Discovery Box1 Kings 20:13-30 
Context20:13 Now a prophet visited King Ahab of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘Do you see this huge army? 1 Look, I am going to hand it over to you this very day. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’” 20:14 Ahab asked, “By whom will this be accomplished?” 2 He answered, “This is what the Lord says, ‘By the servants of the district governors.’” Ahab 3 asked, “Who will launch the attack?” He answered, “You will.”
20:15 So Ahab 4 assembled the 232 servants of the district governors. After that he assembled all the Israelite army, numbering 7,000. 5 20:16 They marched out at noon, while Ben Hadad and the thirty-two kings allied with him were drinking heavily 6 in their quarters. 7 20:17 The servants of the district governors led the march. When Ben Hadad sent messengers, they reported back to him, “Men are marching out of Samaria.” 8 20:18 He ordered, “Whether they come in peace or to do battle, take them alive.” 9 20:19 They marched out of the city with the servants of the district governors in the lead and the army behind them. 20:20 Each one struck down an enemy soldier; 10 the Syrians fled and Israel chased them. King Ben Hadad of Syria escaped on horseback with some horsemen. 20:21 Then the king of Israel marched out and struck down the horses and chariots; he thoroughly defeated 11 Syria.
20:22 The prophet 12 visited the king of Israel and instructed him, “Go, fortify your defenses. 13 Determine 14 what you must do, for in the spring 15 the king of Syria will attack 16 you.” 20:23 Now the advisers 17 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. 20:24 So do this: Dismiss the kings from their command, and replace them with military commanders. 20:25 Muster an army like the one you lost, with the same number of horses and chariots. 18 Then we will fight them in the plains; we will certainly overpower them.” He approved their plan and did as they advised. 19
20:26 In the spring 20 Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army 21 and marched to Aphek to fight Israel. 22 20:27 When the Israelites had mustered and had received their supplies, they marched out to face them in battle. When the Israelites deployed opposite them, they were like two small flocks 23 of goats, but the Syrians filled the land. 20:28 The prophet 24 visited the king of Israel and said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Because the Syrians said, “The Lord is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,” I will hand over to you this entire huge army. 25 Then you will know that I am the Lord.’”
20:29 The armies were deployed opposite each other for seven days. On the seventh day the battle began, and the Israelites killed 100,000 Syrian foot soldiers in one day. 20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. 26 Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. 27
1 tn Heb “this great horde.”
2 tn The words “will this be accomplished” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
3 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5 tn Heb “after them he assembled all the people, all the sons of Israel, seven thousand.”
6 tn Heb “drinking and drunken.”
7 tn Heb “in the temporary shelters.” This is probably referring to tents.
8 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
9 tn Heb “if they come in peace, take them alive; if they come for battle, take them alive.”
10 tn Heb “each struck down his man.”
11 tn Heb “struck down Aram with a great striking down.”
12 tn The definite article indicates previous reference, that is, “the prophet mentioned earlier” (see v. 13).
13 tn Heb “strengthen yourself.”
14 tn Heb “know and see.”
15 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
16 tn Heb “go up against.”
17 tn Or “servants.”
18 tn Heb “And you, you muster an army like the one that fell from you, horse like horse and chariot like chariot.”
19 tn Heb “he listened to their voice and did so.”
20 tn Heb “at the turning of the year.”
21 tn Heb “mustered Aram.”
22 tn Heb “and went up to Aphek for battle with Israel.”
23 tn The noun translated “small flocks” occurs only here. The common interpretation derives the word from the verbal root חשׂף, “to strip off; to make bare.” In this case the noun refers to something “stripped off” or “made bare.” HALOT 359 s.v. II חשׂף derives the noun from a proposed homonymic verbal root (which occurs only in Ps 29:9) meaning “cause a premature birth.” In this case the derived noun could refer to goats that are undersized because they are born prematurely.
24 tn Heb “the man of God.”
25 tn Heb “I will place all this great horde in your hand.”
26 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.”
27 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
