a.pher denotes the covering placed over a prophet's eyes and then removed.

The word denotes a covering placed over the eyes to disguise a prophet and later removed so that the king recognizes him.

1. Eye covering used for disguise and removal · dominant

   In 1 Kings 20:38, the masculine singular absolute form occurs in the prophet's disguise as he stands by the road; the APB renders him as disguising himself "with a bandage over his eyes." In 1 Kings 20:41, the same form is removed from over his eyes, after which the king recognizes him; the APB renders that action as removing "the bandage from over his eyes."

   1 Kings 20:381 Kings 20:41

In the Anselm Project Bible: Across both verses, the APB presents the item as "a bandage" associated with the prophet's eyes, first for disguise and then for removal. The verse is read as a whole, but its two clauses portray the same object in the episode.