1 Kings 22:21

21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, "I will deceive 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 Micaiah went on: "Now listen to what the Lord says! I saw the Lord sitting on his throne in heaven, with all his angels standing beside him.
20 The Lord asked, "Who will deceive Ahab so that he will go and be killed at Ramoth?' Some of the angels said one thing, and others said something else,
21 until a spirit stepped forward, approached the Lord, and said, "I will deceive him.'
22 "How?' the Lord asked. The spirit replied, "I will go and make all of Ahab's prophets tell lies.' The Lord said, "Go and deceive him. You will succeed.' "
23 And Micaiah concluded: "This is what has happened. The Lord has made these prophets of yours lie to you. But he himself has decreed that you will meet with disaster!"
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.