And Benhadad the king of Syria gathered all his host together: and there were thirty and two kings with him, and horses, and chariots; and he went up and besieged Samaria, and warred against it.
Ben-hadad, the king of Syria, gathered his entire army together. He had thirty-two kings fighting alongside him, along with horses and chariots. He marched up and surrounded Samaria, making war against it.
This verse describes how a powerful Syrian king named Ben-hadad formed a massive military alliance with 32 other kings to attack and besiege Israel's capital city, Samaria.
📚 Historical Context
This event occurred during the reign of King Ahab of Israel (around 874-853 BC), when the northern kingdom of Israel was frequently threatened by Syria (Aram). Samaria was the capital city of the northern kingdom, built by King Omri and fortified as a strategic stronghold. The mention of 32 kings likely refers to local rulers and city-state leaders who were vassals or allies of Ben-hadad, showing the massive scale of this coalition against Israel.
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