The Meaning of 1 Kings 20:18 Explained

1 Kings 20:18

KJV: And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

YLT: And he saith, 'If for peace they have come out -- catch them alive; and if for battle they have come out -- alive catch them.'

Darby: And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

ASV: And he said, Whether they are come out for peace, take them alive, or whether they are come out for war, taken them alive.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And he said,  Whether they be come out  for peace,  take  them alive;  or whether they be come out  for war,  take  them alive. 

What does 1 Kings 20:18 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 20:16-30 - The God Both Of Hills And Valleys
What is God to us? Is He only the God of the hills? We expect religion to serve us when we come to the great summits of experience. There are times of rapture and of vision when we seem naturally to stand with God on the holy mountains. We have our Moriah, our Pisgah, our Tabor, our Hermon. But is that all?
No! God is with us in the valleys. When we descend into the valley of weeping, Psalms 84:6, r.v., the valley of the shadow of death, the valley of obscurity and loneliness, the valley of conflict, we can say with the psalmist, "Thou art with me," Psalms 23:4. Most of us, perhaps, spend the larger part of life in the valleys, walking among commonplace duties. Let us see to it that in these shadowed days we walk in close companionship with the Divine Friend; that, when the path ascends and the mountain-breeze is on our faces and the view widens, we may stand with God on our high places as with hinds' feet. See Habakkuk 3:19.
1 Kings 20:1-43 - A Prosperous Nation
What a picture is here given of national contentment and prosperity! We can almost hear the gladsome voice of the myriad-peopled land, teeming with young life and laden with golden harvests. It was the summer of their national existence. The sacred scribe enumerates first the high officials of the court, then the daily provision of the king, his studies, and his fame. Abundant proof was yielded by all these circumstances to the manner in which God kept the pledges which had been made to David, his father.
Here is Solomon "in all his glory," but as we turn from him to the lowly Carpenter of Nazareth, who had nowhere to lay His head; who found His friends among the poor; and who ultimately laid down His life a ransom for many, we realize that, even apart from His divine nature, His was the nobler ideal and the richer existence. "A greater than Solomon is here." Who can measure His empire or resources? What tongue can recount His wisdom? Happy and safe are they that sit at His table, hear His words, and are joint-heirs with Him in His Kingdom! Romans 8:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: 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

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 20:18 mean?

So he said if for peace they have come out take them alive and if for war alive take them
וַיֹּ֛אמֶר אִם־ לְשָׁל֥וֹם יָצָ֖אוּ תִּפְשׂ֣וּם חַיִּ֑ים וְאִ֧ם לְמִלְחָמָ֛ה חַיִּ֥ים תִּפְשֽׂוּם

וַיֹּ֛אמֶר  So  he  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לְשָׁל֥וֹם  for  peace 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁלֹום  
Sense: completeness, soundness, welfare, peace.
יָצָ֖אוּ  they  have  come  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: יׄוצֵאת 
Sense: to go out, come out, exit, go forth.
תִּפְשׂ֣וּם  take  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.
חַיִּ֑ים  alive 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
וְאִ֧ם  and  if 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: אִם  
Sense: if.
לְמִלְחָמָ֛ה  for  war 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
חַיִּ֥ים  alive 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
תִּפְשֽׂוּם  take  them 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine plural, third person masculine plural
Root: תָּפַשׂ  
Sense: to catch, handle, lay hold, take hold of, seize, wield.