Bible Person

Ben-hadad

Male · 4 cross references

This Ben-hadad entry refers to the Syrian king in the days of Jehoahaz and Jehoash, son and successor of Hazael, not the earlier Ben-hadad confronted by Ahab and Asa. He appears in the ongoing pressure of Aramean aggression against Israel. First appears in 2 Kgs 13:3.1

AI summary: This Ben-hadad matters because the cross references present him as part of the hard continuation of Aramean oppression after Hazael. Yet his reign also becomes the stage on which the Lord's promised mercy allows Israel to recover cities under Jehoash. He therefore belongs both to judgment and to partial reprieve. Taken together, the material presents this Ben-hadad as a Syrian king whose defeats and victories frame a moment of restrained mercy for Israel.1

Central Figure

Ben-hadad

King of Damascus, and successor of his father Hazael on the throne of Syria (2 Kings 13:3, 4).