20:1 Now King Ben Hadad of Syria assembled all his army, along with thirty-two other kings with their horses and chariots. He marched against Samaria 2 and besieged and attacked it. 3
20:22 The prophet 4 visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses. 5 Determine 6 what you must do, for in the spring 7 the king of Syria will attack 8 you.” 20:23 Now the advisers 9 of the king of Syria said to him: “Their God is a god of the mountains. That’s why they overpowered us. But if we fight them in the plains, we will certainly overpower them.
1 tn Heb “and a chariot went up and came out of Egypt for six hundred silver [pieces], and a horse for one hundred fifty, and in the same way to all the kings of the Hittites and to the kings of Aram by their hand they brought out.”
2 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
3 tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
4 tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
5 tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
6 tn Heb “know and see.”
7 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
8 tn Heb “go up against.”
9 tn Or “servants.”
10 tn Heb “Do you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us, and we hesitate to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” The rhetorical question expects the answer, “Of course, you must know!”
11 tn Heb “small or great.”