1 Kings 20:39
1 Kings 20:39 in Multiple Translations
As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver. ’
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king; and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
And when the king went by, crying out to him he said, Your servant went out into the fight; and a man came out to me with another man and said, Keep this man: if by any chance he gets away, your life will be the price of his life, or you will have to give a talent of silver in payment.
As the king was passing by, he shouted out to the king: “Your servant had gone out fighting right in the middle of the battle, when all of a sudden a man came over with a prisoner and told me, ‘Guard this man! If for any reason he escapes, you will pay for his life with your life, or you will be fined a talent of silver.’
And when the King came by, he cried vnto the King, and said, Thy seruant went into the middes of the battel: and beholde, there went away a man, whom another man brought vnto me, and sayd, Keepe this man: if he be lost, and want, thy life shall go for his life, or els thou shalt pay a talent of siluer.
And it cometh to pass — the king is passing by — that he hath cried unto the king, and saith, 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and lo, a man hath turned aside and bringeth in unto me a man, and saith, Keep this man; if he be at all missing, then hath thy life been for his life, or a talent of silver thou dost weigh out;
As the king passed by, he cried to the king, and he said, “Your servant went out into the middle of the battle; and behold, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man! If by any means he is missing, then your life shall be for his life, or else you shall pay a talent of silver.’
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man to me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he shall be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
And as the king passed by, he cried to the king, and said: Thy servant went out to fight hand to hand: and when a certain man was run away, one brought him to me, and said: Keep this man: and if he shall slip away, thy life shall be for his life, or thou shalt pay a talent of silver.
When the king passed by, the prophet cried out to him, saying “Your majesty, after I was wounded while I was fighting in a battle, a soldier brought to me one of our enemies that he had captured, and said to me, ‘Guard this man! If he escapes, you must pay me 3,000 pieces of silver, and if you do not pay that, you will be executed!’
Berean Amplified Bible — 1 Kings 20:39
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1 Kings 20:39 Interlinear (Deep Study)
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Hebrew Word Reference — 1 Kings 20:39
Study Notes — 1 Kings 20:39
- Context
- Cross References
- 1 Kings 20:39 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 20:39
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 20:39
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
- Trapp's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
- Ellicott's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
- Cambridge Bible on 1 Kings 20:39
- Whedon's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
- Sermons on 1 Kings 20:39
Context — A Prophet Reproves Ahab
39As the king passed by, he cried out to the king: “Your servant had marched out into the middle of the battle, when suddenly a man came over with a captive and told me, ‘Guard this man! If he goes missing for any reason, your life will be exchanged for his life, or you will weigh out a talent of silver. ’
40But while your servant was busy here and there, the man disappeared.” And the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you have pronounced it on yourself.” 41Then the prophet quickly removed the bandage from his eyes, and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Kings 10:24 | And they went in to offer sacrifices and burnt offerings. Now Jehu had stationed eighty men outside and warned them, “If anyone allows one of the men I am delivering into your hands to escape, he will forfeit his life for theirs.” |
| 2 | Job 36:18 | Be careful that no one lures you with riches; do not let a large bribe lead you astray. |
| 3 | 1 Peter 1:18–19 | For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or spot. |
| 4 | Exodus 21:30 | If payment is demanded of him instead, he may redeem his life by paying the full amount demanded of him. |
| 5 | Mark 12:1–12 | Then Jesus began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a wine vat, and built a watchtower. Then he rented it out to some tenants and went away on a journey. At harvest time, he sent a servant to the tenants to collect his share of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized the servant, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent them another servant, and they struck him over the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and this one they killed. He sent many others; some they beat and others they killed. Finally, having one beloved son, he sent him to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants, and will give the vineyard to others. Have you never read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’ ?” At this, the leaders sought to arrest Jesus, for they knew that He had spoken this parable against them. But fearing the crowd, they left Him and went away. |
| 6 | Proverbs 13:8 | Riches may ransom a man’s life, but a poor man hears no threat. |
| 7 | 2 Samuel 14:5–7 | “What troubles you?” the king asked her. “Indeed,” she said, “I am a widow, for my husband is dead. And your maidservant had two sons who were fighting in the field with no one to separate them, and one struck the other and killed him. Now the whole clan has risen up against your maidservant and said, ‘Hand over the one who struck down his brother, that we may put him to death for the life of the brother whom he killed. Then we will cut off the heir as well!’ So they would extinguish my one remaining ember by not preserving my husband’s name or posterity on the earth.” |
| 8 | 2 Samuel 12:1–7 | Then the LORD sent Nathan to David, and when he arrived, he said, “There were two men in a certain city, one rich and the other poor. The rich man had a great number of sheep and cattle, but the poor man had nothing except one small ewe lamb that he had bought. He raised it, and it grew up with him and his children. It shared his food and drank from his cup; it slept in his arms and was like a daughter to him. Now a traveler came to the rich man, who refrained from taking one of his own sheep or cattle to prepare for the traveler who had come to him. Instead, he took the poor man’s lamb and prepared it for his guest.” David burned with anger against the man and said to Nathan: “As surely as the LORD lives, the man who did this deserves to die! Because he has done this thing and has shown no pity, he must pay for the lamb four times over.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul. |
| 9 | Judges 9:7–20 | When this was reported to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and cried out: “Listen to me, O leaders of Shechem, and may God listen to you. One day the trees set out to anoint a king for themselves. They said to the olive tree, ‘Reign over us.’ But the olive tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my oil that honors both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the fig tree, ‘Come and reign over us.’ But the fig tree replied, ‘Should I stop giving my sweetness and my good fruit, to hold sway over the trees?’ Then the trees said to the grapevine, ‘Come and reign over us.’ But the grapevine replied, ‘Should I stop giving my wine that cheers both God and man, to hold sway over the trees?’ Finally all the trees said to the thornbush, ‘Come and reign over us.’ But the thornbush replied, ‘If you really are anointing me as king over you, come and find refuge in my shade. But if not, may fire come out of the thornbush and consume the cedars of Lebanon.’ Now if you have acted faithfully and honestly in making Abimelech king, if you have done well by Jerubbaal and his family, and if you have done to him as he deserves— for my father fought for you and risked his life to deliver you from the hand of Midian, but you have risen up against my father’s house this day and killed his seventy sons on a single stone, and you have made Abimelech, the son of his maidservant, king over the leaders of Shechem because he is your brother— if you have acted faithfully and honestly toward Jerubbaal and his house this day, then may you rejoice in Abimelech, and he in you. But if not, may fire come from Abimelech and consume the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo, and may fire come from the leaders of Shechem and Beth-millo and consume Abimelech.” |
| 10 | 1 Kings 20:42 | And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’” |
1 Kings 20:39 Summary
This verse tells us about a prophet who shared a story with the king, testing his response and teaching him about accountability. The prophet's servant was given a great responsibility to guard a captive, and if he failed, he would face severe consequences, as seen in 1 Kings 20:39. This story helps us understand that we are all accountable to God for our actions and the responsibilities He gives us, as mentioned in Romans 14:12. By studying this verse, we can learn to be more responsible and trusting in God's plan, just like the prophet trusted God to work through his circumstances, as seen in Proverbs 3:5-6.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the significance of the prophet's disguise in this verse?
The prophet's disguise, with a bandage over his eyes, was a way of concealing his identity as he approached the king, as seen in 1 Kings 20:38, allowing him to test the king's response without being recognized, similar to the way God tests our hearts, as mentioned in Deuteronomy 8:2.
Why did the man tell the prophet's servant to guard the captive so carefully?
The man told the prophet's servant to guard the captive carefully, warning that if the captive went missing, the servant's life would be exchanged for his, or he would have to pay a large sum of silver, as stated in 1 Kings 20:39, highlighting the gravity of responsibility and accountability, as also seen in Ezekiel 3:18.
How does this verse relate to the concept of accountability in the Bible?
This verse illustrates the concept of accountability, where the prophet's servant is held responsible for the captive's safety, similar to how we are held accountable for our actions and the responsibilities God gives us, as mentioned in Romans 14:12 and Matthew 25:14-30.
What can we learn from the prophet's approach to the king in this verse?
The prophet's approach to the king, by sharing a story and allowing the king to pass judgment, teaches us about the importance of humility and allowing God to work through our circumstances, as seen in Proverbs 16:9 and Isaiah 55:8-9.
Reflection Questions
- What are some areas in my life where I need to take responsibility and be more accountable to God and others?
- How can I apply the principle of accountability in my relationships and daily actions, as seen in this verse?
- What are some ways I can humble myself and allow God to work through my circumstances, rather than trying to control the outcome?
- How does this verse encourage me to trust in God's sovereignty and provision, even in uncertain situations?
Gill's Exposition on 1 Kings 20:39
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on 1 Kings 20:39
Matthew Poole's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
Trapp's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
Ellicott's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
Adam Clarke's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
Cambridge Bible on 1 Kings 20:39
Whedon's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:39
Sermons on 1 Kings 20:39
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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The Cup of Wrath by Andrew Bonar | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the severity of God's wrath and the consequences of sin. He uses imagery of the seven seals, trumpets, and vials from the book of Revelation |
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(1 Peter - Part 15): The Precious Blood, Our Only Hope by A.W. Tozer | In this sermon, the speaker tells a story about two men who are stranded in a cold and dangerous mountainous area. They realize that their only hope of survival is to start a fire. |
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At the Price of God's Own Blood by John Piper | In this sermon, Pastor John Piper emphasizes the importance of holiness, zeal for good works, and commitment to world evangelization. He highlights that Jesus bled and died to purc |
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(1986 Prairie Series) 4 - Rediscovering Christ by Major Ian Thomas | Major Ian Thomas emphasizes the transformative power of recognizing Christ's resurrection in the life of believers, particularly through the experience of Peter. He illustrates how |
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(Hebrews - Part 27): The Blood of Infinite Value by A.W. Tozer | In this sermon, the speaker uses the analogy of standing back from a painting to understand the passage being discussed. He emphasizes that sin leads to death and that when a perso |
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(Exodus) Exodus 13:14-19 by J. Vernon McGee | In this sermon, the speaker discusses the journey of the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land. The Israelites were not initially prepared for warfare, so G |
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God Has Spoken by B.H. Clendennen | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of progressive learning in the Christian faith. He discusses two key lessons that believers must learn: the consciousness of t |






