What Does 1 Kings 20:40 Mean in the King James?
And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The judgment spoken about the missing man becomes the speaker’s own verdict.
THE MEANING
When what is entrusted disappears while attention is elsewhere, activity does not erase the absence. A judgment spoken about another can also reveal the standard its speaker applies to himself.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
Being busy does not, by itself, make you unanswerable for what disappears in your care.
THE ROOT
חָרַצְתָּ
charatsta
GROWS FROM
חָרַץ
charats
To cut; by extension, to decide or decree.
The verb translated “decided” comes from a root that can mean to cut and, by extension, to decree. The king’s sentence becomes a decisive cut: his judgment of the absent servant exposes his own case.
ALSO GROWS
charats: To cut, determine, or decree.
חָרַץ
This is the root behind “decided,” carrying the sense of a firm determination.
charuts: Sharp or incisive; also diligent.
חָרוּץ
This branch carries an edge of sharpness, echoing the decisive force of the king’s verdict.
מִשְׁפָּטֶךָ
mishpatekha
GROWS FROM
שָׁפַט
shaphat
To judge, govern, or render a decision.
“Judgment” belongs to the same root family as the word for a judge. The verse binds the king’s ruling to his own role as judge, so his answer becomes the standard that returns to him.
ALSO GROWS
shofet: A judge, one who renders judgment.
שֹׁפֵט
It shares the root with the king’s “judgment,” linking the ruling to the one who gives it.
mishpat: A judgment, decision, or matter of justice.
מִשְׁפָּט
This is the noun used in the verse, naming the verdict that turns back upon its speaker.
THE PATTERN
A verdict spoken against another can return as the speaker’s own sentence.
And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.THE THREAD
And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.The next verse names the absence as something the king “let go”: שָׁלַח (shalach, send, release, or let go). That continuation makes the verdict concrete: the man was gone from the king’s hand, and the king’s own judgment exposed that release.
Read the SDV Bible.
Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.
The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us