1 Kings 20:22

Syria

²⁰ and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.

²¹ Then the king of Israel marched out and attacked the horses and chariots, inflicting a great slaughter on the Arameans.

Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”

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.

²⁴ So do this: Dismiss all the kings from their positions and replace them with other officers.

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Afterward, the prophet approached the king of Israel and said, “Go and strengthen your position, and take note what you must do, for in the spring the king of Aram will come up against you.”
KJV: And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
WEB: The prophet came near to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and plan what you must do, for at the return of the year, the king of Syria will come up against you.”
ASV: And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
DARBY: And the prophet drew near to the king of Israel, and said to him, Go, strengthen thyself, and understand, and see what thou shalt do; for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.
BLB: And the prophet came to the king of Israel and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself and take note, and see what you should do. For at the return of the year the king of Aram will come up against you.”

ÅB: Da trådte profeten fram til Israels konge og sa til ham: Gå nå i gang med å ruste deg og tenk vel over hva du skal gjøre! For til neste år vil kongen i Syria igjen dra opp imot deg.
OTB: Da kom profeten til Israels konge og sa, "Gå og styrk deg selv. Tenk nøye over hva du må gjøre, for om våren vil kongen av Aram komme tilbake mot deg."
B1930: Da trådte profeten frem til Israels konge og sa til ham: Gå nu i gang med å ruste dig og tenk vel over hvad du skal gjøre! For til næste år vil kongen i Syria igjen dra op imot dig.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

2 Samuel 11:1
In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, David sent out Joab and his servants with the whole army of Israel. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah, but David remained in Jerusalem.
Read in context
1 Kings 20:13
Meanwhile a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Do you see this entire great army? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand this very day, and you will know that I am the LORD.’”
Read in context
1 Kings 20:26
In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
Read in context
1 Chronicles 20:1
In the spring, at the time when kings march out to war, Joab led out the army and ravaged the land of the Ammonites. He came to Rabbah and besieged it, but David remained in Jerusalem. And Joab attacked Rabbah and demolished it.
Read in context
2 Chronicles 25:8
Even if you go and fight bravely in battle, God will make you stumble before the enemy, for God has power to help and power to overthrow.”
Read in context
1 Kings 22:8
The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
Read in context
1 Kings 19:10
“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
Read in context
2 Kings 6:12
But one of his servants replied, “No one, my lord the king. For Elisha, the prophet in Israel, tells the king of Israel the very words you speak in your bedroom.”
Read in context