BENADAD (Hebrew Ben-Hadhad “son of Hadad”; Septuagint ὁ τοῦ Ἀσὴφ “son of Asaph”). — Three kings of Aram-Damascus:
B. I, son of Tabremon, for substantial gifts received, came to the aid of Asa, king of Judah (910–870), against Baasa, king of Israel (908–885), his ally, whom he inflicted a severe defeat (1 Kings 15:18–20; 2 Chron. 16:1–5).
B. II, son of the preceding. Defeated by Ahab (873–850) beneath the walls of Samaria, a year later he was harshly beaten near Aphec (east of the Sea of Tiberias or in the plain of Esdraelon) and taken prisoner. B. promised Ahab to restore the cities taken by his father from Omri (q.v.) and to grant passage through Damascus to Israelite merchants. After concluding peace, B. regained his freedom (1 Kings 20:1–34).
B., however, did not keep the promises made, so that after three years Ahab took up arms again, aided by Josaphat, king of Judah (872–870–849), and fell in the siege of Ramoth (1 Kings 22:1–40). For the years 854–846, cuneiform inscriptions mention the king of Damascus Dadda-dir or Adad-idri (certainly identical with B. II), who, together with Ahabbu Sirilas (Ahab of Israel) and others, fought against their common enemy Shalmaneser II (859–825). This fact would explain Ahab’s indulgence toward B. and the three years of peace between Israel and Damascus. B. again besieged Samaria under Joram (853–842), but could not capture it for himself because of divine intervention (2 Kings 6:8–7:20). Soon after, B. was strangled by Hazael, his officer, while lying ill (2 Kings 8:15).
B. III, son of Hazael, was defeated three times by Joash, king of Israel (798–783; 2 Kings 13:22–25).