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1 And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.

2 And he sent messengers to Ahab king of Israel into the city, and said unto him, Thus saith Benhadad,

3 Thy silver and thy gold is mine; thy wives also and thy children, even the goodliest, are mine.

4 And the king of Israel answered and said, My lord, O king, according to thy saying, I am thine, and all that I have.

5 And the messengers came again, and said, Thus speaketh Benhadad, saying, Although I have sent unto thee, saying, Thou shalt deliver me thy silver, and thy gold, and thy wives, and thy children;

6 Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.

7 Then the king of Israel called all the elders of the land, and said, Mark, I pray you, and see how this man seeketh mischief: for he sent unto me for my wives, and for my children, and for my silver, and for my gold; and I denied him not.

8 And all the elders and all the people said unto him, Hearken not unto him, nor consent.

9 Wherefore he said unto the messengers of Benhadad, Tell my lord the king, All that thou didst send for to thy servant at the first I will do: but this thing I may not do. And the messengers departed, and brought him word again.

10 And Benhadad sent unto him, and said, The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.

11 And the king of Israel answered and said, Tell him, Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.

12 And it came to pass, when Ben-hadad heard this message, as he was drinking, he and the kings in the pavilions, that he said unto his servants, Set yourselves in array. And they set themselves in array against the city.

13 And, behold, there came a prophet unto Ahab king of Israel, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou seen all this great multitude? behold, I will deliver it into thine hand this day; and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.

14 And Ahab said, By whom? And he said, Thus saith the Lord, Even by the young men of the princes of the provinces. Then he said, Who shall order the battle? And he answered, Thou.

15 Then he numbered the young men of the princes of the provinces, and they were two hundred and thirty two: and after them he numbered all the people, even all the children of Israel, being seven thousand.

16 And they went out at noon. But Benhadad was drinking himself drunk in the pavilions, he and the kings, the thirty and two kings that helped him.

17 And the young men of the princes of the provinces went out first; and Benhadad sent out, and they told him, saying, There are men come out of Samaria.

18 And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.

19 So these young men of the princes of the provinces came out of the city, and the army which followed them.

20 And they slew every one his man: and the Syrians fled; and Israel pursued them: and Benhadad the king of Syria escaped on an horse with the horsemen.

21 And the king of Israel went out, and smote the horses and chariots, and slew the Syrians with a great slaughter.

22 And the prophet came to the king of Israel, and said unto him, Go, strengthen thyself, and mark, and see what thou doest: for at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee.

23 And the servants of the king of Syria said unto him, Their gods are gods of the hills; therefore they were stronger than we; but let us fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they.

24 And do this thing, Take the kings away, every man out of his place, and put captains in their rooms:

25 And number thee an army, like the army that thou hast lost, horse for horse, and chariot for chariot: and we will fight against them in the plain, and surely we shall be stronger than they. And he hearkened unto their voice, and did so.

26 And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Benhadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

27 And the children of Israel were numbered, and were all present, and went against them: and the children of Israel pitched before them like two little flocks of kids; but the Syrians filled the country.

28 And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the Lord, Because the Syrians have said, The Lord is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.

29 And they pitched 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 Syrians an hundred thousand footmen in one day.

30 But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and there a wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand of the men that were left. And Benhadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.

31 And his servants said unto him, Behold now, we have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings: let us, I pray thee, put sackcloth on our loins, and ropes upon our heads, and go out to the king of Israel: peradventure he will save thy life.

32 So they girded sackcloth on their loins, and put ropes on their heads, and came to the king of Israel, and said, Thy servant Benhadad saith, I pray thee, let me live. And he said, Is he yet alive? he is my brother.

33 Now the men did diligently observe whether any thing would come from him, and did hastily catch it: and they said, Thy brother Benhadad. Then he said, Go ye, bring him. Then Benhadad came forth to him; and he caused him to come up into the chariot.

34 And Ben-hadad said unto him, The cities, which my father took from thy father, I will restore; and thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria. Then said Ahab, I will send thee away with this covenant. So he made a covenant with him, and sent him away.

35 And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his neighbour in the word of the Lord, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him.

36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of the Lord, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him.

37 Then he found another man, and said, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man smote him, so that in smiting he wounded him.

38 So the prophet departed, and waited for the king by the way, and disguised himself with ashes upon his face.

39 And as the king passed by, he cried unto the king: and he said, Thy servant went out into the midst of the battle; and, behold, a man turned aside, and brought a man unto me, and said, Keep this man: if by any means he be missing, then shall thy life be for his life, or else thou shalt pay a talent of silver.

40 And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

41 And he hasted, and took the ashes away from his face; and the king of Israel discerned him that he was of the prophets.

42 And he said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life, and thy people for his people.

43 And the king of Israel went to his house heavy and displeased, and came to Samaria.

<html><b>When I have sent to you, etc., you must give [them] to me.</b> I know that you will give them to me, but I am decreeing upon you something else.</html>

<html><b>Everything you cherish they will put in their hands and take.</b> Were not the first [things] cherished things? What, then, is the meaning of “[everything] you cherish”? [This means] a treasure within a treasure, referring to the Torah Scroll, about which it is stated, “more desirable than gold, even more than quantities of fine gold.”¹<i class=“footnote”>Tehillim 19:11.</i> Achov said to himself, “He demands a great thing, but this is not mine alone; it belongs to the elders of Yisroel.”²<i class=“footnote”>He therefore could not give away the Torah without consulting the elders.</i> Therefore, he “called all the elders of the land,”³<i class=“footnote”>Below v. 7.</i> for even though they worshiped idols, they honored the Torah.⁴<i class=“footnote”>See Maseches Sanhedrin 102b. Despite all his sins, Achov believed in the Torah and refused to give it up. He was ready to go to war if necessary, to defend it. God therefore rewarded him with a reign of 22 years corresponding to the 22 letters of the <i>Alef Beis</i> with which the Torah is written.</i></html>

<html><b>If the dust of Shomron will be sufficient for the soles of the feet, etc.</b> [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “to take with the footsteps of all the people who are with me,” the earth that sticks to the sole of the feet.⁵<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, שעלים means fistfuls, and Ben-Hadad said, that if each of his soldiers was to take a fistful of the dirt of Shomron, there would not be enough dirt for them, for his army was so large.—Radak</i> <b>For the soles of the feet.</b> An expression of, “treading with the sole of the foot,” and similarly, “in a narrow path [משעול] of the vineyards,”⁶<i class=“footnote”>Bamidbar 22:24.</i> and similarly, “who measured the water with his step [בשעלו],”⁷<i class=“footnote”>Yeshayahu 40:12.</i> for He trod in the Red Sea, as it is stated, “You tramped them in the sea with Your horses.”⁸<i class=“footnote”>Chavakuk 3:15.</i> <b>Will be sufficient.</b> If there is enough.</html>

<html><b>“Tell him, ‘He who puts on the sword shall not brag like the one who takes it off.’”</b> “Say to him, ‘One should not boast, he who arms himself and goes down to war like a man who has been victorious and is coming up from it.’” One should not boast he who puts on his sword to wage to war, for he does not know whether or not he will be victorious. <b>Like the one who takes it off.</b> His sword binding, [after] he has come up from the war victorious. Similarly, your master should not boast about a future event.</html>

<html><b>Prepare.</b> The implements of siege against the city.</html>

<html><b>A certain prophet.</b> That was Michoyhu the son of Yimloh.⁹<i class=“footnote”>See below 22:8.</i></html>

<html><b>By the youths of the officers of the provinces.</b> They are the hostages, for all the governors of the other nations would give their children into his custody [as a guarantee] that they will not rebel against him.¹⁰<i class=“footnote”>Also, this may have served as a demonstration of loyalty to the king. Alternatively, they were the children of Achov’s high ranking officers who were raised in the royal court.—Radak</i> <b>Who will lead the battle?</b> Who will array [the battle], to command it.¹¹<i class=“footnote”>Being an idolater, Achov felt that he was unworthy to have a miracle performed through him and therefore he looked for another leader.—Radak</i> <b>You.</b> You go forth first and so you shall kill him. (And now you shall shout: Omitted in some texts)</html>

<html><b>Seven thousand.</b> I say that they are the ones about whom it is stated, “All those whose knees did not bend to the Baal,” were seven thousand.¹²<i class=“footnote”>Above 19:18.</i></html>

<html><b>In the shelters.</b> That they had made for themselves [as protection] from the sun.</html>

<html><b>At the end of the year.</b> [Targum Yonoson rendered], “at the time of the year’s end.”¹³<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, in the spring, kings go out to war because there provisions are available in the fields for the troops and their animals. See II Shmuel 11:1 and Rashi there.</i></html>

<html><b>And replace them with generals.</b> Because they are not of a high [society] family, they will put in an extra effort in order to find favor [in your eyes].</html>

<html><b> And he will be more powerful than them.</b> I.e., and you will see if we will not overpower them.</html>

<html><b> And provisioned.</b> They armed themselves with supplies for the war; i.e., with weapons and all necessities of war. <b>And provisioned.</b> They were provisioned.¹⁴<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, וכלכלו means and they all [=כל] were accounted for and none were missing.—Radak</i> <b>Like two flocks of goats.</b> [חשפי means] “flocks of goats,”¹⁵<i class=“footnote”>I.e., they are small in number in comparison with Arom’s army which “filled the land.”. The two flocks consisted of one group of youths of the officers of the provinces and another group of 7000 men.—Metzudas Dovid</i> but there is no similar word [in Scripture]. However, Menachem classifies [חשפי] as an expression of revelation, as in, “by uncovering [מחשוף] the white,”¹⁶<i class=“footnote”>Bereishis 30:37.</i> [and as in,] “bare [חשפי] a leg.”¹⁷<i class=“footnote”>Yeshayahu 47:2.</i> An expression of “revelation” can be applied to flocks of goats, as in, “who bared [שגלשו] from Mount Gilad,”¹⁸<i class=“footnote”>Shir Hashirim 4:1.</i> [i.e.,] when they come down from the mountain, the mountain is bared.</html>

<html><b>And he spoke to the king of Yisroel, and he said, etc.</b> Rabbi Yochonon said that every place where it is stated, “And he said….and he said,” must be expounded. The first saying refers to what he said to him, “I will give this entire great multitude into your hand,” the second saying [refers to], “if Ben-Hadad falls into your hands, show him no clemency.” Therefore, when he took pity on him, he said to him, “Because you released the man whom I condemned from your hand, etc.”¹⁹<i class=“footnote”>Below v. 42.</i> ²⁰<i class=“footnote”>Talmud Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 11:5.</i></html>

<html><b>The [men] took it for a [good] omen, and they hurried to confirm it from him.</b> “ינחשו” is an expression of “divining.” They said that since words of peace fell from his mouth,²¹<i class=“footnote”>Ben-Hadad’s men originally referred to their master as “your servant,” when they addressed Achov, but once they heard Achov refer to Ben-Hadad as “my brother,” they change and called him “your brother,” too.</i> even unintentionally, it is a good sign, and they hastened to confirm the matter. <b>To confirm.</b> [ויחלטו is] an expression of “confirmation.” They cut the word from his mouth so that he should not retract. According to the Masorah, the ‘ה’ of “הממנו” leans to both words,²²<i class=“footnote”>The preceding word [ויחלטו] and the succeeding word [הממנו].</i> as though it were written, ויחלטוה ממנו [=and they caught it from him], whether the word emanated from him intentionally.</html>

<html><b>He [Ben-Hadad] said.</b> Ben-Hadad [said], “The cities that my father took from your father Omri, I will return to you.” <b>And you may establish markets in Damascus.</b> And you rule in it, although it is the capital of my kingdom.²³<i class=“footnote”>And you can collect taxes from the markets in Damascus.—Radak</i> <b>As my father established in Shomron.</b> Your city, against your will. He was saying all this out of fear. Achov said to him, “And with this treaty I will release you.”</html>

<html><b>Hit me now.</b> This sign was bad for Achov, for the prophet said to him by the word of the Almighty to kill Ben-Hadad, and he did not kill him.²⁴<i class=“footnote”>Achov chose to be gracious to Ben-Hadad even though he had been commanded to destroy Arom. However, dealing mercifully with evildoers is evil in itself because the evildoers will eventually cause others to suffer.—Radak</i> Also, this one to whom the prophet said by the word of God, “Hit me,” and he did not hit him, just as He punished him, He would punish Achov. <b>By the word of Adonoy.</b> The Holy One Blessed Is He, said that you should hit me.</html>

<html><b>And wounding him.</b> A wounding blow.</html>

<html><b>And disguised himself with a kerchief.</b> He changed his hooded cloak so that they would not recognize him. Any change of clothes is an expression of disguise. <b>With a kerchief.</b> [Targum] Yonoson rendered this במעפרא, “a hooded cloak.”</html>

<html><b>And behold a man turned aside.</b> From the road toward me. <b>And brought a man to me.</b> A prisoner of war. <b>If he shall be missing.</b> If he escapes, an expression [similar to], “and none of us is missing [נפקד],” an expression of lacking.²⁵<i class=“footnote”>Bamidbar 31:49.</i></html>

<html><b>And disappeared.</b> He ran away. <b>You have pronounced.</b> Either [your] life or a talent of silver.</html>

<html><b>The man whom I condemned.</b> איש חרמי means “the man of My war,” an expression of strife. An expression of strife [חרם] can be applied to war, and similarly, “on Edom it will descend and on the nation with whom I war [חרמי].²⁶<i class=“footnote”>Yeshayahu 34:5.</i> The Midrash Aggadah [states], “Many traps and nets [חרמים] have I spread for you until he fell into your hand.”²⁷<i class=“footnote”>Alternatively, איש חרמי means “the man whom I condemned.”—Radak </i></html>

<html><b>Dejected and angry.</b> [Targum Yonoson rendered,] “aggrieved and sad.” His spirit turned [סר] away from him.</html>