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.
Build up another army just like the one you lost—replace every horse with a horse and every chariot with a chariot. Then we'll fight them on flat ground, and we'll definitely be stronger than they are. The king listened to their advice and did exactly what they said.
The writer is showing how Ben-hadad's advisors convinced him to rebuild his army and fight Israel again on flat terrain, believing they would win this time.
📚 Historical Context
This verse follows Syria's defeat by Israel in a previous battle. Ben-hadad's advisors believed they had lost because Israel's gods were mountain gods, so they recommended fighting on flat plains where they thought Syria would have the advantage. This reflects ancient Near Eastern beliefs that different gods controlled different geographical regions.
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