1 Kings 22:21

21 Then one spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, 'I will trick him.'

1 Kings 22:21 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 22:21

And there came forth a spirit
Not from the heavenly host on the right hand or the left, for they are pure and holy spirits, and impeccable, and cannot lie or deceive; but the evil spirit, Satan, the father of lies, the old deceiver, who came forth from his own place and his own company:

and stood before the Lord
presented himself before him, as Satan did, ( Job 1:6 ) ,

and said, l will persuade him;
or prevail upon him; evil spirits love to be employed in doing harm to men, they go about seeking whom they may devour. This could not be the spirit of Naboth, as the Jews say {q}, seeking revenge on Ahab; that was in a state of happiness, could not move from thence, and be capable of sinning.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F17 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 89. 1. & 102. 2. Targum in 2 Chron. xviii. 20.

1 Kings 22:21 In-Context

19 But Micaiah said, "Hear the message from the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with his heavenly army standing near him on his right and on his left.

20 The Lord said, 'Who will trick Ahab into attacking Ramoth in Gilead where he will be killed?' "Some said one thing; some said another.

21 Then one spirit came and stood before the Lord and said, 'I will trick him.'

22 "The Lord asked, 'How will you do it?' "The spirit answered, 'I will go to Ahab's prophets and make them tell lies.' "So the Lord said, 'You will succeed in tricking him. Go and do it.'"

23 Micaiah said, "Ahab, the Lord has made your prophets lie to you, and the Lord has decided that disaster should come to you."