Worship With Us Sunday School10 AM Sunday Morning11 AM Sunday Evening4 PM Thursday Night7 PM
1377 S 20th St, Louisville, KY 40210 Contact
True Words Baptist Church — Revelation 21:5
My TWBC Plan Your Visit Give
CHAPTER STUDY WORKSPACE

1 Kings 20

Ben-hadad king of Syria besieges Samaria with a large coalition. Ahab initially yields to humiliating demands but refuses a second demand allowing Syria’s servants to search and seize whatever they want. An unnamed prophet promises victory so Ahab will know the LORD, and Israel wins. Syria then claims Israel’s God is only a god of the hills, returns to fight on the plain, and loses again. Ahab nevertheless makes a covenant with Ben-hadad and releases him. A prophet uses an acted parable to pronounce judgment on Ahab for letting go a man God had appointed to destruction.

OVERVIEW

What is happening here?

Ben-hadad king of Syria besieges Samaria with a large coalition. Ahab initially yields to humiliating demands but refuses a second demand allowing Syria’s servants to search and seize whatever they want. An unnamed prophet promises victory so Ahab will know the LORD, and Israel wins. Syria then claims Israel’s God is only a god of the hills, returns to fight on the plain, and loses again. Ahab nevertheless makes a covenant with Ben-hadad and releases him. A prophet uses an acted parable to pronounce judgment on Ahab for letting go a man God had appointed to destruction.

Open full chapter overview →
CHAPTER OUTLINE

Follow the chapter in order.

Verses 1–12Ben-hadad besieges Samaria and makes proud demands of AhabVerses 13–21A prophet promises victory, and Israel defeats the SyriansVerses 22–30The Syrians return the next year and are defeated againVerses 31–34Ahab makes a covenant with Ben-hadad and lets him goVerses 35–43A prophet condemns Ahab for releasing the man appointed to destruction
VERSE STUDIES

Go verse by verse.

Choose a verse without leaving the chapter study path.

1And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host…2And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into…3Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also…4And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord,…5And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad,…6Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow…7Then the king of Israel called all the elders of…8And all the elders and all the people said unto…9Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my…10And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do…11And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him,…12And it came to pass, when Benhadad heard this message,…13And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of…14And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith…15Then he numbered the young men of the princes of…16And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking…17And the young men of the princes of the provinces…18And he said, Whether they be come out for peace,…19So these young men of the princes of the provinces…20And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians…21And the king of Israel went out, and smote the…22And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and…23And the servants of the king of Syria said unto…24And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man…25And number thee an army, like the army that thou…26And it came to pass at the return of the…27And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all…28And there came a man of God, and spake unto…29And they pitched one over against the other seven days.…30But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and…31And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have…32So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes…33Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would…34And Benhadad said unto him, The cities, which my father…35And a certain man of the sons of the prophets…36Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed…37Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I…38So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by…39And as the king passed by, he cried unto the…40And as thy servant was busy here and there, he…41And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his…42And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because…43And the king of Israel went to his house heavy…