20:23 Their gods are gods of the hills. Both Samaria and Jerusalem in the central hill country. In the polytheistic conceptions of the time, each god had specific zones of influence and strengths.

fight against them in the plain. It was understood that wars were fought not only by armies but also by their gods, and the Syrians wanted to fight in the plains where they thought Yahweh would be outside his sphere of influence and hence in a weak position.