsel rather than spiritual conviction, indirectly opened the door for God to display His power over Aram.
1 Kings 20 9 Commentary
1 Kings 20:9 marks a crucial pivot in the narrative, moving from Ahab's fearful capitulation to a surprising act of resistance. Initially, Ahab was willing to yield enormous personal and national assets to avoid war, demonstrating weakness and perhaps an unhealthy attachment to personal preservation. However, Ben-hadad's hubris, manifested in his escalated and boundless demand for plunder, overplayed his hand. The counsel of the elders of Israel proved instrumental, solidifying a boundary beyond which further submission was politically and perhaps economically impossible. Ahab's "I cannot do" is not a testament to his piety or courage in God, but rather a pragmatic decision to resist total national humiliation and devastation. It reflects the understanding that some demands cross an irreparable line, making conflict preferable to absolute surrender. This rejection, fueled by external advice, serves as the immediate catalyst for the battle in which God would surprisingly grant victory to Israel despite Ahab's unworthiness, demonstrating His sovereignty even amidst the failings of His chosen people.