2 Chronicles 16:4 (YLT)

Passage

And Ben-Hadad hearkeneth unto king Asa, and sendeth the heads of the forces that he hath unto cities of Israel, and they smite Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Maim, and all the stores, cities of Naphtali.

Nearby Context

2 Chronicles 16:2 And Asa bringeth out silver and gold from the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and of the house of the king, and sendeth unto Ben-Hadad king of Aram, who is dwelling in Damascus, saying,

2 Chronicles 16:3 `A covenant <FI>is<Fi> between me and thee, and between my father and thy father, lo, I have sent to thee silver and gold; go, break thy covenant with Baasha king of Israel, and he doth go up from off me.'

2 Chronicles 16:4 And Ben-Hadad hearkeneth unto king Asa, and sendeth the heads of the forces that he hath unto cities of Israel, and they smite Ijon, and Dan, and Abel-Maim, and all the stores, cities of Naphtali.

2 Chronicles 16:5 And it cometh to pass, at Baasha's hearing, that he ceaseth from building Ramah, and letteth his work rest;

2 Chronicles 16:6 and Asa the king hath taken all Judah, and they bear away the stones of Ramah, and its wood, that Baasha hath built, and he buildeth with them Geba and Mizpah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "ben-hadad", "hearkeneth", "king", "sendeth", "heads", "forces", "hath", and "cities". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "ben-hadad" and "hearkeneth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "A covenant FI is Fi between me..." into verse 5's "And it cometh to pass at Baasha's...", so "ben-hadad" and "hearkeneth" belong inside that flow. In 2 Chronicles context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "ben-hadad" and "hearkeneth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.