Read 1 Kings 20 here (text coming …) or at Bible Gateway.
The Hebrew paragraphs:
20:1-22 {p} The king of Aram came against Israel with a great host, but Ahab defeated him by YHVH’s word
20:23-25 {p} The counsel given to the king of Syria, to fight Israel in the plains
20:26-34 {s} Israel defeated Syria a second time/ Ahab made a treaty with Ben-hadad, and spared him
20:35-43 {p} YHVH sent word to Ahab by a prophet: your life shall be forfeit for Ben-hadad’s
The Strong theme:
20:26-43 {s+p} Israel defeated Syria and Ahab spared Ben-hadad, but Ahab’s life shall be forfeit for Ben-hadad’s
1 Kin 20:11-43 Chiastic structure:
Israel’s two victories over Aram, that Ahab might know that YHVH is God
In 1 Kings 20, there is a clash between two neighboring powers around 850 BCE: Israel and Aram, occupying what is now eastern Syria, along Israel’s frontier. Israel, led by King Ahab from his capital in Samaria, is a kingdom of the ten northern tribes, united under one monarch. Aram, on the other hand, led by King Ben-Hadad from Damascus, is a patchwork of smaller city-states, each with its own local king, all answering to Ben-Hadad as their high king. The chapter opens with Ben-Hadad rallying 32 of these vassal kings and their armies to bully Israel into submission, but Israel scores a surprise victory in the hills, scattering Aram’s forces. A year later, Ben-Hadad tries again, replacing his unreliable vassal kings with loyal governors and rebuilding his army to fight on the plains, only to suffer an even bigger defeat at Aphek. These two victories—first in the hills, then in the plains—frame the history, showing underdog Israel triumphing over Aram’s greater numbers against all odds, so that Ahab would know that ‘I am YHVH.’
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