1 Kings 20:23

Meanwhile, the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. That is why they prevailed over us. Instead, we should fight them on the plains; surely then we will prevail.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The servants of the Aramean king address their monarch after Israel's unexpected victory in the hills. They speak at a tactical crossroads, analyzing why their previous campaign failed and proposing a new strategy for the spring offensive.

The words — אֱלֹהֵי הָרִים ('e.lo.Hei ha.Rim) translates literally to "gods of the mountains," capturing the Aramean court's diagnostic claim that Israel's deities held territorial advantage.

The thread — The concept of localized divine power appears in 1 Kings 14:23 with altars on high hills and 1 Samuel 4:8 regarding the gods who struck Egypt. The Aramean claim is later addressed in 1 Kings 20:28 when the prophet declares the LORD's sovereignty over all terrain.

Why it lands — The verse demands a reader to recognize that human strategy cannot override divine jurisdiction, forcing a choice between attributing power to geography or to the sovereign LORD.

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

וְעַבְדֵ֨יve./'av.Deiand/ [the] servants of מֶֽלֶךְ־Me.lekh-[the] king of אֲרָ֜ם'a.RamAram אָמְר֣וּ'a.me.Ruthey said אֵלָ֗יו'e.La/vto/ him אֱלֹהֵ֤י'e.lo.Hei[is] a god of הָרִים֙ha.Rimmountains אֱלֹ֣הֵיהֶ֔ם'e.Lo.hei./HemGod/ their עַל־'al-there-כֵּ֖ןken-fore חָזְק֣וּcha.ze.Kuthey were strong מִמֶּ֑נּוּmi.Me./numore than/ us וְאוּלָ֗םve./'u.Lamand/ but נִלָּחֵ֤םni.la.Chemlet us do battle אִתָּם֙'i.Ta/mwith/ them בַּמִּישׁ֔וֹרba./mi.Shoron the/ level ground אִם־'im-if לֹ֥אlo'not נֶחֱזַ֖קne.che.Zakwe will be strongמֵהֶֽם׃me./Hemmore than/ them

King James Version

And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

Cross-references

1 Kings 14:23 They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
1 Samuel 4:8 Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.
1 Kings 20:28 Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans have said that the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
2 Kings 19:12 Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?
2 Chronicles 32:13 Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand?
Psalms 50:21 You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.
Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.
Romans 1:21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.
Psalms 121:1 A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?