Bible Strands
1 Kings 20:30
The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative records the immediate aftermath of a single-day battle in which the Israelite forces killed a hundred thousand Aramean foot soldiers. The surviving Aramean troops retreat toward Aphek while King Ben-hadad attempts to escape the collapsing city.
The words — וַ/יָּנֻ֨סוּ (va/i.ya.Nu.su) translates literally as "and they fled," and וַ/תִּפֹּל (va./ti.Pol) means "and it fell," both verbs marking the sudden, irreversible collapse of the Aramean military position.
The thread — The specific image of a king hiding in an inner room reappears in Micaiah’s prophecy against Ahab, cited in 1 Kings 22:25 and 2 Chronicles 18:24.
Why it lands — The text demonstrates that divine judgment executes precisely even when enemies seek fortified refuge, requiring the reader to recognize that human escape routes cannot override sovereign action.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
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 Ben–hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 22:25 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:24 Micaiah replied, “You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room.”
- 1 Kings 20:26 In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
- Luke 13:4 Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?
- 1 Kings 20:10 Then Ben-hadad sent another message to Ahab: “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if enough dust remains of Samaria for each of my men to have a handful.”
- 1 Kings 20:20 and each one struck down his opponent. So the Arameans fled, with the Israelites in pursuit. But Ben-hadad king of Aram escaped on horseback with the cavalry.
- Psalms 18:25 To the faithful You show Yourself faithful, to the blameless You show Yourself blameless;
- Isaiah 24:18 Whoever flees the sound of panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For the windows of heaven are open, and the foundations of the earth are shaken.
- Jeremiah 48:44 “Whoever flees the panic will fall into the pit, and whoever climbs from the pit will be caught in the snare. For I will bring upon Moab the year of their punishment,” declares the LORD.
- Daniel 4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.