The Arameans thought that Israel’s God had power only in the hills. This mistake gave the Lord an opportunity to show his true identity (1 Kings 20:28). Ben-hadad’s officers had a pagan way of thinking. They may have believed this error because of Israel’s history on Mount Sinai, where the Lord appeared to his people (Exodus 19:1–3, 16–18) or because Israel lived for a long time in the hill country of Canaan (see Joshua 10:40; 11:16; Judges 1:19).
But the Arameans did not know the truth: the Lord is the Creator and ruler of all the earth (Isaiah 40:28; 54:5). He is the only God, and only he can save (Isaiah 45:5, 22).