Aphek, a city in the north, where the Arameans fought against Israel.
Aphek, mentioned in 1Kings 20 and 2Kings 13, was a city located in the northern part of Israel, likely in the region of the Jezreel Valley. It was the site of significant battles between the Arameans (Syrians) and the Israelites during the reigns of King Ahab and King Jehoash of Israel.
In 1Kings 20, the Arameans, led by Ben-hadad, assembled their forces at Aphek to fight against Israel. Despite the vast Aramean army, the Israelites, guided by a prophet, achieved a decisive victory. The Arameans fled to Aphek, where a wall collapsed and killed many of them (1Ki.20.26-30).
Later, during the reign of Jehoash, Aphek is mentioned again in the context of the Aramean oppression of Israel. The prophet Elisha, on his deathbed, instructed King Jehoash to shoot an arrow from the window, symbolizing the Lord's arrow of victory over the Arameans at Aphek (2Ki.13.17).
The precise location of this Aphek is uncertain, but it is generally identified with Fiq, a site in the eastern part of the Jezreel Valley, near the modern-day town of Kibbutz Afik. Its location in the north made it a strategic point for military campaigns between Israel and Aram.
Approximate location: 32.778, 35.699 · view on a map · on the Bible atlas
3 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s H0663
In the spring, Ben-hadad mobilized the Arameans and went up to Aphek to fight against Israel.
The rest of them fled into the city of Aphek, where the wall fell on twenty-seven thousand of the remaining men. Ben-hadad also fled to the city and hid in an inner room.
“Open the east window,” said Elisha. So he opened it and Elisha said, “Shoot!” So he shot. And Elisha declared: “This is the LORDʼs arrow of victory, the arrow of victory over Aram, for you shall strike the Arameans in Aphek until you have put an end to them.”
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.