1 Kings 13:30

13:30 He put the corpse into his own tomb, and they ¹  mourned over him, saying, “Ah, my brother!”

1 Kings 9:13

9:13 Hiram asked, ²  “Why did you give me these cities, my friend ³ ?” He called that area the region of Cabul, a name which it has retained to this day. ⁴ 

1 Kings 2:22

2:22 King Solomon answered his mother, “Why just request Abishag the Shunammite for him? ⁵  Since he is my older brother, you should also request the kingdom for him, for Abiathar the priest, and for Joab son of Zeruiah!”

1 Kings 20:32

20:32 So they put sackcloth around their waists and ropes on their heads and went to the king of Israel. They said, “Your servant ⁶  Ben Hadad says, ‘Please let me live!’” Ahab ⁷  replied, “Is he still alive? He is my brother.” ⁸ 

¹ tn “They” is the reading of the Hebrew text here; perhaps this is meant to include not only the old prophet but his sons (cf. v. 31).

² tn Heb “and he said.”

³ tn Heb “my brother.” Kings allied through a parity treaty would sometimes address each other as “my brother.” See 1 Kgs 20:32-33.

⁴ tn Heb “he called them the land of Cabul to this day.” The significance of the name is unclear, though it appears to be disparaging. The name may be derived from a root, attested in Akkadian and Arabic, meaning “bound” or “restricted.” Some propose a wordplay, pointing out that the name “Cabul” sounds like a Hebrew phrase meaning, “like not,” or “as good as nothing.”

³ tn Heb “for Adonijah.”

⁴ sn Your servant. By referring to Ben Hadad as Ahab’s servant, they are suggesting that Ahab make him a subject in a vassal treaty arrangement.

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Ahab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ sn He is my brother. Ahab’s response indicates that he wants to make a parity treaty and treat Ben Hadad as an equal partner.