Reading for August 14th

Read 1 Kings 20.1-15
In 20.1-43: Tales of other prophets.
This chapter probably went originally with ch. 22 as in the Greek (Septuagint) version of 1 Kings, which has chs. 20 and 21 in reverse order.
The stories in chs. 20 and 22 are out of place historically, since they assume a setting in which Israel is dominated by Aram (Syria), which was not the case during Ahab's reign.
In verse 1: The thirty-two kings were rulers not of nations but of city-states or chieftains dominated by Damascus.
In verse 2: The king of Israel is here identified as Ahab, but this identification is likely secondary.
For most of the chapter he is called simply "the king of Israel."
In verse 12; The booths probably refer to the army's tents.
However, it might also be read as "Sukkoth," a site east of the Jordan.
In verse 14:The young men who served the district governors seems to be a special rank or division within the military, but we no longer know exactly what it means.
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