Bible Strands
1 Kings 20:10
Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Ben-hadad sends a second message to King Ahab immediately after Ahab refuses the Aramean king’s initial demand for tribute and hostages. The exchange occurs during a military standoff between the Aramean army and the Israelite forces.
The words — The Hebrew phrase כֹּה יַעֲשׂוּן אֱלֹהִים (koh ya'asu 'elohim) literally renders "thus may the gods do," a standard ancient Near Eastern curse formula invoking divine retribution if the speaker fails to deliver on his threat.
The thread — This oath formula appears elsewhere in the biblical narrative, such as when Jezebel threatens Elijah in 1 Kings 19:2, and parallels the defiant posture of foreign rulers like Pharaoh in Exodus 11:8.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that military arrogance cannot override actual combat outcomes, leaving the reader to observe how human boasting collapses before the reality of battle.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And Ben–hadad 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.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 19:2 So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I have not made your life like the lives of those you killed!”
- Exodus 11:8 And all these officials of yours will come and bow before me, saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that, I will depart.” And hot with anger, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence.
- Judges 4:10 where he summoned Zebulun and Naphtali. Ten thousand men followed him, and Deborah also went with him.
- 2 Samuel 17:12 Then we will attack David wherever we find him, and we will descend on him like dew on the ground. And of all the men with him, not even one will remain.
- 2 Kings 19:23 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest outposts, the densest of its forests.
- Isaiah 10:13 For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers.
- Isaiah 37:24 Through your servants you have taunted the Lord, and you have said: “With my many chariots I have ascended to the heights of the mountains, to the remote peaks of Lebanon. I have cut down its tallest cedars, the finest of its cypresses. I have reached its farthest heights, the densest of its forests.
- Acts 23:12 When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.