22:1 And they continued a three years without war between
Syria and Israel.
(a) Ben-hadad the king of Syria, and Ahab made a peace
which endured three years.
22:2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the
king of Judah b came down to the king of Israel.
(b) To see and visit him.
22:3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that
c Ramoth in Gilead [is] ours, and we [be] still, [and]
take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?
(c) The kings of Syria kept Ramoth before this league was
made by Benhadad: therefore he did not think he was
bound by it to restore it.
22:4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to
battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king
of Israel, d I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy
people, my horses as thy horses.
(d) I am ready to join and go with you , and all of mine is
at your command.
22:5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, e Enquire,
I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.
(e) He seemed that he would not go to war unless God
approved it, yet when Michaiah advised the opposite he
would not obey.
22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the f prophets together,
about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go
against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And
they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver [it] into the
hand of the king.
(f) Meaning the false prophets, who were liars and served
for money whom Jezebel had assembled and kept after the
death of those whom Elijah slew.
22:7 And Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the
g LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?
(g) Jehoshaphat did not acknowledge the false prophets to
be God's ministers, but contemned them.
22:8 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, [There is]
yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may
enquire of the LORD: but h I hate him; for he doth not
prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat
said, Let not the king say so.
(h) By which we see that the wicked cannot abide to hear
the truth, but hate the prophets of God and molest
them.
22:9 Then the king of Israel called an i officer, and said,
Hasten [hither] Micaiah the son of Imlah.
22:10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
sat each on his throne, having put on their k robes, in
a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and
all the prophets prophesied before them.
(k) In their kingly apparel.
22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him i horns of
iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt
thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
(i) The true prophets of God were accustomed to use signs
for the confirmation of their doctrine,
(Isa 20:2, Jer 7:2) in which the false prophets
imitated them, thinking by it to make their doctrine
more believable.
22:13 And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto
him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets
[declare] good unto the king with m one mouth: let thy
word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and
speak [that which is] good.
(m) This is the common argument of the wicked, who think
that no one should speak against anything if the
majority approves of it, be they ever so ungodly.
22:15 So he came to the king. And the king said unto him,
Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or
shall we forbear? And he answered him, n Go, and
prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the hand of
the king.
(n) He speaks this in derision, because the king
attributed so much to the false prophets, meaning that
by experience he should discern that they were liars.
22:17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as
sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, o
These have no master: let them return every man to his
house in peace.
(o) It is better for them to return home than to be
punished and scattered because they go to war without
God's counsel and approval.
22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I
saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the p host
of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his
left.
(p) Meaning, his angels.
22:21 And there came forth a spirit, and q stood before the
LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
(q) Here we see that though the devil is always ready to
bring us to destruction, yet he has no more power than
God gives him.
22:22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will
go forth, and I will be a r lying spirit in the mouth of
all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade [him],
and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
(r) I will cause all his prophets to tell lies.
22:24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote
Micaiah on the cheek, and said, s Which way went the
Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
(s) Thus the wicked would that none were in the favour of
God but they, and that God has given his graces to
none so much as to them.
22:27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this [fellow] in the
prison, and feed him with t bread of affliction and with
water of affliction, until I come in peace.
(t) Let him waste away with hunger and be fed with a
small portion of bread and water.
22:28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD
hath not spoken by me. And he said, v Hearken, O people,
every one of you.
(v) That when you see these things come to pass you may
give God the glory, and know that I am his true
prophet.
22:32 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw
Jehoshaphat, that they said, Surely it [is] the king of
Israel. And they turned aside to fight against him: and
Jehoshaphat x cried out.
(x) That is, to the Lord for help.
22:35 And the battle increased that day: and the y king was
stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at
even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of
the chariot.
(y) That is, Ahab, king of Israel.
22:36 And there went a proclamation throughout the z host
about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his
city, and every man to his own country.
(z) Of the Israelites.
22:43 And he walked in all the ways of Asa his father; he turned
not aside from it, doing [that which was] right in the
eyes of the LORD: nevertheless a the high places were
not taken away; [for] the people offered and burnt incense
yet in the high places.
(a) Meaning, that he was led with an error, thinking that
they might still sacrifice to the Lord in those
places, as they did before the temple was built.
22:47 [There was] then no king in Edom: a b deputy [was] king.
(b) In the time of this king, Idumea was subject to Judah,
and was governed by whom they of Judah appointed.
22:48 Jehoshaphat made ships of c Tharshish to go to d Ophir
for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at
Eziongeber.
(c) By Tharshish the scripture means Cilicia and all the
Mediterranean Sea.
(d) Josephus writes that Ophir is in India, where the
Egyptians and Arabians traffic for gold.
