1 Kings 20:26

THE MESSAGE

As the new year approached, Ben-Hadad rallied Aram and they went up to Aphek to make war on Israel. The Israelite army prepared to fight and took the field to meet Aram. They moved into battle formation before Aram in two camps, like two flocks of goats. The plain was seething with Arameans.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to battle Israel.

Hebrew Names Version
It happened at the return of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Aram, and went up to Afek, to fight against Yisra'el.

King James Version
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.

English Standard Version
In the spring, Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

New Century Version
The next spring Ben-Hadad gathered the army of Aram and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

New English Translation
In the spring Ben Hadad mustered the Syrian army and marched to Aphek to fight Israel.

Amplified Bible
At the first of the year [in spring], Ben-hadad assembled and counted the Arameans (Syrians) and went up to Aphek [east of the Sea of Galilee] to fight against Israel.

New American Standard Bible
So at the turn of the year Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the yeere was gone about, Ben-hadad nombred the Aramites, and went vp to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened at the turn of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Contemporary English Version
In the spring, Benhadad got his army together, and they marched to the town of Aphek to attack Israel.

Complete Jewish Bible
At the same time the following year, Ben-Hadad mustered the army of Aram and went up to Afek to attack Isra'el.

Darby Translation
And it came to pass, at the return of the year, that Ben-Hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Easy-to-Read Version
So in the spring, Ben-Hadad gathered the men of Aram and went to Aphek to fight against Israel.

George Lamsa Translation
And it came to pass at the beginning of the year, that Bar-hadad gave orders to the Arameans, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Good News Translation
The following spring he called up his men and marched with them to the city of Aphek to attack the Israelites.

Lexham English Bible
It happened at the turning of the year that Ben-Hadad mustered Aram and went up to Aphek for the war with Israel.

Literal Translation
And it happened at the turn of the year, Ben-hadad called up the Syrians, and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Now whan the yeare was gone aboute, Benadab appoynted the Sirians, and wente vp towarde Aphek, to fighte agaynst Israel,

American Standard Version
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Bible in Basic English
So, a year later, Ben-hadad got the Aramaeans together and went up to Aphek to make war on Israel.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it fortuned, that after the yere was gone about, Benhadad numbred the Syrians, and went vp to Aphec to fight against Israel.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe at the returne of the yeere, that Benhadad numbred the Syrians, and went vp to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he did very abominably in following after the abominations, according to all that the Amorite did, whom the Lord utterly destroyed from before the children of Israel.

English Revised Version
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben–hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Berean Standard Bible
In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor after that the yeer hadde passid, Benadab noumbride men of Sirie, and he stiede in to Affech, to fiyte ayens Israel.

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass at the turn of the year, that Ben-Hadad inspecteth the Aramaeans, and goeth up to Aphek, to battle with Israel,

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

World English Bible
It happened at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

New King James Version
So it was, in the spring of the year, that Ben-Hadad mustered the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

New Living Translation
The following spring he called up the Aramean army and marched out against Israel, this time at Aphek.

New Life Bible
When the new year came, Benhadad called together the Syrians and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

New Revised Standard
In the spring Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And so it came to pass at the return of the year, that Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, - and came up to Aphek, to fight with Israel;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Wherefore, at the return of the year, Benadad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphec, to fight against Israel.

Revised Standard Version
In the spring Ben-ha'dad mustered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.

Contextual Overview

²² Sometime later the prophet came to the king of Israel and said, "On the alert now—build up your army, assess your capabilities, and see what has to be done. Before the year is out, the king of Aram will be back in force." ²³Meanwhile the advisors to the king of Aram said, "Their god is a god of the mountains—we don't stand a chance against them there. So let's engage them on the plain where we'll have the advantage. Here's the strategy: Remove each sheik from his place of leadership and replace him with a seasoned officer. Then recruit a fighting force equivalent in size to the army that deserted earlier—horse for horse, chariot for chariot. And we'll fight them on the plain—we're sure to prove stronger than they are." It sounded good to the king; he did what they advised. ²⁶As the new year approached, Ben-Hadad rallied Aram and they went up to Aphek to make war on Israel. The Israelite army prepared to fight and took the field to meet Aram. They moved into battle formation before Aram in two camps, like two flocks of goats. The plain was seething with Arameans. ²⁸ Just then a holy man approached the king of Israel saying, "This is God 's word: Because Aram said, ‘ God is a god of the mountains and not a god of the valleys,' I'll hand over this huge mob of an army to you. Then you'll know that I am God ." ²⁹The two armies were poised in a standoff for seven days. On the seventh day fighting broke out. The Israelites killed 100,000 of the Aramean infantry in one day. The rest of the army ran for their lives back to the city, Aphek, only to have the city wall fall on 27,000 of the survivors. Ben-Hadad escaped into the city and hid in a closet. Then his advisors told him, "Look, we've heard that the kings of Israel play by the rules; let's dress in old gunnysacks, carry a white flag of truce, and present ourselves to the king of Israel on the chance that he'll let you live." So that's what they did. They dressed in old gunnysacks and carried a white flag, and came to the king of Israel saying, "Your servant Ben-Hadad said, ‘Please let me live.'" Ahab said, "You mean to tell me that he's still alive? If he's alive, he's my brother." The men took this as a good sign and concluded that everything was going to be all right: "Ben-Hadad is most certainly your brother!" The king said, "Go and get him." They went and brought him back by chariot. Ahab said, "I am prepared to return the cities that my father took from your father. And you can set up your headquarters in Damascus just as my father did in Samaria; I'll send you home under safe conduct." Then he made a covenant with him and sent him off. A man who was one of the prophets said to a bystander, "Hit me; wound me. Do it for God 's sake—it's his command. Hit me; wound me." But the man wouldn't do it. So he told him, "Because you wouldn't obey God 's orders, as soon as you leave me a lion will attack you." No sooner had the man left his side than a lion met him and attacked. He then found another man and said, "Hit me; wound me." That man did it—hit him hard in the face, drawing blood. Then the prophet went and took a position along the road, with a bandage over his eyes, waiting for the king. It wasn't long before the king happened by. The man cried out to the king, "Your servant was in the thick of the battle when a man showed up and turned over a prisoner to me, saying, ‘Guard this man with your life; if he turns up missing you'll pay dearly.' But I got busy doing one thing after another and the next time I looked he was gone." The king of Israel said, "You've just pronounced your own verdict." At that, the man ripped the bandage off his eyes and the king recognized who he was—one of the prophets! The man said to the king, " God 's word: Because you let a man go who was under sentence by God , it's now your life for his, your people for his." The king of Israel went home in a sulk. He arrived in Samaria in a very bad mood.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Aphek: Supposed to be the Aphek near the river Adonis, between Heliopolis and Biblos, and probably the same place that Paul Lucas mentions in his Voyage to the Levant. It was swallowed up by an earthquake, and formed a lake about nine miles in circumference, in which he says there were several houses still to be seen entire, under the water. 1 Kings 20:30, Joshua 13:4, Joshua 19:30, Judges 1:31, Aphik, 1 Samuel 4:1, 1 Samuel 29:1, 2 Kings 13:17

to fight against Israel: Heb. to the war with Israel

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 11:1 - after the year 1 Kings 20:22 - at the return 1 Chronicles 20:1 - after the year was expired 2 Chronicles 24:23 - at the end

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass at the return of the year,.... In the spring, or autumn, as some think, :-

that Benhadad numbered the Syrians; took a muster of his army, to see if he had got the number he had before:

and went up to Aphek, to fight against Israel; not that in Judah, Joshua 15:53, rather that in Asher, Joshua 19:30, but it seems to be that which Adrichomius l places in Issachar, near to the famous camp of Esdraelon, or valley of Jezreel, where it is probable the king of Syria intended to have fought; the battle; and some travellers, as he observes, say m, the ruins of that city are still shown in that great camp or plain, not far from Gilboa, to the east of Mount Carmel, and five miles from Tabor; according to Bunting n, it was fourteen miles from Samaria; but it may be Aphaca near Mount Lebanon, and the river Adonis o, is meant.

l Theatrum Terrae Sanct. p. 35. m Brocard. & Breidenbach. in ib. n Travels, &c. p. 164. o Vid. Sozomen. Hist. l. 2. c. 5.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Aphek - There were several places of this name in Palestine (see the marginal reference). This Aphek has been almost certainly identified with the modern Fik, a large village on the present high road from Damascus to Nablous and Jersalem. The expression “went up to Aphek” is appropriate, for Fik, though in a level country, is at a much higher elevation than Damascus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Ben-hadad numbered the Syrians, and went up to Aphek — There were several towns of this name; see the notes on Joshua 12:18. It is supposed that the town mentioned here was situated in Libanus, upon the river Adonis, between Heliopolis and Biblos.