1 Kings 2:30

2:30 When Benaiah arrived at the tent of the Lord, he said to him, “The king says, ‘Come out!’” But he replied, “No, I will die here!” So Benaiah sent word to the king and reported Joab’s reply.¹

1 Kings 11:31

11:31 Then he told Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces, for this is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘Look, I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you.

1 Kings 13:21

13:21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You² have rebelled against the Lord³ and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you.

1 Kings 20:14

20:14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?”⁴ He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab⁵ asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”

1 Kings 20:32

20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant⁶ Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab⁷ replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.”⁸

1 Kings 20:42

20:42 The prophet⁹ then said to him, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Because you released a man I had determined should die, you will pay with your life and your people will suffer instead of his people.’”¹⁰

1 Kings 21:21

21:21 The Lord says,¹¹ ‘Look, I am ready to bring disaster¹² on you. I will destroy you¹³ and cut off every last male belonging to Ahab in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated.¹⁴

¹tn Heb “saying, “In this way Joab spoke and in this way he answered me.”

²tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 21-22 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 21-22a) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 22b). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.

³tn Heb “the mouth [i.e., command] of the Lord.”

⁴tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁵tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

⁷tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.

⁹tn Heb “he”; the referent (the prophet) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰tn Heb “Because you sent away the man of my destruction [i.e., that I determined should be destroyed] from [my/your?] hand, your life will be in place of his life, and your people in place of his people.”

¹¹tn The introductory formula “the Lord says” is omitted in the Hebrew text, but supplied in the translation for clarification.

¹²sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is similar to the word translated “evil” (v. 20, הָרַע, hara’). Ahab’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.

¹³tn Heb “I will burn after you.” Some take the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean here “sweep away.” See the discussion of this verb in the notes at 14:10 and 16:3.

¹⁴tn Heb “and I will cut off from Ahab those who urinate against a wall, [including both those who are] restrained and let free [or “abandoned”] in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv, translated here “weak and incapacitated”) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס (’efes), “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.