מלכים א, פרק כ׳, פסוק י״ב

Faced with a message of rebellion, the response of the Aramean leadership is marked by disrespect, excessive confidence, and drunkenness. King Ben-Hadad and his royal allies are sitting in booths—structures set up within the military camp outside the city [ביאור שטיינזלץ] to provide shade from the sun [מצודת דוד]. Fueled by the warmth of the wine, which fills him with the false courage of a lion [אברבנאל], Ben-Hadad issues a brief command to his men to attack. His absolute certainty in the size of his army makes him believe that conquering the city will be an effortless task. As a result, he does not even bother to lead the battle himself alongside the other kings, choosing instead to hand the responsibility over to his servants [מלבי״ם, אברבנאל].

The king's short order to his men is understood in a few different ways. One approach views it as a general command to prepare weapons, organize the troops, and get ready for combat [רד״ק, רלב״ג, מצודת דוד]. Similarly, it is seen as an instruction to hurry and strap their swords to their thighs before heading into battle [אברבנאל, רד״ק]. Another primary explanation suggests that the king is ordering a full siege on the city, which would involve building walls, constructing dirt ramps, and positioning siege engines [רש״י, אברבנאל, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

When it comes to how this command is carried out, the most straightforward understanding is that the servants successfully follow through and lay siege to the city [ביאור שטיינזלץ]. However, others point out that the men merely prepare their weapons but are interrupted before the siege can actually begin. In this view, the Israelites launch a sudden surprise attack while the Arameans are still drinking in their booths. A final perspective suggests that rather than a complete siege, the servants simply set up an ambush outside the city while the rest of the army remains behind in the camp [רד״ק].