1 Kings 22:31

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible

Now, the king of Syria, had commanded the captains of chariots which he had, thirty and two, saying, Ye shall not fight with small or great, - save with the king of Israel alone.

Parallel Translations

Update Bible Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

New Living Translation
Meanwhile, the king of Aram had issued these orders to his thirty-two chariot commanders: "Attack only the king of Israel. Don't bother with anyone else!"

English Revised Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

New Century Version
The king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Don't fight with anyone—important or unimportant—except the king of Israel."

New English Translation
Now the king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Do not fight common soldiers or high-ranking officers; fight only the king of Israel."

Webster's Bible Translation
But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

World English Bible
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

Amplified Bible
Now the king of Aram (Syria) had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with [anyone, either] small or great, but with [Ahab] the king of Israel alone."

English Standard Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Sotheli the kyng of Sirie hadde comaundid to two and thritti princes of charis, and seide, Ye schulen not fiyte ayens ony man lesse, ethir more, no but ayens the kyng of Israel oonli.

Berean Standard Bible
Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel."

Contemporary English Version
The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack only Ahab.

American Standard Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

Bible in Basic English
Now the king of Aram had given orders to the thirty-two captains of his war-carriages, saying, Make no attack on small or great, but only on the king of Israel.

Complete Jewish Bible
Now the king of Aram had ordered the thirty-two chariot commanders, "Don't attack anyone of either high or low rank, only the king of Isra'el."

Darby Translation
And the king of Syria commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots saying, Fight neither with small nor great, but with the king of Israel only.

Easy-to-Read Version
The king of Aram had 32 chariot commanders. He gave them this command, "Don't go after anyone except the king of Israel, no matter how important they are."

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty and two captains of his chariots, saying: 'Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.'

King James Version (1611)
But the King of Syria commanded his thirtie and two Captaines that had rule ouer his charets, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, saue only with the king of Israel.

New Life Bible
Now the king of Syria had told the thirty-two captains of his war-wagons, "Do not fight with the small or strong. But only fight with the king of Israel."

New Revised Standard
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And the King of Aram commaunded his two and thirtie captaines ouer his charets, saying, Fight neither with small, nor great, saue onely against the King of Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
But the king of Aram commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

Good News Translation
The king of Syria had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders to attack no one else except the king of Israel.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the king of Syria had commanded the two and thirty captains of the chariots, saying: You shall not fight against any, small or great, but against the king of Israel only.

Revised Standard Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, "Fight with neither small nor great, but only with the king of Israel."

Bishop's Bible (1568)
But the king of Syria commaunded the thirtie and two captaynes that had rule ouer his charettes, saying: Fight neither with small nor great, saue onely against the king of Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king of Syria had charged the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight not against small or great, but against the king of Israel only.

Christian Standard Bible®
Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, “Do not fight with anyone at all except the king of Israel.”

Hebrew Names Version
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Yisra'el.

King James Version
But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel.

Lexham English Bible
The king of Aram commanded his thirty-two chariot commanders, saying, "You shall not fight with small or great, but only against the king of Israel, him alone!"

Literal Translation
And the king of Syria commanded the thirty two commanders of the chariots, saying, You shall not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
And the king of Aram commanded the heads of the charioteers whom he hath -- thirty and two -- saying, `Ye do not fight with small or with great, but with the king of Israel by himself.'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But the kynge of Siria commaunded the rulers of his charettes (of whom there were two and thirtie) and saide: Ye shal fight nether agaynst small ner greate, but onely agaynst the kynge of Israel.

THE MESSAGE
Meanwhile, the king of Aram had ordered his chariot commanders (there were thirty-two of them): "Don't bother with anyone, whether small or great; go after the king of Israel and him only."

New American Standard Bible
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with the small or great, but only with the king of Israel."

New King James Version
Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of Israel."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone."

Legacy Standard Bible
Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two commanders of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone."

Contextual Overview

²⁹ So the king of Israel went up, with Jehoshaphat king of Judah, unto Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰ And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat - I am about to disguise myself, and enter into the battle, thou, therefore, put on thy robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself, and entered into the battle. ³¹ Now, the king of Syria, had commanded the captains of chariots which he had, thirty and two, saying, Ye shall not fight with small or great, - save with the king of Israel alone. ³² And it came to pass, when the chariot-captains saw Jehoshaphat, that, they, said: Surely it is, the king of Israel! But, when they turned aside against him to fight, Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³ And it came to pass, when the chariot-captains saw that it was, not the king of Israel, that they turned back, from pursuing him. ³⁴ But, a certain man, drawing a bow in his innocence, smote the king of Israel, between the shoulder-joints and the coat of mail, - wherefore he said to his charioteer - Turn thy hand, and convey me out of the host, for I am sore wounded. ³⁵ But the battle increased that day, and, the king, was propped up in the chariot, before the Syrians, - and died in the evening, and so the blood of the wound ran out into the hollow of the chariot. ³⁶ And a loud cry went through the host, at the going in of the sun, saying - Every man to his own city! and every man to his own land! ³⁷ So the king died, and was brought into Samaria, - and they buried the king, in Samaria. ³⁸ And, when the chariot was washed out at the pool of Samaria, the dogs lapped up his blood, also, the harlots, bathed there , - according to the word of Yahweh which he had spoken.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

thirty and two: 1 Kings 20:24, 2 Chronicles 18:30

Fight: 1 Kings 20:33-42

small nor great: Genesis 19:11, 1 Samuel 30:2, Jeremiah 16:6

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 17:2 - I will smite 2 Samuel 18:3 - if we flee 1 Kings 20:34 - So he made a covenant 1 Kings 20:42 - Because 1 Kings 22:33 - that they turned 1 Kings 22:36 - there went 2 Kings 6:8 - the king 2 Kings 6:24 - gathered

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had the rule over his chariots,.... This was the number of his kings in the first battle with Israel, and of his captains in the second, 1 Kings 20:1, and the same number he had now, being very probably not only the number of his chariots, but the division of his army was into so many battalions, under the command of these captains of chariots:

saying, fight neither with small nor great; of those that belonged to Jehoshaphat:

save only with the king of Israel; and his men; for it can hardly be thought that his orders were to fight with none, nor kill any in the battle but Ahab personally; though it is very probable he might give them directions to aim at him chiefly, knowing that, if he was killed or taken, his army would flee or surrender; and he might be desirous of getting him into his hands, as he had been in his; and the rather his spite was against him, as he was the mover of the war.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Commanded - “Had commanded.” Ben-hadad delivers his order in the hyperbolical style common in the East. His meaning is, “Make it your chief object to kill or take the king of Israel.” Apparently, his own defeat and captivity were still rankling in his mind, and he wished to retaliate on Ahab, the humiliation which he considered himself to have suffered. He shows small appreciation of the generosity which had spared his life and restored him to his kingdom.