1 Kings 22:18-28

18 Therefore the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Whether I said not to thee, that he prophesieth not good to me, but ever[more] evil? (And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not say to thee, that he never prophesieth good for me, but always evil?)
19 Soothly that Micaiah added, and said, Therefore hear thou the word of the Lord; I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and I saw all the host of heaven standing nigh [to] him, on the right side and on the left side.
20 And the Lord said, Who shall deceive Ahab, king of Israel, that he ascend, and fall in Ramoth of Gilead? And one said such words, and another in another manner.
21 Soothly a spirit went out, and went before the Lord, and said, I shall deceive him.
22 To whom the Lord spake, In what thing? And he said, I shall go out, and I shall be a spirit of leasing in the mouth of all his prophets (and I shall be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets). And the Lord said, Thou shalt deceive (him), and shalt have the mastery; go thou out, and do so.
23 Now therefore, lo! the Lord gave a spirit of leasing in the mouth of all (these) prophets that be here; and the Lord spake evil against thee. (And so now, lo! the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of thine that be here; and the Lord hath spoken evil against thee.)
24 Forsooth Zedekiah, [the] son of Chenaanah, nighed, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Whether the Spirit of the Lord forsook me, and spake to thee?
25 And Micaiah said, Thou shalt see in that day (Thou shalt see on that day), when thou shalt go into a closet within (a) closet, (so) that thou be hid.
26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and dwell he at Amon, [the] prince of the city, and at Joash, the son of Amalek; (And the king of Israel said, Take hold of Micaiah, and deliver him to Amon, the ruler of the city, and Joash, the son of Ahab;)
27 and say ye to them, The king saith these things, Send ye this man into prison, and sustain ye him with bread of tribulation, and with water of anguish, till I turn again in peace (until I safely return).
28 And Micaiah said, If thou shalt turn again in peace, the Lord spake not in me (If thou shalt safely return, then the Lord hath not spoken by me). And he said, Hear ye, all peoples.

1 Kings 22:18-28 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 22

This chapter relates, that after three years' peace with the king of Syria, Ahab was inclined to go to war with him, to take Ramothgilead out of his hands; and he drew in Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, to join him in it, 1Ki 22:1-4, but before they went into it, they took advice, Ahab of his four hundred prophets, which Jehoshaphat not being satisfied with, a true prophet of the Lord, Micahah, was sent for, 1Ki 22:5-14 who, when he came, jeered Ahab with what his prophets had said to him; intimated that he should be killed, and explained it to him how he came to be deceived by his prophets, 1Ki 22:15-23 upon which he was smitten on the cheek by Zedekiah, one of the false prophets, and imprisoned by the order of Ahab, 1Ki 22:24-28, after which the two kings went to the battle, and Jehoshaphat was in great danger of his life; but Ahab was wounded, and died, 1Ki 22:29-40, and the chapter is concluded with an account of the reign of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, 1Ki 22:41-50, and of Ahaziah king of Israel, 1Ki 22:51-53.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.