Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
1 Kings 20:22-34
YHWH Thwarts Benhadad's Second Attempt On Israel (1 Kings 20:22).
It was not likely that Benhadad would take this reverse lightly. While his forces had fled in panic with the result that he had forfeited all the gains and tribute that he had been expecting, and had lost a good number of men, he was still militarily strong, and now he had the further motive in that there was a humiliation to wipe out and a rebellious one time vassal to subdue. Thus he began to prepare himself for a second attempt on Israel.
This time, however the battle was to be fought on grounds of his choosing. This was, indeed necessary, because his men had got it into their minds that in the mountains Israel's gods were more powerful and it was therefore unwise to venture there. So he amassed his superior numbers and once again set out to deal with Ahab, and this time he was determined to do it on the flat plain at Aphek. This Aphek (there were a number of Apheks, the name merely indicating a source of water) was probably to the east of the Sea of Galilee on the road leading from Damascus to Israel near the junction of the Yarmuk and the Jordan. (Others see it as the Aphek in the Plain of Esdraelon).
Unfortunately for him, however, YHWH was not simply like other gods (a point being emphasised here by the prophetic author). He was the only God, and God of both mountain and plain, and of the whole world. Thus he would punish Benhadad for his impudence, and at the same time give further indication to Ahab that Israel were His chosen people, and that Ahab should therefore look only to Him.
The consequence was that the forces of Aram were one again routed with such severity that Benhadad had to become Ahab's vassal. But as we shall see, that had not been YHWH's intention, for He had wanted Benhadad executed so that he could no longer trouble Israel.
The author's main point in this passage, therefore, is to bring out that YHWH is triumphant anywhere, and is not limited in what He can do. For He is YHWH, the One Who will be what He will be.
Analysis.
a And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and mark, and see what you do, for at the return of the year the king of Aram (Syria) will come up against you' (1 Kings 20:22).
b And the servants of the king of Aram (Syria) said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they. And do this thing. Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their room, and number you an army, like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice, and did so (1 Kings 20:23).
c And it came about at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Aramaeans (Syrians), and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel (1 Kings 20:26).
d And the children of Israel were mustered, and were provisioned, and went against them, and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids, but the Aramaeans (Syrians) filled the country (1 Kings 20:27).
e And a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says YHWH, Because the Aramaeans (Syrians) have said, YHWH is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great host into your hand, and you will know that I am YHWH (1 Kings 20:28).
d And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined, and the children of Israel slew of the Aramaeans (Syrians) a hundred units of footmen in one day (1 Kings 20:29).
c But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty and seven units of men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber (1 Kings 20:30).
b And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us, we pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will save your life. So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, “I pray you, let me live.” And he said, “Is he yet alive? He is my brother.” Now the men watched him diligently, and sought rapidly to catch whether it were his mind, and they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go you, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came forth to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot (1 Kings 20:31).
a And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” “And I,” said Ahab, “will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him, and let him go (1 Kings 20:34).
Note that in ‘a' Ahab is warned to prepare himself because Benhadad will come up against him again, and in the parallel, having defeated him, he spares him, makes a treaty with him, and lets him go. In ‘b' we have the servants advice to Benhadad in which they demean YHWH and proudly muster their army, and in the parallel we have the servants advice to Benhadad in which they demean themselves and put on sackcloth and plead for mercy. In ‘c' Benhadad and his army come to Aphek, and in the parallel they flee into Aphek to escape from the Israelites. In ‘d' we have the comparison between the might army of Benhadad, and the tiny army of Ahab, and in the parallel we have a similar comparison, with the tiny army vanquishing the Aramaeans. Centrally in ‘e' we learn why this was. It was because YHWH was demonstrating precisely what kind of a God He was, and as seeking to bring home to Ahab a knowledge of Himself.
‘ And the prophet came near to the king of Israel, and said to him, “Go, strengthen yourself, and mark, and see what you do, for at the return of the year the king of Aram (Syria) will come up against you.'
God was now making a determined attempt to win Ahab away from the worship of Baal and the syncretism of Jeroboam to a true worship of Him, and to make him realise that his only hope lay in full submission to Him as YHWH. Thus he sent a prophet to keep Ahab in touch with events, and to remind him of His ever present eye. This prophet advised Ahab to build up his fighting capabilities, and to be careful what he was about, because within a year he could be sure that Benhadad would be back. He was seeking to teach Ahab continual dependence.
‘ And the servants of the king of Aram (Syria) said to him, “Their god is a god of the hills, therefore they were stronger than we. But let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” '
Meanwhile, unaware that YHWH knew their every conversation and was plotting against them, Benhadad's courtiers and commanders were advising Benhadad on his next course of action. As they could not see any other explanation for their previous failure (panic not being seen as an option) they had come to the conclusion that the explanation lay in the fact that Israel's God had been victorious because He was a ‘god of the hills'. Let them then but fight Israel in the plains and the victory would be theirs.
The importance laid on this by the prophetic author comes out in the repetition of the idea in 1 Kings 20:28 where it is seen as having ‘offended' God because it was so ludicrously untrue.
‘ And do this thing. Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their room, and number you an army, like the army that you have lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot; and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we will be stronger than they.” And he listened to their voice, and did so.'
Thus their solution was that the army should be reorganised under reliable military commanders who would be responsive to their general, rather than being left in the hands of chieftains who often preferred to do their own thing, especially when booty was available. An army equal in size and military strength to the previous one was then to be mustered under these commanders, and by meeting Israel's army in the plain they would nullify the effectiveness (they hoped) of their God. It appeared to be a sound plan and might have worked of God had been like the gods of the nations. The snag lay in the fact that He was not.
‘ And it came about at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Aramaeans (Syrians), and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.'
So ‘at the return of the year' (there is disagreement as to whether this means around April or around September) Benhadad again mustered his Aramaean troops, and in accordance with the plan went up to the plain around Aphek in order to fight Israel on the flat there. (April is more likely to have been the time chosen simply because it would mean that Benhadad's army would find growing crops on which they could feed themselves. On the other hand in September there would be plenty of stored crops available in all the farms and towns that they came across).
‘ And the children of Israel were mustered, and were provisioned, and went against them, and the children of Israel encamped before them like two little flocks of kids, but the Aramaeans (Syrians) filled the country.'
Learning of the threat of invasion the children of Israel were also mustered and provisioned, and went against them. And so massive was the army of Aram that the army of Israel appeared like ‘two little flocks of kids' in comparison. It appeared to be ‘no contest'.
“Two little flocks of kids.” We should translate as ‘a few flocks of kids' with ‘two' being used as in 1 Kings 17:12 to indicate ‘a few'. The point of the contrast is the size of the Aramaean army as opposed to the comparative fewness of the military units possessed by Ahab.
‘ And a man of God came near and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, “Thus says YHWH, Because the Aramaeans (Syrians) have said, YHWH is a god of the hills, but he is not a god of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great host into your hand, and you will know that I am YHWH.'
But there was one difference, and that was that YHWH was with Israel, and intended to make quite clear that the foolish words of the Aramaeans about His limitations were nonsense. This is emphasised by the repetition of the words from 1 Kings 20:23. This is spelled out to Ahab with the assurance that the folly of their words would be made clear when Ahab gained the victory. Then he would know truly Who YHWH was, which was the whole point of the exercise.
‘ And they encamped one over against the other seven days. And so it was, that in the seventh day the battle was joined, and the children of Israel slew of the Aramaeans (Syrians) a hundred thousand footmen in one day.'
The outcome was inevitable. The armies encamped opposite each other for seven days, probably awaiting for the propitious time as indicated by their gods and their prophets, and then at the end of that period (‘seven days' - the divinely appointed time) they joined battle. Unfortunately the god of the plains had forgotten to turn up and the result was that the Aramaeans were totally defeated, and the children of Israel were able to slaughter a hundred units of the enemy in that one day
‘ But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city, and the wall fell on twenty and seven thousand men who were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.'
The remainder of the Aramaean army fled to the city of Aphek in order to take shelter there. But the Israelites set about undermining the walls, with the result that the walls caved in on the crowded troops assembled within the city just inside its walls, falling on another twenty seven units of the enemy and killing many of them. Meanwhile Benhadad had taken refuge in an inner chamber.
‘ And his servants said to him, “Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings. Let us, we pray you, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes on our heads, and go out to the king of Israel. Perhaps he will save your life.'
His courtiers then came to him and pointed out to Benhadad that whatever he had intended to do to Ahab, the kings of Israel had a reputation for being merciful kings. The author was especially interested in this point because it emphasised the difference between the attitude of the enemy and the distinctiveness of Yahwism. The covenant taught men to be merciful.
So they suggested that they all strip off their robes and put on sackcloth, and wind ropes on their heads, and then go to the king of Israel. Perhaps he would be merciful. Ropes may have been the headgear of the poorest classes, and thus have symbolised humility.
‘ So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, “Your servant Ben-hadad says, “I pray you, let me live.” And he said, “Is he yet alive? He is my brother.” '.
Suiting their actions to their words, but not risking taking the king with them, his courtiers came to the king of Israel in sackcloth and with ropes wound round their heads, and offered Benhadad's plea that his life might be spared. And their hopes very much sprang to life when Ahab, instead of speaking in anger rather asked after Benhadad's welfare and spoke of him as his ‘brother'. He was surprised that he had survived the fierceness of the slaughter.
‘ Now the men watched him diligently, and sought rapidly to catch whether it were his mind (was really what he was thinking), and they said, “Your brother Ben-hadad.” Then he said, “Go you, bring him.” Then Ben-hadad came forth to him, and he caused him to come up into the chariot.'
Catching on to his tone the courtiers watched him carefully and in the brief time that they had available tried to work out its genuineness. Then they hopefully said, ‘Yes, your brother Benhadad'. To their relief Ahab, in what gave the appearance of an intention to show mercy, then told them to bring Benhadad to him. And the result was that Benhadad was brought out of his hiding place, and Ahab ‘caused him to come up into his chariot'. This may have been a gesture indicating equality, or it may have been a demand for submission.
‘ And Ben-hadad said to him, “The cities which my father took from your father I will restore, and you shall make streets for yourself in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria.” “And I,” said Ahab, “will let you go with this covenant.” So he made a covenant with him, and let him go.'
Benhadad then ceded back the rights that he had previously claimed over Israel, and at the same time gave Ahab trading rights in Damascus. ‘The cities which my father took from your father' probably refer to the invasion in the time of Baasha, with ‘your father' being used loosely (Benhadad would not have a detailed genealogy), although it may be that during the civil war at the beginning of Omri's reign further marginally owned border towns had been taken which he did not see as important enough to win back (he was busy elsewhere). The streets were streets set apart for trading, and along with the trade routes, control of which would pass back to Ahab, would enable him to build up his treasury. Something which it turns out he used to good effect in that when Shalmaneser III of Assyria invaded the area Ahab was able to contribute two large units of chariots to the allied forces that opposed him at Qarqar. Shalmaneser claimed it as a victory for his side, but as he then withdrew it was clearly not so. (Great kings in those days never suffered recorded defeats, and any closely fought battle was described as a victory. We can compare how when the Egyptians fought with the Hittites both sides are recorded by themselves as having won)
It is disputed whether Benhadad's father was also Benhadad, this one now being Benhadad II, or whether Benhadad had a very long (but not impossibly long) reign with his father being Tab-rimmon (1 Kings 15:18). But as Baasha lost cities to Benhadad, and he is here called Benhadad's father, two Benhadad's are signified. Benhadad (‘son of Hadad') was probably a dynastic throne name whereby the king was seen as adopted by Hadad The Thunderer, one of the gods of Aram.