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1 Kings 20:23

Syria

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

22 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.”

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.

25 And you must raise an army like the one you have lost—horse for horse and chariot for chariot—so we can fight the Israelites on the plain, where we will surely prevail.” And the king approved their plan and acted accordingly.

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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
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.
KJV
And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
WEB
The servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we. But let’s fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.
ASV
And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their god is a god of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we: but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.
DARBY
And the servants of the king of Syria said to him, Their gods are gods of the mountains; therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them on the plateau, shall we not be stronger than they?
BLB
And the servants of the king of Aram said to him, “Their gods [are] gods of the hills; upon thus they were stronger than we. But if we fight against them in the plain, will we not surely be stronger than they?
ÅB
Men syrerkongens tjenere sa til ham: Deres guder er fjellguder, derfor vant de over oss; men strider vi med dem på sletten, da vinner vi sikkert over dem.
OTB
I mellomtiden sa kongens av Aram tjenestemenn til ham, "Deres guder er guder av høydene. Det er derfor de var sterkere enn oss. Men hvis vi kjemper mot dem på slettene, vil vi sikkert være sterkere enn de.
B1930
Men syrerkongens tjenere sa til ham: Deres guder er fjellguder, derfor vant de over oss; men strider vi med dem på sletten, da vinner vi sikkert over dem.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

  • 1 Kings 14:23

    They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

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  • 1 Samuel 4:8

    Woe to us! Who will deliver us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with all kinds of plagues in the wilderness.

    Read in context

  • 2 Kings 19:12

    Did the gods of the nations destroyed by my fathers rescue those nations—the gods of Gozan, Haran, and Rezeph, and of the people of Eden in Telassar?

    Read in context

  • Isaiah 42:8

    I am the LORD; that is My name! I will not yield My glory to another or My praise to idols.

    Read in context

  • Psalms 50:21–22

    You have done these things, and I kept silent; you thought I was just like you. But now I rebuke you and accuse you to your face.

    Read in context

  • Romans 1:21–23

    For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but they became futile in their thinking and darkened in their foolish hearts.

    Read in context

  • 2 Chronicles 32:13–19

    Do you not know what I and my fathers have done to all the peoples of the lands? Have the gods of these nations ever been able to deliver their land from my hand?

    Read in context

  • 1 Kings 20:28

    Then the man of God approached the king of Israel and said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because the Arameans think the LORD is a god of the hills and not of the valleys, I will deliver all this great army into your hand. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”

    Read in context