1 Kings 20:35
New International Version
By the word of the LORD one of the company of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me with your weapon,” but he refused.

New Living Translation
Meanwhile, the LORD instructed one of the group of prophets to say to another man, “Hit me!” But the man refused to hit the prophet.

English Standard Version
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow at the command of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” But the man refused to strike him.

Berean Standard Bible
Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.

King James Bible
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

New King James Version
Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of the LORD, “Strike me, please.” And the man refused to strike him.

New American Standard Bible
Now a man from the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

NASB 1995
Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

NASB 1977
Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of Yahweh, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

Amplified Bible
Now a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to another by the word of the LORD, “Please strike me.” But the man refused to strike him.

Christian Standard Bible
One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, “Strike me! ” But the man refused to strike him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
One of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow prophet by the word of the LORD, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.

American Standard Version
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And one man of the sons of the Prophets said to his friend by the word of LORD JEHOVAH: “Hit me!” And the man was not willing to hit him.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbour by the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray, And the man would not smite him.

Contemporary English Version
About this time the LORD commanded a prophet to say to a friend, "Hit me!" But the friend refused,

Douay-Rheims Bible
Then a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his companion in the word of the Lord: Strike me. But he would not strike.

English Revised Version
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
A disciple of the prophets spoke to a friend as the word of the LORD had told him. [The disciple said,] "Punch me," but the man refused to punch him.

Good News Translation
At the LORD's command a member of a group of prophets ordered a fellow prophet to hit him. But he refused,

International Standard Version
Right about then, one of the members of the guild of prophets told another through a message from the LORD: "Please strike me!" But the man refused to do so,

JPS Tanakh 1917
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of the LORD: 'Smite me, I pray thee.' And the man refused to smite him.

Literal Standard Version
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor by the word of YHWH, “Please strike me”; and the man refuses to strike him,

Majority Standard Bible
Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.

New American Bible
Acting on the word of the LORD, one of the guild prophets said to his companion, “Strike me.” But he refused to strike him.

NET Bible
One of the members of the prophetic guild, speaking with divine authority, ordered his companion, "Wound me!" But the man refused to wound him.

New Revised Standard Version
At the command of the LORD a certain member of a company of prophets said to another, “Strike me!” But the man refused to strike him.

New Heart English Bible
A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by the word of the LORD, "Please strike me." The man refused to strike him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

World English Bible
A certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his fellow by Yahweh’s word, “Please strike me!” The man refused to strike him.

Young's Literal Translation
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,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Prophet Reproves Ahab
35Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him. 36Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.…

Cross References
1 Thessalonians 4:15
By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.

1 Kings 13:17
For I have been told by the word of the LORD: 'You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.'"

1 Kings 13:18
Then the prophet replied, "I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" The old prophet was lying to him,

2 Kings 2:3
Then the sons of the prophets at Bethel came out to Elisha and said, "Do you know that the LORD will take your master away from you today?" "Yes, I know," he replied. "Do not speak of it."

Amos 7:14
"I was not a prophet," Amos replied, "nor was I the son of a prophet; rather, I was a herdsman and a tender of sycamore-fig trees.


Treasury of Scripture

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said to his neighbor in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray you. And the man refused to smite him.

Smite me

1 Kings 20:35
And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the LORD, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

Exodus 21:12
He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.

so that [heb} smiting and wounding

Jump to Previous
Command Companion Fellow Neighbor Neighbour Please Prophets Refused Refuseth Smite Strike Weapon Word Wound
Jump to Next
Command Companion Fellow Neighbor Neighbour Please Prophets Refused Refuseth Smite Strike Weapon Word Wound
1 Kings 20
1. Ben-Hadad, not content with Ahab's homage, besieges Samaria
13. By the direction of a prophet, the Syrians are slain
22. As the prophet forewarned Ahab, the Syrians come against him in Aphek
28. By the word of the prophet, and God's judgment, the Syrians are smitten again
31. The Syrians submit; Ahab sends Ben-Hadad away with a covenant
35. The prophet, under the parable of a prisoner,
39. making Ahab judge himself, denounces God's judgment against him














(35) A certain man--according to Josephus, Micaiah, the son of Imlah. This tradition, or conjecture, agrees well with the subsequent narrative in 1 Kings 22.

The sons of the prophets.--This phrase, constantly recurring in the history of Elijah and Elisha, first appears here. But the thing designated is apparently as old as the days of Samuel who is evidently surrounded by "a company" of disciples. (See 1Samuel 10:5; 1Samuel 10:10; 1Samuel 19:20.) The prophetic office seems never to have been, like the priesthood or kingship, hereditary. "Sonship," therefore, no doubt means simply discipleship; and it is likely enough that the schools of the sons of the prophets were places of higher religious education, including many who did not look for the prophetic vocation; although the well-known words of Amos (Amos 7:14), "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son," clearly indicate that from their ranks, generally though not invariably, the prophets were called. Probably the institution had fallen into disuse, and had been revived to seal and to secure the prophetic victory over Baal-worship. To Elijah the "sons of the prophets" look up with awe and some terror; to Elisha, with affectionate respect and trust.

Verse 35. - And a certain man [Heb. one man; cf. 1 Kings 13:11, note] of the sons of the prophets [Here mentioned for the first time, though the prophetic schools probably owed their existence, certainly their development, to Samuel. The בּנֵי הָנּ are of course not the children, but the pupils of the prophets. For this use of "son," cf. 1 Samuel 20:31 ("a son of death"); 2 Samuel 12:5; Deuteronomy 25:2; Matthew 23:15; 1 Kings 4:30; Ezra 2:1; John 17:12, and Amos 7:14. Gesenius refers to the Greek ἱατρῶν υἱοί ῤητόρων υἱοί, etc., and says that among the Persians "the disciples of the Magi are called, "Sons of Magi." The word, again, does not necessarily imply youth. That they were sometimes married men appears from 2 Kings 6:1, though this was probably after their collegiate life was ended. As they were called "sons," so their instructor, or head, was called "father" (1 Samuel 10:12)] said unto his neighbour [or companion. Another prophet is implied. It was because this "neighbour" was a prophet that his disregard of the word of the Lord was so sinful, and received such severe punishment], in the word of the Lord [see on 1 Kings 13:1], Smite me, I pray thee. [Why the prophet, in order to the accomplishment of his mission - which was to obtain from Ahab's own lips a confession of his deserts - why he should have been smitten, i.e., bruised and wounded, is not quite clear. For it is obvious that he might have sustained his part, told his story, and obtained a judgment from the king, without proceeding to such painful extremities. It is quite true that a person thus wounded would perhaps sustain the part of one who had been in battle better, but the wounds were in no way necessary to his disguise, and men do not court pain without imperious reasons. Besides, it was "in the word of the Lord" that these wounds were sought and received. It is quite clear, therefore, that it cannot have been merely to give him a claim to an audience with the king (Ewald) - he could easily have simulated wounds by means of bandages, which would at the same time have helped to disguise him - or that he might foreshadow in his own person the wounding which Ahab would receive (1 Kings 22:11), for of that he says nothing, or for any similar reason. The wounding, we may be quite sure, and the tragical circumstances connected therewith, are essential parts of the parable this prophet had to act, of the lesson he had to teach. 1%w the great lesson he had to convey, not to the king alone, but to the prophetic order and to the whole country, the lesson most necessary in that lawless age, was that of implicit unquestioning obedience to the Divine law. Ahab had just transgressed that law. He had "let go a man whom God had appointed to utter destruction;" he had heaped honours on the oppressor of his country, and in gratifying benevolent impulses had ignored the will and counsel of God (see on ver. 42). No doubt it seemed to him, as it has seemed to others since, that he had acted with rare magnanimity, and that his generosity in that age, an age which showed no mercy to the fallen, was unexampled. But he must be taught that he has no right to be generous at the expense of others; that God's will must be done even when it goes against the grain, when it contradicts impulses of kindness, and demands painful sacrifices. He is taught this by the prophetic word (ver. 42), but much more effectively by the actions which preceded it. A prophet required to smite a brother prophet, and that for no apparent reason, would no doubt find it repugnant to his feelings to do so; it would seem to him hard and cruel and shameful to smite a companion. But the prophet who refused to do this, who followed his benevolent impulses in preference to the word of the Lord, died for his sin - died forthwith by the visitation of God. What a lesson was this to king and country - for no doubt the incident would be bruited abroad, and the very strangeness of the whole proceeding would heighten the impression it made. Indeed, it is hardly possible to conceive a way in which the duty of unquestioning obedience could be more emphatically taught. When this prophet appeared before the king, a man had smitten and wounded him, disagreeable and painful as the task must have been, because of the word of the Lord; whilst a brother prophet, who declined the office because it was painful, had been slain by a wild beast. It is easy to see that there was here a solemn lesson for the king, and that the wounding gave it its edge.] And the man refused to smite him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Meanwhile, by the word
בִּדְבַ֥ר (biḏ·ḇar)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

of the LORD,
יְהוָ֖ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

one
אֶחָ֜ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

of the sons
מִבְּנֵ֣י (mib·bə·nê)
Preposition-m | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 1121: A son

of the prophets
הַנְּבִיאִ֗ים (han·nə·ḇî·’îm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

said
אָמַ֧ר (’ā·mar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 559: To utter, say

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

his companion,
רֵעֵ֛הוּ (rê·‘ê·hū)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 7453: Friend, companion, fellow

“Strike me,
הַכֵּ֣ינִי (hak·kê·nî)
Verb - Hifil - Imperative - masculine singular | first person common singular
Strong's 5221: To strike

please!”
נָ֑א (nā)
Interjection
Strong's 4994: I pray', 'now', 'then'

But [the man] refused
וַיְמָאֵ֥ן (way·mā·’ên)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3985: To refuse

to strike him.
לְהַכֹּתֽוֹ׃ (lə·hak·kō·ṯōw)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5221: To strike


Links
1 Kings 20:35 NIV
1 Kings 20:35 NLT
1 Kings 20:35 ESV
1 Kings 20:35 NASB
1 Kings 20:35 KJV

1 Kings 20:35 BibleApps.com
1 Kings 20:35 Biblia Paralela
1 Kings 20:35 Chinese Bible
1 Kings 20:35 French Bible
1 Kings 20:35 Catholic Bible

OT History: 1 Kings 20:35 A certain man of the sons (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 20:34
Top of Page
Top of Page