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New Life Version

1 Kings 22:31

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."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Archery;   Chariot;   Prophecy;   Ramoth-Gilead;   Thompson Chain Reference - Jehoshaphat;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Armies of Israel, the;   Syria;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Ben-Hadad;   Jehoshaphat;   Micaiah;   Ramoth;   Zedekiah;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   Chariot;   Jehoshaphat;   Micah;   Ramoth-gilead;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jehoshaphat;   Ramoth-Gilead;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahab;   King, Kingship;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Ramoth-Gilead;   Transportation and Travel;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Ahab;   Ben-Hadad;   Jehoshaphat;   Lie, Lying;   Micah, Micaiah;   Ramoth-Gilead, Ramoth in Gilead;   War;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Ramothgilead;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Judah the kingdom of;   Ramoth;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Mica'iah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Armies;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Army;   Benhadad;  

Parallel Translations

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

Contextual Overview

29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. 30 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will dress so no one will know who I am, and will go to battle. But you put on your king's clothing." So the king of Israel dressed so no one would know who he was, and went into battle. 31 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." 32 When the captains of the war-wagons saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "For sure this is the king of Israel." And they turned to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. 33 Then the captains of the war-wagons saw that it was not the king of Israel. So they returned from going after him. 34 But a certain man happened to shoot an arrow and hit the king of Israel between the parts of his battle-clothes. So Ahab said to the driver of his war-wagon, "Turn around and take me out of the battle. For I am hurt." 35 The battle was hard that day, and the king was set up in his war-wagon in front of the Syrians. At evening he died. The blood from the cut flowed to the bottom of the war-wagon. 36 Then a cry went through to his country! 37 So the king died and was brought to Samaria. They buried the king in Samaria. 38 And they washed the war-wagon by the pool of Samaria. The dogs drank up his blood. (The women who sold the use of their bodies washed themselves there.) It happened as the word of the Lord said it would.

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.


 
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