Ben-hadad

Biblical Record

Ben-hadad appears several times in Scripture as the name of a king who ruled from Damascus, the capital of Aram.

• In the time of Asa: King Asa of Judah came under pressure from Baasha, king of Israel. In response, he sent the silver and gold of the temple and the royal palace to "Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon" to persuade him to break his alliance with Baasha. Ben-hadad then struck northern Israel, including Ijon, Dan, and Abel-beth-maacah (1 Kings 15:18–20; 2 Chronicles 16:1–6). Second Chronicles also records that Hanani the seer rebuked Asa (2 Chronicles 16:7–9).
• In the time of Ahab: Ben-hadad, together with thirty-two kings, besieged Samaria but was defeated. The following year he was defeated again at Aphek and surrendered, but Ahab made a treaty with him and let him go. For this a prophet rebuked Ahab (1 Kings 20).
• In the time of Elisha: Ben-hadad besieged Samaria, causing a severe famine within the city. The Aramean army withdrew in panic after God caused them to hear the noise of a great army (2 Kings 6:24–7:20). Later, when he fell ill, he sent his servant Hazael to Elisha to ask whether he would recover. The next day Hazael covered the king's face with a cloth soaked in water, and the king died; Hazael then took the throne (2 Kings 8:7–15).
• In the time of Joash: "Ben-hadad the son of Hazael" oppressed Israel. Joash, king of Israel, defeated him three times and recovered the cities that had been taken (2 Kings 13:3, 13:24–25).

Jeremiah 49:27 and Amos 1:4 mention "the palaces of Benhadad" in prophecies of judgment against Damascus.

Significance Within Scripture

The books of Kings portray Ben-hadad as a persistent threat on Israel's northern frontier. In each episode involving him, a prophet appears to declare the will of God. He thus serves as a foil that reveals the faith of the kings of Israel and Judah. Asa was judged for relying on him rather than on God, and Ahab was rebuked for sparing him. The New Testament does not mention Ben-hadad.

Interpretation and Debated Issues

• Number of individuals: Some have suggested that "Ben-hadad" may have been a royal title rather than a personal name. Scholars generally divide the references among two or three kings, but opinions differ depending on whether the Ben-hadad of Asa's time and the Ben-hadad of Ahab's time are regarded as the same person.
• Extrabiblical sources: The records of the Assyrian king Shalmaneser III are understood to give the name of the king of Damascus contemporary with Ahab as Hadadezer (Adad-idri). For this reason, discussion continues over the chronology of 1 Kings 20 and the identification of its figures with known historical persons.
• Elisha's words: In 2 Kings 8:10, Elisha says, "Thou mayest certainly recover," while also declaring that the king "shall surely die." The meaning of this statement, together with a textual variant in the Hebrew, has given rise to a range of interpretations.
• There are no known issues on which the interpretation of the Ben-hadad passages clearly divides along denominational lines.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, Ben-hadad is usually discussed in sermons in connection with the stories of other figures. For example, he is mentioned when 2 Chronicles 16 is used to illustrate how Asa relied on man rather than on God, or in preaching on the siege of Samaria and the story of Elisha in 2 Kings 6–7.