As the Israelites prepare for their second battle against Aram, a dramatic numerical gap between the two armies becomes visible, setting the stage for a great miracle. Unlike the previous conflict where the Israelites remained hidden within a walled city and fought in careful stages [מלבי״ם], they now march out into the open field to confront a vast enemy force.
The preparations of the Israelite army carry two distinct meanings. The primary approach among commentators is that the soldiers who fought in the first battle were recounted, revealing that every single one had survived. King Ahab chose to go into battle with this exact same group, adding no new soldiers, because this specific force had been chosen by the prophet [רלב״ג]. Alternatively, the preparations indicate that the troops were fully supplied with food, weapons, and all the necessary ammunition for the upcoming fight [רש״י, ביאור שטיינזלץ].
Once camped opposite the enemy, the Israelite army looked like two small flocks of goats. This division into two groups reflects the actual structure of their forces: the young men of the provincial commanders formed one group, while the seven thousand regular soldiers formed the other [מצודת דוד, רלב״ג]. The imagery of these small flocks conveys a deep sense of bareness and exposure. Some explain this as a visual comparison to flocks descending a mountain, leaving the landscape behind them completely exposed [רש״י]. Others suggest the army was simply so small that its physical footprint resembled the tiny, bare patch of ground left behind by two small flocks after they finish grazing [ביאור שטיינזלץ].
In stark contrast to this tiny handful of Israelite soldiers, the Aramean forces are described as filling the entire land. This exaggerated description is used to emphasize the sheer volume of enemy troops covering the ground [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ]. Only now, with both armies fully deployed in the open landscape, does the overwhelming difference between the two camps become entirely clear [מלבי״ם].