[7][a] The extant palimpsest AqBurkitt contains verses 7–17 in Koine Greek translated by Aquila of Sinope approximately in the early or mid-second century CE.

[5] With the help of prophetic oracles, the Israelite king managed to repeatedly defeat an aggressive, arrogant and stronger enemy.

[5] However, at the end it was shown that the entire country belongs to Yahweh (and his people), even Ahab managed to force Ben-Hadad to accept the establishment of an Israelite trading office in Damascus (verse 34).

Long (1985) pointed out that these verses have a chiastic structure:[12] A': Negotiations (Ben-hadad and Ahab) vv.

31–34[12] The positive outcome of the war against Aram was tarnished by Ahab's action to make business contracts with Benhadad, instead of killing him ("devoted him to destruction", which was an 'underlying principle of Deuteronomistic theory and historical writing'; cf.