Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 20:30

"But the rest fled to Aphek, into the city; and the wall fell upon twenty and seven thousand men that were left. And Ben-hadad fled, and came into the city, into an inner chamber." — 1 Kings 20:30 (ASV)

A wall—properly, the wall of the city, whether falling by earthquake or in the storming of the place by Israel.

The numbers in the text are very large, as in many other instances. It is possible (see Introduction) that there may be corruption, although the same numbers are found in the ancient versions. But the massing in small space of Eastern armies, and the extraordinary slaughter resulting from it, are well illustrated in history; as, for instance, in the Greek wars with Persia or even our own experience in India.