1 Kings 20:10

Contextual Overview

¹Now King Ben-hadad of Aram assembled his entire army. Thirty-two kings, along with horses and chariots, were with him. He marched up, besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ¹ Ben-Hadad the king of Aram gathered all his host together; and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots: and he went up and besieged Shomron, and fought against it. ¹ And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it. ¹ Ben-hadad the king of Syria gathered all his army together. Thirty-two kings were with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and closed in on Samaria and fought against it. ¹ Ben-Hadad king of Aram gathered together all his army. There were thirty-two kings with their horses and chariots who went with him and surrounded Samaria and attacked it. ¹ Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria and besieged and attacked it. ¹Ben-hadad king of Aram (Syria) gathered all his army together; thirty-two kings were [allied] with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria [Israel's capital], and fought against it. ¹ Now Ben-hadad, king of Aram, gathered all his army, and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ¹ Then Ben-hadad the King of Aram assembled all his armie, and two & thirtie Kings with him, with horses, and charets, & went vp and besieged Samaria, and fought against it. ¹Now Ben-hadad king of Aram gathered all his military force, and there were thirty-two kings with him, and horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

The gods: 1 Kings 19:2, Acts 23:12

if the dust: 2 Samuel 17:12, 2 Samuel 17:13, 2 Kings 19:23, 2 Kings 19:24, Isaiah 10:13, Isaiah 10:14, Isaiah 37:24, Isaiah 37:25

follow me: Heb. are at my feet, Exodus 11:8, *marg. Judges 4:10

Reciprocal: Exodus 15:9 - I will pursue Judges 15:4 - caught three Ruth 1:17 - the lord 1 Samuel 17:44 - Come to me 1 Samuel 20:13 - The Lord do 2 Samuel 17:11 - as the sand 1 Kings 2:23 - God 1 Kings 20:30 - fled 2 Kings 18:23 - I will deliver Nehemiah 4:3 - Tobiah Psalms 10:5 - he puffeth Psalms 33:16 - no king Proverbs 14:16 - the fool Isaiah 36:8 - and I Jeremiah 9:23 - neither Jeremiah 46:17 - Pharaoh Daniel 3:19 - he spake 1 Corinthians 13:4 - vaunteth not itself

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Benhadad sent unto him, and said,.... That is, to Ahab:

the gods do so unto me, and more also; bring greater evils upon me than I can think or express:

if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me, signifying that he made no doubt of it of reducing it to dust by numbers of men he should bring with him, which would be so many, that if each was to take an handful of dust of the ruins of Samaria, there would not enough for them all; which was an hectoring and parabolical speech, uttered in his wrath and fury.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

If the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls ... - In its general sense this phrase is undoubtedly a boast that the number of Ben-hadad’s troops was such as to make resistance vain and foolish. We may parallel it with the saying of the Trachinian at Thermopylae, that the Persian arrows would darken the light of the sun. Probably the exact meaning is, “When your town is reduced to ruins, as it will be if you resist, the entire heap will not suffice to furnish a handful of dust to each soldier of my army, so many are they.” There was a threat in the message as well as a boast.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 20:10. If the dust of Samaria shall suffice — This is variously understood. Jonathan translates thus: "If the dust of Shomeron shall be sufficient for the soles of the feet of the people that shall accompany me;" i.e., I shall bring such an army that there will scarcely be room for them to stand in Samaria and its vicinity.