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1 Kings 22:38

Old Testament Historical ASV (1901)

What does 1 Kings 22:38 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots washed themselves [there]); according unto the word of Jehovah which he spake.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots washed themselves [there]); according unto the word of Jehovah which he spake.
1 Kings 22:38 — American Standard Version

Context — 1 Kings 22

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
35And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even; and the blood ran out of the wound into the bottom of the chariot.
36And there went a cry throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his country.
37So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria.
38And they washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots washed themselves [there]); according unto the word of Jehovah which he spake.
39Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he built, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
40So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead.
41And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel.
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What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria, etc.] After the body was taken out, very likely the chariot driver, who drove it into the pool, and plunged it into it, as the word signifies, to cleanse it from the blood of his master: and the dogs licked up his blood; mixed with the water of the pool; the Septuagint adds, “the swine”, which is not probable, such creatures not being bred in the land of Israel: and they washed his armour; his coat of mail, through the joints of which the blood issued, and ran upon it. The word is sometimes used for whores, and is so translated here in the Greek version, and by Munster and Castalio; and both Ben Gersom and Abarbinel say, that women, who were…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“They washed his armour - Rather, “the harlots bathed in it.” The “pool of Samaria,” which was stained with Ahab’s blood by the washing of his chariot in it, was, according to Josephus, the usual bathing-place of the Samaritan harlots. A large tank or reservoir, probably identical with this pool, still remains on the slope of the hill of Samaria, immediately outside the walls. return to 'Top of Page'”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“and the dogs: Kg1 21:19; Jos 23:14, Jos 23:15; Isa 44:25, Isa 44:26, Isa 48:3-5; Jer 44:21-23; Zac 1:4-6; Mat 24:35 3 Kings (1 Kings) 22:39”
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Related study paths

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Sources and verification