Discovery Box1 Kings 20:30-31 
Context20:30 The remaining 27,000 ran to Aphek and went into the city, but the wall fell on them. 1 Now Ben Hadad ran into the city and hid in an inner room. 2 20:31 His advisers 3 said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. 4 Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads 5 and surrender 6 to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”
1 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.”
2 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad fled and went into the city, [into] an inner room in an inner room.”
3 tn Or “servants.”
4 tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.
5 sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.
6 tn Heb “go out.”
