Bible Strands
2 Kings 18:23
Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Assyrian officer addresses Judah’s representatives, challenging their reliance on the LORD and urging them to negotiate directly with the king of Assyria.
The words — The Hebrew verb הִתְעָרֶב (hit.'A.rev) literally means "make a wager," framing the proposed treaty as a risky gamble rather than a formal diplomatic agreement.
The thread — This mocking offer of military support parallels the contemptuous boasts of foreign rulers in 1 Sam 17:42-44 and 1 Kings 20:10, where adversaries underestimate divine protection while leaning on their own strength.
Why it lands — The text explicitly states that the promised two thousand horses are useless if riders cannot be supplied, demanding recognition that political alliances collapse when they lack the capacity to sustain themselves.
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
Now therefore, I pray thee, give pledges to my lord the king of Assyria, and I will deliver thee two thousand horses, if thou be able on thy part to set riders upon them.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 17:42 When the Philistine looked and saw David, he despised him because he was just a boy, ruddy and handsome.
- 1 Samuel 17:44 “Come here,” he called to David, “and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!”
- 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.”
- 1 Kings 20:18 “If they have marched out in peace,” he said, “take them alive. Even if they have marched out for war, take them alive.”
- Nehemiah 4:2 before his associates and the army of Samaria, saying, “What are these feeble Jews doing? Can they restore the wall by themselves? Will they offer sacrifices? Will they complete it in a day? Can they bring these burnt stones back to life from the mounds of rubble?”
- Psalms 123:3 Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.
- 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 36:8 Now, therefore, make a bargain with my master, the king of Assyria. I will give you two thousand horses—if you can put riders on them!