2 Chronicles 18 Footnotes

18:2 The Chronicler made Jehoshaphat the central figure of his narrative, while in 1Kg 22 Jehoshaphat was peripheral to Ahab. This difference is the reflection of their different purposes in writing. The books of Kings emphasize the damage caused by faithless and idolatrous kings. The Chronicler emphasized the national blessings that come from faithfulness to the Lord and his law.

18:20 “A spirit” is literally “the spirit,” using the definite article. The most natural understanding would be the Holy Spirit. However, there is a theological problem with God being a deceiver. Some try to moderate the tone by translating the verb deceive as “entice.” This does not solve the problem. Both Jeremiah (Jr 20:7) and Ezekiel (Ezk 14:9) wrote of the Lord deceiving a prophet, using the exact same Hebrew word as here; see 1Kg 22:21-28.

18:22 While the “lying spirit” spoke through the prophets, the Lord clearly laid out the truth and Ahab had a choice whom to believe.