1 Kings 20:35

35 At the command of the Lord a certain member of a company of prophets said to another, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him.

1 Kings 20:35 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:35

And a certain man of the sons of the prophets
Which the Jews take to be Micaiah, and so Josephus ^F21, which is probable; the same that had been with Ahab more than once; and, whoever he was, it is not unlikely that he was the same, since Ahab knew him when his disguise was off, ( 1 Kings 20:41 ) ,

said unto his neighbour, in the word of the Lord, smite me, I pray
thee;
told his neighbour, that by the command of God he was ordered to bid him smite him, so as to wound him:

and the man refused to smite him;
being his neighbour, and perhaps a fellow prophet, and having an affection for him.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 Antiqu. l. 8. c. 14. sect, 5.

1 Kings 20:35 In-Context

33 Now the men were watching for an omen; they quickly took it up from him and said, "Yes, Ben-hadad is your brother." Then he said, "Go and bring him." So Ben-hadad came out to him; and he had him come up into the chariot.

34 Ben-hadad said to him, "I will restore the towns that my father took from your father; and you may establish bazaars for yourself in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria." The king of Israel responded, "I will let you go on those terms." So he made a treaty with him and let him go.

35 At the command of the Lord a certain member of a company of prophets said to another, "Strike me!" But the man refused to strike him.

36 Then he said to him, "Because you have not obeyed the voice of the Lord, as soon as you have left me, a lion will kill you." And when he had left him, a lion met him and killed him.

37 Then he found another man and said, "Strike me!" So the man hit him, striking and wounding him.

Footnotes

• [a]. Heb [of the sons of the prophets]