מלכים א, פרק כ׳, פסוק ל׳

After suffering a crushing defeat on the battlefield, the surviving Aramean soldiers desperately searched for a safe haven. They chose to flee to the city of Aphek, relying on the political reality of the time. Because a peace agreement existed between the king of Judah and the king of Aram, the fleeing troops believed they would find secure shelter within its walls and escape death [רד״ק].

However, this reliance on political alliances was met with a sudden and miraculous intervention from God. As the remaining soldiers [ביאור שטיינזלץ] crowded together at the city entrances, desperately trying to get inside, the massive city wall collapsed. It fell directly upon twenty-seven thousand soldiers, crushing them instantly [רד״ק].

The Aramean king, Ben-hadad, managed to survive this catastrophe because he was not standing with the masses at the exact moment the structure fell. He might have already passed through the gates and entered the city just before the collapse [רלב״ג], or perhaps he was positioned at the very front or the very back of the escaping convoy, keeping him out of harm's way [רד״ק].

Fully aware that the battle was lost, his army was wiped out, and the victorious king of Israel would soon arrive [ביאור שטיינזלץ], Ben-hadad ran deeper into the city. He sought refuge in the most concealed place he could find, hiding in an inner chamber, a room within a room, to remain undetected [מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

Although Ben-hadad avoided immediate death inside the city due to the existing peace treaties, he recognized that he was completely trapped. Seeing their king in this helpless situation, his servants and the residents of Aphek devised a plan to save his life. They decided to approach the king of Israel dressed in sackcloth with ropes wrapped around their heads. This dramatic display was intended as a sign of deep mourning and absolute surrender to Ahab's authority [רלב״ג, רד״ק].