Ben-hadad gathers his army and heads to Aphek to challenge Israel again.
At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. (v.26) We see in this passage how King Ben-hadad, an Aramean ruler who likely reigned during the 9th century BC, rallied his armies to confront the people of Israel once more. The text specifically notes the “turn of the year,” indicating a new season or perhaps the end of rainy months, a strategic time when armies would renew warfare. This underlines the relentless nature of earthly conflict, even as God’s sovereign plan moves through Israel’s story. Ben-hadad himself emerges repeatedly in 1 Kings as an adversary of the northern kingdom of Israel, helping us place him in a regional tradition of Aramean hostility, in which Aram-Damascus and Israel experienced frequent battles.
The Aramean forces went to Aphek, a city found in Israelite territory. Various scholars place this Aphek in different locations, with one possibility being near the Yarkon River in the western part of ancient Israel, though there are multiple sites named Aphek throughout the biblical record. Regardless of the exact site, Aphek’s prominence in several Old Testament narratives (Joshua 12:18) reminds us that it was a place where battles occurred and God’s hand in guiding Israel’s fate was often displayed. As we read this verse here, we anticipate the upcoming confrontation and remember that God’s protection was not restricted to any single place—an idea underscored when we connect it to Jesus’s words about God’s boundless power in the New Testament (Matthew 19:26).
Viewing this verse in light of the broader chapter, we glimpse God’s continued demonstration of His authority over all nations and circumstances. The Arameans wanted to engage Israel in a terrain they considered more favorable for themselves, but the sovereign God who would later be fully revealed through Christ (John 1:14) is not confined to hills, valleys, or any narrow space. Instead, He reigns over all lands, whether in ancient Aphek or in our own daily sphere of life.
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1 Kings 20:26 meaning
At the turn of the year, Ben-hadad mustered the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel. (v.26) We see in this passage how King Ben-hadad, an Aramean ruler who likely reigned during the 9th century BC, rallied his armies to confront the people of Israel once more. The text specifically notes the “turn of the year,” indicating a new season or perhaps the end of rainy months, a strategic time when armies would renew warfare. This underlines the relentless nature of earthly conflict, even as God’s sovereign plan moves through Israel’s story. Ben-hadad himself emerges repeatedly in 1 Kings as an adversary of the northern kingdom of Israel, helping us place him in a regional tradition of Aramean hostility, in which Aram-Damascus and Israel experienced frequent battles.
The Aramean forces went to Aphek, a city found in Israelite territory. Various scholars place this Aphek in different locations, with one possibility being near the Yarkon River in the western part of ancient Israel, though there are multiple sites named Aphek throughout the biblical record. Regardless of the exact site, Aphek’s prominence in several Old Testament narratives (Joshua 12:18) reminds us that it was a place where battles occurred and God’s hand in guiding Israel’s fate was often displayed. As we read this verse here, we anticipate the upcoming confrontation and remember that God’s protection was not restricted to any single place—an idea underscored when we connect it to Jesus’s words about God’s boundless power in the New Testament (Matthew 19:26).
Viewing this verse in light of the broader chapter, we glimpse God’s continued demonstration of His authority over all nations and circumstances. The Arameans wanted to engage Israel in a terrain they considered more favorable for themselves, but the sovereign God who would later be fully revealed through Christ (John 1:14) is not confined to hills, valleys, or any narrow space. Instead, He reigns over all lands, whether in ancient Aphek or in our own daily sphere of life.