1 Kings 20:38

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36 Then he said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, surely, as soon as you depart from me, a lion shall kill you.” And as soon as he left him, ^aa lion found him and killed him.

37 And he found another man, and said, “Strike me, please.” So the man struck him, inflicting a wound.

38 Then the prophet departed and waited for the king by the road, and disguised himself with a bandage over his eyes.

39 Now ^aas the king passed by, he cried out to the king and said, “Your servant went out into the midst of the battle; and there, a man came over and brought a man to me, and said, ‘Guard this man; if by any means he is missing, ^byour life shall be for his life, or else you shall¹ pay a talent of silver.’

40 While your servant was busy here and there, he was gone.” Then the king of Israel said to him, “So shall your judgment be; you yourself have decided it.”

41 And he hastened to take the bandage away from his eyes; and the king of Israel recognized him as one of the prophets.

42 Then he said to him, “Thus says the Lord: ^a‘Because you have let slip out of your hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore your life shall go for his life, and your people for his people.’ ”

43 So the king of Israel ^awent to his house sullen and displeased, and came to Samaria.

Commentaries:

Adam Clarke

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1 Kings 20:38

Disguised himself with ashes upon his face - It does not immediately appear how putting ashes upon his face could disguise him. Instead of apher , dust, Houbigant conjectures that it should be aphad , a fillet or bandage. It is only the corner of the last letter which makes the difference; for the daleth and resh are nearly the same, only the shoulder of the former is square, the latter round. That bandage, not dust, was the original reading, seems pretty evident from its remains in two of the oldest versions, the Septuagint and the Chaldee; the former has , "And he bound his eyes with a fillet." The latter has ukerich bemaaphira einohi ; "And he covered his eyes with a cloth." The MSS. of Kennicott and De Rossi contain no various reading here; but bandage is undoubtedly the true one. However, in the way of mortification, both the Jews and Hindoos put ashes upon their heads and faces, and make themselves sufficiently disgusting.

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