Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.
Then the king of Israel called together all the leaders of the land and said, 'Look carefully and see how this man is trying to cause trouble for us. He sent messengers demanding my wives, my children, my silver, and my gold—and I didn't refuse him.'
The king of Israel is asking his advisors to recognize that his enemy is making unreasonable demands, even though he had already agreed to give up his treasures.
📚 Historical Context
This takes place during King Ahab's reign when Ben-hadad, the Syrian king, was making increasingly aggressive demands on Israel. Ben-hadad had initially demanded Ahab's treasures, which Ahab agreed to give, but then escalated his demands to include searching and taking whatever his servants wanted from the city.
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