1 Kings 20:28

28 And a ¹man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Syrians have said, ²"The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore ³I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"

1 Kings 20:28 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:28

And there came a man of God
The same as before, ( 1 Kings 20:13 1 Kings 20:22 ) or had come ^F16 before the little army went out to meet the Syrians; though he might go to Ahab when encamped, for his encouragement:

and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, thus saith the Lord,
because the Syrians have said, the Lord is God of the hills, but he
is not God of the valleys; (See Gill on 1 Kings 20:23).

therefore will I deliver, all this great multitude into thine hand;
not for Ahab's sake would the Lord do this, who does not appear thankful to God for the former victory, nor to be reformed from his idolatry, and the better for it, but for the honour of his own name, which had been blasphemed by the Syrians:

and ye shall know that I am the Lord;
both of hills and valleys, the omnipotent Jehovah, the only true God.

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 (vgyw) "accesserat", Vatablus.

1 Kings 20:28 In-Context

26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

27 And the people of Israel were mustered and were provisioned and went against them. The people of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of goats, but the Syrians filled the country.

28 And a man of God came near and said to the king of Israel, "Thus says the LORD, 'Because the Syrians have said, "The LORD is a god of the hills but he is not a god of the valleys," therefore I will give all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the LORD.'"

29 And they encamped opposite one another seven days. Then on the seventh day the battle was joined. And the people of Israel struck down of the Syrians 100,000 foot soldiers in one day.

30 And the rest fled into the city of Aphek, and the wall fell upon 27,000 men who were left. Ben-hadad also fled and entered an inner chamber in the city.

Cross References

• 1. 1 Kings 17:18
• 2. ver. 23
• 3. ver. 13