A royal state visit between two neighboring kings quickly shifts from a lavish feast into a calculated military alliance. Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, travels to Samaria to visit Ahab, the king of Israel, and is met with an extravagant reception. Ahab slaughters a massive amount of sheep and cattle to honor his guest and his entire entourage [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
The exact timing of this grand encounter is a matter of discussion. It may mark the end of an unspecified period following the intermarriage between the two royal families [מצודת דוד]. Alternatively, the meeting could have taken place much later, during the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat's reign, when the majority of his rule had already passed [מלבי״ם]. Another perspective links the visit to earlier political developments, placing it three years after Ahab freed Ben-Hadad, the king of Aram [רש״י].
During the festivities, Ahab actively tries to persuade Jehoshaphat to join him in a military campaign. While some view this simply as ordinary persuasion [מצודת דוד], others note that true incitement usually requires the promise of a tangible benefit or profit. Because no specific reward was offered to Jehoshaphat for his military support, the lavish feast itself served as the actual lure. The immense pleasure derived from the eating and drinking is what ultimately drew Jehoshaphat to agree to Ahab's request [מלבי״ם].
The ultimate goal of this persuasion is to launch an attack on the city of Ramoth-gilead [מצודת דוד]. Ahab bases his call to war on a deep historical claim to the territory. He argues that Ramoth-gilead has belonged to Israel since the time of the patriarch Jacob, who originally set up stones there and named the location Gilead. From that moment, the territory was recognized as belonging to the Israelites. Whether the city was simply bypassed during the time of Moses because it lacked strategic importance, or whether it was conquered and subsequently lost to other nations, the historical right of the Israelites to the land remained valid. It is entirely upon this historical foundation that Ahab builds his case for war [רש״י].