3. Thy gold is mine. Historical items recorded in the Bible are often given in great brevity. We therefore do not know what the situation was that led to Benhadad’s demand. It may be the sequel to some military advantage gained by the Syrian king over Ahab, or, more likely, it may simply mean a demand on the part of Benhadad for Ahab to recognize him as his lord, with Israel henceforth a vassal state to Syria.