Bible Strands
1 Kings 20:5
The messengers came back and said, “This is what Ben-hadad says: ‘I have sent to you to demand your silver, your gold, your wives, and your children.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Israelite king has just pledged himself and his possessions to Ben-hadad (1 Kings 20:4). Ben-hadad’s messengers return to deliver a follow-up demand for silver, gold, wives, and children (1 Kings 20:5).
The words — The phrase כֹּה־אָמַר בֶּן־הַדָּד (koh-amar ben-Haddad) literally renders “thus says Ben-hadad,” marking the message as an official royal proclamation. The verb וַיָּשׁוּבוּ (va-yashuvu) records the messengers’ return to report the king’s escalating demands.
The thread — This verse advances the narrative of Aramean coercion, where royal envoys extract tribute and hostages to enforce submission (1 Kings 20:4; 1 Kings 20:6). The motif of messengers delivering sovereign ultimatums recurs in other biblical accounts of foreign kings pressuring Israel and Judah.
Why it lands — The text reduces a ruling nation to a ledger of extractable assets, demanding wealth and family members as tribute. A reader must confront how political surrender strips away national dignity and personal boundaries.
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 the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Ben–hadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;