KING OF SYRIA (ARAM), WHO DWELT AT DAMASCUS · TWO KINGDOMS

Ben-hadad. Paid by Asa to break his league with Baasha.

REIGNEDi

Not given Scripture gives no length of reign for any Ben-hadad.

CAPITAL

Damascus

HOUSE

Not stated 1st of 5 in Aram

SCRIPTURE SAYS

“Asa took the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the palace, and sent them…”

PROPHETS

Hanani the seer · A prophet · A man of God · One of the sons of the prophets · Jeremiah

ARAM (SYRIA): 5 RULERS BEN-HADAD → REZIN

ON THE WORLD STAGE

The powers of the day

JUDAH

Asa

ISRAEL

Baasha · Ahab

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE

OUTSIDE THE BIBLE · 853 BC (SHALMANESER'S SIXTH YEAR)

Monolith Inscription of Shalmaneser III, from Kurkh

SUCCESSION

Before and after

THE REALM

Damascus and the places of the account

Aram (Syria). Only places Scripture names are shown, each where the Atlas puts it.

WHAT SCRIPTURE SAYS

What Scripture says of him

  • Asa took the silver and gold left in the treasuries of the house of the LORD and of the palace, and sent them “to Ben-hadad, the son of Tabrimon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, that dwelt at Damascus”. 1 Kings 15:18
  • Asa's message: “There is a league between me and thee, and between my father and thy father … come and break thy league with Baasha king of Israel, that he may depart from me.” 1 Kings 15:19
  • “So Ben-hadad hearkened unto king Asa”, and sent his captains against the cities of Israel. 1 Kings 15:20
  • In 1 Kings 20, “Ben-hadad the king of Syria” besieged Samaria with thirty-two kings, was routed there and again at Aphek, and begged for his life; Ahab made a covenant with him and let him go. 1 Kings 20:1–34
  • A prophet told Ahab that the LORD had appointed this king “to utter destruction”. 1 Kings 20:42
  • Jeremiah, of Damascus: “I will kindle a fire in the wall of Damascus, and it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad.” Jeremiah 49:27

DEALINGS

Dealings with God's people

  • His servants said of Israel, “Their gods are gods of the hills”; a man of God answered that the LORD would give the Syrians into Ahab's hand, “and ye shall know that I am the LORD”. 1 Kings 20:23 1 Kings 20:28
  • A league with Judah: Asa speaks of a league “between me and thee, and between my father and thy father”. 1 Kings 15:19
  • A league with Baasha of Israel, which he broke for Asa's silver and gold. 1 Kings 15:19–20
  • A covenant with Ahab after Aphek: “thou shalt make streets for thee in Damascus, as my father made in Samaria”. 1 Kings 20:34
  • His captains struck the north of Israel, “all the land of Naphtali”. 1 Kings 15:20
  • Samaria under siege: he claimed its king's silver, gold, wives and children, then swore: “The gods do so unto me, and more also, if the dust of Samaria shall suffice for handfuls for all the people that follow me.” 1 Kings 20:3 1 Kings 20:10

EVENTS

Wars, works and turning points

UNDATED IN SCRIPTURE

PROPHETS

The prophets who spoke about him

  • Ha Hanani the seer “Because thou hast relied on the king of Syria, and not relied on the LORD thy God, therefore is the host of the king of Syria escaped out of thine hand”
  • Ap A prophet Promised Ahab victory over Ben-hadad's “great multitude”, and warned that “at the return of the year the king of Syria will come up against thee”.
  • Am A man of God Answered the Syrians' saying that the LORD “is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys” with a promise of victory.
  • On One of the sons of the prophets “Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction, therefore thy life shall go for his life”
  • Je Jeremiah “it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad”

TWO ACCOUNTS

Where the accounts differ

Asa's payment and the raid

1 KINGS

2 CHRONICLES

What came of the alliance

1 KINGS

2 CHRONICLES

DATES DIFFER

When was it?

PLACED BY SCRIPTURE'S KINGS OF ISRAEL AND JUDAH (THIELE, AS REVISED BY MCFALL AND YOUNG)

No years given[1]

No year of his own is known. His contemporaries in 1 Kings 15 are Asa (912/911–871/870 BC) and Baasha (909/908–886/885 BC). If the Ben-hadad of 1 Kings 20 is the same man, he was still reigning in Ahab's time (874/873–853 BC).

Two men: Asa's Ben-hadad and his son

C. F. Keil (tr. 1872), pp. 221, 261 and 266–267; T. Nicol, ISBE (1915)

Keil counts three kings of Damascus called Ben-hadad: the son of Tabrimon, “his son in the time of Ahab”, and the son of Hazael. He reads the cities taken by Ahab's enemy's father (1 Kings 20:34) as a war with Omri “of which no account has been preserved”. Nicol calls Ahab's opponent Benhadad II, “in all probability the son of Benhadad I”. 1 Kings 20:34 [22][15]

Scripture leaves it open

Our reading of the text

1 Kings 20 never gives Ahab's enemy a father's name. He speaks of cities “which my father took from thy father” and streets his father made in Samaria, while 1 Kings 15 tells only of cities taken from Baasha in Naphtali. 1 Kings 20:34 1 Kings 15:20

IN SCRIPTURE

Every passage

CHAPTERS · 4

1 Kings 15 2 Chronicles 16 1 Kings 20 Jeremiah 49

PASSAGES · 4

1 Kings 15:16–22 2 Chronicles 16:1–10 1 Kings 20:1–43 Jeremiah 49:23–27

WHAT SCRIPTURE DOES NOT SAY

  • Scripture gives this Ben-hadad no length of reign, no age, and no account of his death.
  • 1 Kings 15 does not say what Ben-hadad's league with Baasha was, or when it was made.
  • 1 Kings 20 never names the father of the Ben-hadad who besieged Samaria.
  • Scripture tells of no war between Omri and Damascus, though Ahab's enemy speaks of cities his father took from Ahab's father (1 Kings 20:34).
  • Scripture does not call Hezion a king, nor say that he is the Rezon of 1 Kings 11.
  • No Assyrian record used here names a Ben-hadad in Ahab's time; the Monolith names Hadad-ezer.
  • The “king of Syria” whose captains fought Ahab at Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:31) is not named; that he is this Ben-hadad is a reading, and 1 Kings 22 is not on this page.

IDENTIFICATIONS THIS PAGE RELIES ON

  • From the textThe site's person record for this Ben-hadad holds two passages: Ben-hadad son of Tabrimon, whom Asa paid (1 Kings 15:18–20; 2 Chronicles 16:2–4), and the Ben-hadad who besieged Samaria in Ahab's reign (1 Kings 20). Scripture does not say whether they are one man. This page shows each passage on its own and sets out the question with its holders. 1 Kings 15:18 1 Kings 20:1
  • From the textHe is not the Ben-hadad of Elisha's day (2 Kings 6:24; 8:7) nor Ben-hadad the son of Hazael (2 Kings 13:24); each has his own page. 2 Kings 6:24 2 Kings 13:24
  • From the textJeremiah's oracle on Damascus, “it shall consume the palaces of Ben-hadad”, is held on this record. The verse names no king of its own day; it uses the name of Damascus's palaces. Jeremiah 49:27

SOURCES

Where this page comes from

  • Rodger C. Young, Chronological tables: Table 1, Chronology of the Kings of Israel; Table 2, Chronology of the Kings of Judah (Thiele's system as revised by McFall and Young; dates cited as facts only) (undated web tables, read 2026-10-07), Tables 1 and 2.
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §553 (Shalmaneser III, 858–824 BC), §§568, 571, 575, 578 (Black Obelisk, years 11, 14, 18 and 21), pp. 199–206.
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §611, p. 223 (Monolith Inscription from Kurkh, the battle of Karkar).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §§658–659 and 663, pp. 240–241 (annals from Calah, years 14 and 18).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §§679–681, pp. 245–246 (the statue inscription from Assur).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §735, p. 261 (the Saba’a stele) and §740, pp. 262–263 (the Nimrud slab) of Adad-nirari III.
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §761, p. 269 (on the order of the annal fragments); §769, p. 273; §772, p. 276 (Tiglath-pileser III's tribute lists).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 1 (Shalmaneser III to Tiglath-pileser III) (1926), §§776–779, pp. 278–280 (Tiglath-pileser III's annals: the war on Aram; Samsi, queen of Arabia).
  • D. D. Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, vol. 2 (Sargon to the end) (1927), §1198, p. 436 (the eponym list with notes, 733 and 732 BC).
  • R. W. Rogers, Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament (1912), p. 296, note 1 (the reading “Bir-idri”); p. 299 with note 1 (the statue inscription); pp. 305–306 (Adad-nirari III and Mari’).
  • A. Biran and J. Naveh, “An Aramaic Stele Fragment from Tel Dan” (1993) and “The Tel Dan Inscription: A New Fragment” (1995), Israel Exploration Journal 43 and 45 (facts only; copyrighted) (1993, 1995), IEJ 43 (1993) 81–98; IEJ 45 (1995) 1–18 (the articles were not read; facts taken from published summaries).
  • S. R. Driver, Notes on the Hebrew Text of the Books of Samuel (Appendix: the Inscription of Mesha) (1890), pp. lxxxv–lxxxvi (introduction), lxxxvii–lxxxviii (translation), lxxxviii–xcii and xciv (Driver's notes).
  • A. H. Sayce, “Moabite Stone”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 3 (1915), pp. 2071–2072 (discovery of the stone; “forty” and the date of the revolt on p. 2072).
  • W. Ewing, “Mesha”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 3 (1915), pp. 2037–2038, section (3).
  • T. Nicol, “Benhadad”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 1 (1915), pp. 435–437.
  • T. Nicol, “Hazael”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 2 (1915), pp. 1345–1346.
  • T. Nicol, “Rezin”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 4 (1915), p. 2588.
  • David Francis Roberts, “Queen of Sheba”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 4 (1915), s.v. (sections 1 and 4).
  • Thomas Hunter Weir, “Sheba” (1), International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 4 (1915), p. 2752, sections 1 and 3.
  • (unsigned article), “Candace”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 1 (1915), p. 552.
  • Edward Mack, “Chronology of the Old Testament”, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, vol. 1 (1915), pp. 639–640 (Menahem's tribute in 738 BC).
  • C. F. Keil, tr. J. Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of the Kings (Keil and Delitzsch) (1872), pp. 221 (1 Kgs 15:18), 259–260 (1 Kgs 19:15), 261 and 266–267 (1 Kgs 20), 307 (2 Kgs 3:27), 334–336 (2 Kgs 8:10–15), 402–403 (2 Kgs 16:6); read in the archive.org scan text.
  • C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, tr. James Martin, Biblical Commentary on the Books of Samuel (Clark's Foreign Theological Library; translation first published 1866, this printing 1876) (1866), pp. 318–321 (Hiram).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament (1748–1763), note on 2 Kgs 3:27 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on 2 Kgs 3:27 (read on Bible Hub).
  • J. R. Lumby, The Second Book of the Kings (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1887), note on 2 Kgs 3:27 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on 2 Kgs 3:27 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on 2 Kgs 8:15 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on 2 Kgs 8:15 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on 2 Kgs 16:6 (read on Bible Hub).
  • John Gill, An Exposition of the Old Testament (1748–1763), note on 2 Kgs 16:6 (read on Bible Hub).
  • E. A. Wallis Budge (tr.), The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek (the Kebra Nagast) (1922), Introduction, pp. xxx (the colophons date the Arabic version AD 1314–1344) and xxxiv (the names Makeda and Balkis; Saba “far more probable”).
  • Pliny the Elder, tr. John Bostock and H. T. Riley, The Natural History (1855), book 6, chapter 35 (Bostock and Riley's numbering; 6.29 in older editions).
  • Strabo, tr. H. C. Hamilton and W. Falconer, The Geography of Strabo (1854–1857), book 17, chapter 1, section 54.
  • Eusebius, tr. A. C. McGiffert, Church History (Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 1) (1890), book 2, chapter 1, section 13.
  • Irenaeus, tr. A. Roberts and W. H. Rambaut, Against Heresies (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1) (1885), book 3, chapter 12, section 8.
  • Geneva Bible translators, Geneva Bible marginal notes (1599), note on 2 Chr 8:2 (read on Bible Hub).
  • H. D. M. Spence and J. S. Exell (eds.), The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1897), note on 2 Chr 8:2 (read on Bible Hub).
  • W. E. Barnes, The Books of Chronicles (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges) (1899), note on 2 Chr 8:2 (read on Bible Hub).
  • C. J. Ellicott (ed.), A Bible Commentary for English Readers (c. 1878–1884), note on 2 Chr 8:2 (read on Bible Hub).

Rooted in Scripture. Open for discovery.

A place to read slowly, ask deeply, and follow the connections. Scripture, study and the voices of Christian history, brought together for a lifetime of learning.

SPEND TIME IN THE WORD

  • Open the reader
  • Books & reading progress
  • Compare Scripture editions
  • Find a passage

FOLLOW YOUR QUESTIONS

  • Study collections
  • People & places
  • Faith & apologetics
  • Stories of faith

A library with a paper trail.

Meet the authors. Explore the collection. Trace each work to its source.

Download the code.

Open source on GitHub.