31 And his servants say unto him, 'Lo, we pray thee, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel—that they are kind kings; let us put, we pray thee, sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and we go out unto the king of Israel; it may be he doth keep thee alive.' 32 And they gird sackcloth on their loins, and ropes 'are' on their heads, and they come in unto the king of Israel, and say, 'Thy servant Ben-Hadad hath said, Let me live, I pray thee;' and he saith, 'Is he yet alive? he 'is' my brother.' 33 And the men observe diligently, and hasten, and catch it from him, and say, 'Thy brother Ben-Hadad;' and he saith, 'Go ye in, bring him;' and Ben-Hadad cometh out unto him, and he causeth him to come up on the chariot. 34 And he saith unto him, 'The cities that my father took from thy father, I give back, and streets thou dost make for thee in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria;'—'and I, with a covenant, send thee away;' and he maketh with him a covenant, and sendeth him away. 35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour by the word of Jehovah, 'Smite me, I pray thee;' and the man refuseth to smite him, 36 and he saith to him, 'Because that thou hast not hearkened to the voice of Jehovah, lo, thou art going from me, and the lion hath smitten thee;' and he goeth from him, and the lion findeth him, and smiteth him. 37 And he findeth another man, and saith, 'Smite me, I pray thee;' and the man smiteth him, smiting and wounding, 38 and the prophet goeth and standeth for the king on the way, and disguiseth himself with ashes on his eyes. 39 And it cometh to pass—the king is passing by—that he hath cried unto the king, and saith, 'Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle, and lo, a man hath turned aside and bringeth in unto me a man, and saith, Keep this man; if he be at all missing, then hath thy life been for his life, or a talent of silver thou dost weigh out; 40 and it cometh to pass, thy servant is working hither and thither, and he is not!' and the king of Israel saith unto him, Right 'is' thy judgment; thou hast determined 'it'.' 41 And he hasteth and turneth aside the ashes from off his eyes, and the king of Israel discerneth him, that he 'is' of the prophets, 42 and he saith unto him, 'Thus said Jehovah, Because thou hast sent away the man I devoted, out of 'thy' hand, even thy life hath been for his life, and thy people for his people;' 43 and the king of Israel goeth unto his house, sulky and wroth, and cometh in to Samaria.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Kings 20:31-43
Commentary on 1 Kings 20:31-43
(Read 1 Kings 20:31-43)
This encouragement sinners have to repent and humble themselves before God; Have we not heard, that the God of Israel is a merciful God? Have we not found him so? That is gospel repentance, which flows from an apprehension of the mercy of God, in Christ; there is forgiveness with him. What a change is here! The most haughty in prosperity often are most abject in adversity; an evil spirit will thus affect a man in both these conditions. There are those on whom, like Ahab, success is ill bestowed; they know not how to serve either God or their generation, or even their own true interests with their prosperity: Let favour be showed to the wicked, yet will he not learn righteousness. The prophet designed to reprove Ahab by a parable. If a good prophet were punished for sparing his friend and God's when God said, Smite, of much sorer punishment should a wicked king be thought worthy, who spared his enemy and God's, when God said, Smite. Ahab went to his house, heavy and displeased, not truly penitent, or seeking to undo what he had done amiss; every way out of humour, notwithstanding his victory. Alas! many that hear the glad tidings of Christ, are busy and there till the day of salvation is gone.