1 Kings 20:18
And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive. And he said, Whether they be come out for peace, take them alive; or whether they be come out for war, take them alive.
The verse stands in the history of the two separate kingdoms of Judah and Israel for about eighty years, from the revolt of the ten tribes to the death of Jehoshaphat. That history covers the reigns of several kings of both Judah and Israel. It is marked especially by the robbery of the treasures of the temple and royal palace as punishment for idolatry and by the extraordinary ministry of the prophet Elijah.
The verse belongs to the account of Ben-hadad's siege and attack on Samaria and Israel that ended in his defeat. It records the Syrian king's order to capture Ahab's men alive, whether they had come out for peace or for war. A small Israelite force of 232 princes made a sortie from Samaria, routed the Syrian army and put Ben-hadad to flight. He escaped on horseback.
In this great victory God made another effort to win the weak Ahab. Through it Ahab knew the victory came from Jehovah.