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 4 and besieged and attacked it. 5
20:10 Ben Hadad sent another message to him, “May the gods judge me severely 6 if there is enough dirt left in Samaria for my soldiers to scoop up in their hands.” 7
1 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
2 tn Heb “he struck down.”
3 tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.”
4 map For location see Map2-B1; Map4-D3; Map5-E2; Map6-A4; Map7-C1.
5 tn Heb “and he went up and besieged Samaria and fought against it.”
6 tn Heb “So may the gods do to me, and so may they add.”
7 tn Heb “if the dirt of Samaria suffices for the handfuls of all the people who are at my feet.”
8 tn Heb “When he heard this word.”
9 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
10 tn Heb “and the remaining ones fled to Aphek to the city and the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand men, the ones who remained.”
11 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
12 sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.
13 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.