1 Kings 20:39

1Ki 20:39 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.

Ver. 39. Thy servant went ont.] Parabolically all, {as 1Sa 12:1-2, &c., See Trapp on "1Sa 12:1" &c} to bring Ahab to pass an impartial sentence against himself, in the person of another.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 20:39. And he said, Thy servant, &c. — This relation is a parable; a usual way of instruction in the eastern parts, and most fit for this occasion, wherein an obscure prophet was to speak to a great king, impatient of a downright reproof, and exceeding partial in his own cause. A man turned aside and said, Keep, &c. — His commander said this unto him, as the manner of expression shows. The king of Israel said, So shall thy judgment be — Thou hast pronounced thy own sentence. According to your agreement; so shalt thou suffer. Thou shalt lose thy life, or pay the talent or silver. Ahab had forgot how he had dismissed a greater person willingly, or else he could scarcely have been so hard-hearted as to condemn one that had offended unwillingly. But the prophet soon brought it to his remembrance.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

By this parable he maketh Ahab condemn himself, who made a covenant with God’s enemy, and let him escape, whom God had appointed to be slain.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

a talent of silver--£342.

Next: 1 Kings Chapter 21

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 39. Keep this man] The drift of this is at once seen; but Ahab, not knowing it, was led to pass sentence on himself.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(39) Thy servant.—The parable is, of course, designed (like those of 2Sa_12:1-4; 2Sa_14:5-11) to make Ahab condemn himself. In Ahab, however, it excites not compunction, but characteristic sullenness of displeasure, like that of 1Ki_21:4.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

39. cried unto the king] The appeal for the king’s intervention is made with a view of getting free from the punishment which had been threatened to him.

a man turned aside] Evidently meant to indicate one of authority who had a right to command the services which he desires and to impose a penalty if they be not fulfilled. In the interpretation he represents Jehovah.

be missing] i.e. When I come to ask for the prisoner whom I trusted to your hands.

a talent of silver] The fine was large to mark the importance of the trust.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king,.... With a loud voice, signifying he had something to say unto him, at which he stopped:

and he said, thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; this was not real, but fictitious, an apologue, fable, or parable, by which he would represent to Ahab his own case, and bring him under conviction of his folly, just as Nathan dealt with David:

and, behold, a man turned aside; a superior officer in the army:

and brought a man unto me; he had made a prisoner of:

and said, keep this man; do not let him escape:

if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver; if he let him go willingly, or by any means he should get out of his hands, then he should either die for it, or be fined a talent of silver, which of our money is three hundred and seventy five pounds; and to this it seems he agreed.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

One. Thus God delivered the proud and blasphemous Benadad to Achab. (Haydock)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Thy servant went out: this following relation is not an untruth, but a parable; a usual way of instruction in the eastern parts, and ancient times, and most fit for this occasion, wherein an obscure prophet was to speak to a great king; whose ears were tender, and impatient of a downright reproof, and exceeding partial in his own cause; who by this artifice is made to condemn himself before he was aware of it, and so forced to receive the prophet’s just sentence with more patience and moderation: compare 1Sa 12; 1Sa 14.

A man turned aside; my commander or superior, as the manner of his expression here following showeth.

Then shall thy life be for his life; thou shalt die in his stead; as below, 1Ki 20:42; compare Exo 21:23.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

39. He cried unto the king — His measure to elicit from Ahab his own condemnation is like that of Nathan to make David pronounce judgment on himself. Compare 2Sa_12:1-12.

A talent of silver — About one thousand seven hundred dollars. A sum, says Keil, “not to be procured by a poor man, so that he must certainly have answered with his life, for the prisoner escaped.”

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king in his capacity of supreme judge; (see on 1Ki_3:9) and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle i.e. , the recent battle; and, behold, a man turned aside rs cf. 1Ki_22:43; Exo_3:3 Exo_32:8. But Ewald, al. would read, rs prince or captain (properly rc), a change which certainly lends force to the apologue, and makes the analogy more complete. Only such an officer was entitled to give such an order. Moreover just as a common soldier ought to obey his captain, so should Ahab have obeyed God. But as our present text yields a good and sufficient meaning, we are hardly warranted in making any change, 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 Heb. weigh. There was then no coinage. Payments were made by means of bars of silver or gold a talent of silver. A considerable sum about "The prisoner is thus represented to be a very important personage" (Thenius). There is a hint at Ben-hadad. Ewald holds that the wounds represented the penalty inflicted instead of the talent which a common soldier naturally could not pay.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He said - This relation is a parable; an usual way of instruction in the eastern parts, and most fit for this occasion wherein an obscure prophet was to speak to a great king; impatient of a down-right reproof, and exceeding partial in his own cause. A man - My commander as the manner of expression sheweth.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

When the king passed by, he cried out to him and related the following fictitious tale: He had gone to the war, and a man had come aside to him (סוּר as in Exo 3:3; Jdg 14:8, etc.), and had given a man (a prisoner) into his care with this command, that he was to watch him, and if he should be missing he was to answer for his life with his own life, or to pay a talent of silver (as a punishment). The rest may be easily imagined, namely the request to be saved from this punishment. Ahab answered (Kg1 20:40), משׁפּטך כּן, "thus thy sentence, thou hast decided," i.e., thou hast pronounced thine own sentence, and must endure the punishment stated.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

Your servant went out

The prophet refers to himself in the third person as a sign of respect to the king.

into the heat of the battle

"Heat of the battle" here is an idiom to express the most intense and fierce fighting. AT: "to where the battle was most intense" (See: Idiom)

your life will be given for his life

"you will die in his place"

a talent of silver

A talent is a unit of weight equal to about 33 kilograms. AT: "33 kilograms of silver" (See: Biblical Weight)

going here and there

This is an idiom to represent being very busy and preoccupied. AT: "doing other things" or "doing this and that" (See: Idiom)

translationWords

cry

servant

adversary

life

silver

kingdom of Israel

punish

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

And behold a man turned aside. From the road toward me.

And brought a man to me. A prisoner of war.

If he shall be missing. If he escapes, an expression [similar to], “and none of us is missing [נפקד],” an expression of lacking.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.