מלכים ב, פרק ז׳, פסוק י״ד

A scouting mission is launched to uncover the truth behind the sudden disappearance of the Aramean army. Acting on earlier advice to investigate the enemy camp, the king sets the plan in motion but exercises a great deal of caution in its execution.

Initially, the suggestion was to send out five horses. However, the final scouting party is notably smaller. There are different ways to understand the exact makeup of this reduced group. It may have consisted of two chariots pulled by a maximum of four horses [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Alternatively, the group might have been just two individual horses and their riders, carefully selected as the best and most capable out of the original five that were proposed [רד״ק].

Regardless of the exact numbers, the primary reason for sending fewer men is clear. The king wanted to minimize the risk to human life. He understood that a pair of spies would be perfectly sufficient to investigate the situation and discover exactly where the enemy had gone. The small team sets out to follow the trail of the missing army, tracking the footprints of the Arameans and advancing along the road that leads back to the enemy's homeland [מצודת דוד].