And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the LORD which he spake.

1 KINGS 22:38KJV
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1 Kings 22:38 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 22:38 mean?

1 Kings 22:38 describes how, after King Ahab’s death in battle, his chariot was washed in a pool in Samaria, and dogs licked up his blood, just as God had foretold. This verse shows the fulfillment of a specific prophecy about Ahab’s fate and the consequences of his actions.

The verse is set after King Ahab of Israel is killed in battle. Servants are cleaning his blood-stained chariot and armor at a pool in Samaria, the capital city. The detail about dogs licking up his blood directly connects to an earlier warning from the prophet Elijah, showing that God’s word, spoken through the prophet, came true in a very literal way.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 22:38

  • דָּם (dam, H1818) means "blood." The mention of blood here is not just a detail; it highlights the violent end of Ahab and the seriousness of God’s judgment.
  • דָּבָר (davar, H1697) means "word." This emphasizes that what happened was not random but happened according to God’s spoken promise or prophecy.
  • יְהוָה (YHWH, H3068) is the personal name for the LORD. The verse points out that it was the LORD’s word that was fulfilled, underlining divine authority and involvement.

Why 1 Kings 22:38 matters

  • This verse clears up that the details of Ahab’s death were not accidental but were a direct fulfillment of God’s earlier warning, showing the reliability of God’s word.
  • The mention of the dogs licking up Ahab’s blood is a vivid reminder of the consequences of turning away from God, as previously announced by Elijah.
  • This verse ties the end of Ahab’s story back to the larger narrative of the prophets and kings in Israel, showing how prophecy and history are closely linked in the biblical account.

Where else these words appear

“up” Hebrew H3952 · used in 5 verses

  • Judges 7:5 So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.
  • Judges 7:6 And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.
  • Judges 7:7 And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

“pool” Hebrew H1295 · used in 15 verses

  • 2 Samuel 2:13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out, and met together by the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down, the one on the one side of the pool, and the other on the other side of the pool.
  • Nehemiah 2:14 Then I went on to the gate of the fountain, and to the king's pool: but there was no place for the beast that was under me to pass.
  • Isaiah 7:3 Then said the LORD unto Isaiah, Go forth now to meet Ahaz, thou, and Shearjashub thy son, at the end of the conduit of the upper pool in the highway of the fuller's field;

“washed” Hebrew H7857 · used in 30 verses

  • Leviticus 6:28 But the earthen vessel wherein it is sodden shall be broken: and if it be sodden in a brasen pot, it shall be both scoured, and rinsed in water.
  • Song of Solomon 8:7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned.
  • Jeremiah 8:6 I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright: no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.

“dogs” Hebrew H3611 · used in 31 verses

  • Exodus 11:7 But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.
  • 1 Kings 16:4 Him that dieth of Baasha in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth of his in the fields shall the fowls of the air eat.
  • Psalms 59:6 They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.