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1 KINGS 22

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:1-4
  ¹Three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. ²In the third year Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. ³Now the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we are still doing nothing to take it out of the hand of the king of Aram?" ⁴And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses."

22:1 This chapter continues Israel's conflict with Syria (cf. 1 Kings 20). This would have been the third major battle.

▣ "Jehoshaphat" He was one of the good kings of Judah (cf. 2 Chronicles 18). This chapter in 1 Kings (22) is paralleled in 2 Chronicles 18. I have included below my exegetical notes on 2 Chronicles 18. If there are significant differences I have put these below the 2 Chronicles commentary.

2 CHRONICLES 18

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 2 CHRONICLES 18:1-3
  ¹Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor; and he allied himself by marriage with Ahab. ²Some years later he went down to visit Ahab at Samaria. And Ahab slaughtered many sheep and oxen for him and the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. ³Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, "Will you go with me against Ramoth-gilead?" And he said to him, "I am as you are, and my people as your people, and we will be with you in the battle."

18:1 This is a repeat of 2 Chr. 17:5. Jehoshaphat had no reason to enter an alliance with Israel.

▣ "he allied himself by marriage with Ahab" There was no need to do this. Jehoshaphat made an alliance with a Ba'al worshiping king (cf. 1 Kings 17-19; 2 Chr. 19:2). This alliance would have involved religious liturgy and actions.

It was Jehoshaphat's son Joram who married Athaliah, Ahab's daughter.

18:2 "Some years later" The MT has "at the end of years." Characteristically bad things happened in the later part of the Judean king's reign. See parallel account in 1 Kgs. 22:2-40.

▣ "he went down" There are two possibilities.

1. literal ‒ Jerusalem was higher than Samaria
2. theological ‒ everywhere is down from the city of YHWH

▣ "slaughtered many sheep and oxen" The implication is a peace offering, in which the meat was shared, but the text does not say this. It may just have been a banquet (see note at 2 Chr. 18:9).

The purpose of the meal was to get Judah to go to war with Israel to capture Ramoth-gilead (cf. 2 Chr. 18:3).

This VERB (BDB 694, KB 749, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw, cf. 2 Chr. 18:31) usually has a negative sense (i.e., Deut. 13:6; 1 Sam. 26:19; 2 Sam. 24:1; 1 Kgs. 21:25; 2 Kgs. 18:32; 1 Chr. 21:1; 2 Chr. 18:2; 32:11,15). It is also used in this chapter in a more neutral sense in v. 31 (i.e., diverted).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:4-7
  ⁴Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the Lord." ⁵Then the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall we go against Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king." ⁶But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?" ⁷The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, for he never prophesies good concerning me but always evil. He is Micaiah, son of Imla." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so."

18:4 The Chronicler presents Jehoshaphat in a positive, spiritual way (i.e., he wanted confirmation from YHWH).

18:5 These 400 prophets may be linked to those who opposed Elijah at Mount Carmel (cf. 1 Kings 18).

▣ "Go up, for God will give it into the hand of the king" "Go" is a Qal IMPERATIVE (BDB 748, KB 828), while "give" is a Qal IMPERFECT (BDB 678, KB 733) used in a JUSSIVE sense (cf. 2 Chr. 18:11).

They claimed to know the will of God but they simply spoke what they thought the king wanted to hear (cf. v. 14). They were sincere (cf. v. 23) but they were not guided by YHWH.

"Hand" is an idiom for power and control.

SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND

18:6 One wonders if there is a theological distinction between Elohim (God) in 2 Chr. 18:5 and "YHWH" in v. 6. However, Micaiah calls YHWH by Eloah in v. 13 (i.e., the SINGULAR of Elohim). For some reason the prophetic word of 400 northern prophets did not convince Jehoshaphat.

SPECIAL TOPIC: APOSTASY, I., E. and F.

18:7 Ahab's view of Micaiah is very clear (i.e., "I hate him"). Obviously he had prophesied to Ahab many times before. YHWH had revealed His will to this northern pagan king. Micaiah's message had always been rejected by Ahab.

▣ "Let not the king say so" This is a Qal IMPERFECT (BDB 55, KB 65) used in a JUSSIVE sense.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:8-11
  ⁸Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah, Imla's son." ⁹Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, and they were sitting at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹⁰Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are consumed.'" ¹¹All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and succeed, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."

18:8 "officer" This (BDB 710) literally means "eunuch" or "castrated person." Originally it referred to servants of the harem or court, but it came to mean "government official" (i.e., Potiphar is called by this term but he is married, Genesis 39; see NIDOTTE, vol. 3, pp. 288-294).

KB 203 says the basic root refers to "threshing," but the implication of the NOUN is a large open space outside, but close to, the gate of the city. This huge amount of slaughtered animals is not connected to the cultic center of Samaria, nor the two golden calves at Dan or Bethel. This was a fellowship event, not a worship event.

18:10 This use of physical items to accentuate the prophet's message is like

1. Jeremiah
   1. made a wooden yoke ‒ Jer. 27:2; 28:10
   2. made an iron yoke ‒ Jer. 28:13-14
2. Ezekiel
   1. ate a scroll ‒ Ezekiel 3
   2. seized Jerusalem using a brick ‒ Ezekiel 4
   3. cut his hair and divided it into three groups ‒ Ezekiel 5
   4. made a chain ‒ Ezek. 7:23
   5. dug through the wall of his house ‒ Ezekiel 8 (also 12:4)
   6. prepared bandages ‒ Ezek. 12:3

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:12-13
  ¹²Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. So please let your word be like one of them and speak favorably." ¹³But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what my God says, that I will speak."

18:12 Ahab's messenger (cf. 2 Chr. 18:8) encourages Micaiah to speak like all the other 400 prophets have spoken (i.e., favorably of the attack). He does this but in a sarcastic way in v. 14.

18:13 "As the Lord lives" This is a word play on the covenant name for Israel's Deity, YHWH, which is a form of the VERB "to be" (cf. Exod. 3:14-16). He is the ever-living, only-living God.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:14-17
  ¹⁴When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I refrain?" He said, "Go up and succeed, for they will be given into your hand." ¹⁵Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?" ¹⁶So he said,
 "I saw all Israel
 Scattered on the mountains,
 Like sheep which have no shepherd;
 And the Lord said, 'These have no master.
 Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"
¹⁷Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

18:14 This is the exact message of 2 Chr. 18:11, which parallels the imperative of v. 5.

18:15 Ahab must have been accustomed to Micaiah's sarcasm.

18:16 In poetic form Micaiah predicts the death of Ahab in the battle. Perhaps that is why he spoke v. 14!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:18-22
  ¹⁸Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing on His right and on His left. ¹⁹The Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. ²⁰Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.' And the Lord said to him, 'How?' ²¹He said, 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and prevail also. Go and do so.' ²²Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of these your prophets, for the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you."

18:18-22 This is either

1. a glimpse into the "heavenly council" (i.e., YHWH and His angels, cf. Job 1-2; Isa. 6:8; Dan. 7:9-10; also note Ps. 103:21; 148:2)
2. a literary dialogue or dramatic vision to communicate the future. I am attracted to this one because it bothers me that YHWH put a "deceiving spirit" in the mouth of prophets, even fake prophets. He is the unchanging "holy one" (cf. Ps. 102:26-27; Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). YHWH's character is crucial. See Hard Sayings of the Bible, pp. 230-231.

18:18 "sitting on His throne" YHWH does not have a throne. This is ANE imagery for power and reign. YHWH symbolically dwelt between the wings of the cherubim over the ark in the Holy of Holies. YHWH does not have a physical body.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ANTHROPOMORPHIC LANGUAGE USED TO DESCRIBE GOD

▣ "all the host of heaven" The term may refer

1. in military contexts to the heavenly armies of angels (i.e., Lord of Hosts, i.e., Josh 6:15)
2. in contexts related to astral deities who they thought controlled human lives (cf. Deut. 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs. 17:16; 2 Chr. 33:3,5; Jer. 8:2; 19:13; Ezek. 8:16; Zeph. 1:5)
3. simply to the lights in the sky (i.e., sun, moon, stars, comets, cf. Isa. 34:4; 40:26; 45:12)
4. here, to the servant angels of the heavenly council

SPECIAL TOPIC: Lord OF HOSTS

▣ "standing on His right and on His left" The "standing" is in contrast to YHWH sitting. They are servants.

The "right. . .left" is an idiom for the numerous angelic servants (cf. Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68:17; Dan. 7:10; Heb. 12:22; Jude v. 14; Rev. 5:11).

Although this is a different VERB (BDB 834, KB 984, Piel IMPERFECT) from 2 Chr. 18:2, "induced"/"deceived," it is semantically parallel of deception and trying to affect another's will (cf. Ps. 78:6; Jer. 20:7; Ezek. 14:9). This VERB occurs in 2 Chr. 18:19,20,21 (note 1 Kgs. 22:20,21,22).

18:20 "a spirit came forward" Here and in 1 Kgs. 22:21, the MT has the DEFINITE ARTICLE "the Spirit." One wonders if this is meant to denote Satan. He was one of the angels present before YHWH (cf. Job 1-2; Zechariah 3).

We hear similar imagery in 1 Sam. 16:14-15, where "an evil spirit from YHWH" replaces the "holy spirit," which goes to David. There is so much about the angelic realm that humans do not know (i.e., Daniel 10)!

YHWH used evil to accomplish His purposes, as He did in relation to the Messiah.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SATAN

SPECIAL TOPIC: SPIRIT IN THE BIBLE

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:23-27
  ²³Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?" ²⁴Micaiah said, "Behold, you will see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself." ²⁵Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; ²⁶and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely."'" ²⁷Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely, the Lord has not spoken by me." And he said, "Listen, all you people."

18:23 This court prophet of Ahab truly thought he represented deity. There are many self-deceived false prophets. "The Spirit of the Lord" represents the true Spirit of prophecy.

How does one know/recognize a false prophet? I have included my notes from Deut. 18:20-22:

Deut. 18:20-22 God's speaker will be known by (1) speaking in YHWH's name, not the names of other gods (cf. v. 20); (2) the accuracy of his statements (cf. v. 22); and (3) Deut. 13:1-2 must also be taken into account because God's dealing with Israel was based on their spiritual response.

One wonders how contemporary hearers are to judge a prophet if their prediction is beyond their lifetime. Also, what about conditional prophecy that depends on the repentant faith response of the people of that day to which it is addressed (i.e., Jonah)?

The evaluation of those who claim to speak for God is not easy. Here are some criteria:

1. content of message
2. lifestyle of the messenger
3. correlation of the message with other Bible passages

False prophets, false teachers, are often very dynamic, educated, logical, and winsome people. In our day the marks of a false speaker might be:

1. an emphasis on money
2. a sexual license
3. a claim to exclusive access to God

(see A General Introduction to the Bible by Norman Geisler and William Nix, pp. 241-242)

Helpful Books on the Reality of an Evil Spiritual Realm

1. Christian Counseling and the Occult by Kurt Kouch
2. Demons in the World Today by Merrill F. Unger
3. Principalities and Powers by John Warwich Montgomery
4. Demons, Demons, Demons by John Newport
5. Biblical Demonology by Merrill F. Unger
6. Three Crucial Questions About Spiritual Warfare by Clinton E. Arnold

18:24 Zedekiah, the leader of the false prophets, would hide from Ahab's courtiers and family when it was obvious his prophecies were false!

18:27 "If indeed you return safely" This is an emphatic grammatical construction (i.e., an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root, BDB 956, KB 1427).

▣ "Listen, all you people" These are the exact words that start the book of Micah (which is a contraction for Micaiah) in Mic. 1:2. There is no historical link between these two prophets except their names.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 18:28-34
  ²⁸So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ²⁹The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself, and they went into battle. ³⁰Now the king of Aram had commanded the captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone." ³¹So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is the king of Israel," and they turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him, and God diverted them from him. ³²When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. ³³A certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of the chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight, for I am severely wounded." ³⁴The battle raged that day, and the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Arameans until the evening; and at sunset he died.

18:29 In light of Micaiah's words, King Ahab disguised himself but encouraged Jehoshaphat to wear his kingly armament and ride in his special chariot (i.e., let him be targeted).

"I will disguise myself and go into battle." This phrase has two INFINITIVE ABSOLUTES used as COHORTATIVE VERBS. His plan will not succeed. A "random" arrow, shot by a common soldier, fulfills Micaiah's prophecy (2 Chr. 18:33)!

▣ "but you put on your robes" This IMPERATIVE (BDB 527, KB 519, Qal ) clearly shows

1. Ahab's superior position in the alliance
2. Ahab's plan to use Jehoshaphat as "bait"
3. Ahab's fear of Micaiah's prophecy

18:30 The king of Syria had directed his commanders to identify the king of Israel and attack him directly.

18:31 At first glance Jehoshaphat was Ahab. Notice the power of God (v. 31) and human volition (v. 32) work together to accomplish YHWH's prophecy (compare vv. 2,31 and vv. 19,20,21; two VERBS, one concept).

▣ "Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him" This is a central theological theme of Chronicles, which obviously spoke clearly to the small post-exilic Judah. Covenant obedience and faith secure YHWH's action.

▣ "Lord. . .God" There is a play between YHWH and Elohim throughout the chapter. Sometimes a contrast (vv. 5-6) or a parallel, as here.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C. and D.

18:33 A random arrow fulfills YHWH's prediction and judgment of the Ba'al worshiping Ahab.

18:33b-34 These verses are difficult to coordinate.

1. turn around and take me out of the fight
2. the king of Israel propped himself up in his chariot in front of the Syrians until evening (1 Kgs. 22:35 and the LXX have "he had to be propped up," Hophal PARTICIPLE)

The king was the figurative head of the army; when he went down the battle was over (cf. 1 Kgs. 22:36).

18:36 "he died" The death of Ahab helps set an ANE chronology because it happened in the same year as the battle of Qarqar (i.e., 853 b.c.). Ahab was one of twelve kings who tried to stop the advance of the Assyrian Empire under Shalmaneser II, but was defeated. Possibly this defeat is why Ahab of Israel thought he could defeat Ben-hadad of Syria.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why would Jehoshaphat want to make an alliance with Ahab?
2. Was inquiring of God before a battle common in the ANE?
3. What is the symbolism of the iron horns in 2 Chr. 18:10?
4. Explain the oath of using "as the Lord lives."
5. What is the heavenly council?
6. Does YHWH put a lying spirit in the mouth of Ahab's prophets? What "spirit" is it?
7. What does 2 Chr. 18:29 say about the alliance between Israel and Judah?
8. Why is 2 Chr. 18:31 so theologically significant to the Chronicler?
9. Why are 2 Chr. 18:33 and 34 confusing?

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 1 Kings 22:5-12
  ⁵Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Please inquire first for the word of the Lord." ⁶Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." ⁷But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?" ⁸The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the Lord, but I hate him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." But Jehoshaphat said, "Let not the king say so." ⁹Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, "Bring quickly Micaiah son of Imlah." ¹⁰Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. ¹¹Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made horns of iron for himself and said, "Thus says the Lord, 'With these you will gore the Arameans until they are consumed.'" ¹²All the prophets were prophesying thus, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:13-14
  ¹³Then the messenger who went to summon Micaiah spoke to him saying, "Behold now, the words of the prophets are uniformly favorable to the king. Please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak favorably." ¹⁴But Micaiah said, "As the Lord lives, what the Lord says to me, that I shall speak."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:15-18
  ¹⁵When he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go up and succeed, and the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." ¹⁶Then the king said to him, "How many times must I adjure you to speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?" ¹⁷So he said,
 "I saw all Israel
 Scattered on the mountains,
 Like sheep which have no shepherd.
 And the Lord said, 'These have no master.
 Let each of them return to his house in peace.'"
¹⁸Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?"

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:19-23
  ¹⁹Micaiah said, "Therefore, hear the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. ²⁰The Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab to go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said this while another said that. ²¹Then a spirit came forward and stood before th Lord and said, 'I will entice him.' ²²The Lord said to him, 'How?' And he said, 'I will go out and be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' Then He said, 'You are to entice him and also prevail. Go and do so.' ²³Now therefore, behold, the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; and the Lord has proclaimed disaster against you."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:24-28
  ²⁴Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near and struck Micaiah on the cheek and said, "How did the Spirit of the Lord pass from me to speak to you?" ²⁵Micaiah said, "Behold, you shall see on that day when you enter an inner room to hide yourself." ²⁶Then the king of Israel said, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son; ²⁷and say, 'Thus says the king, "Put this man in prison and feed him sparingly with bread and water until I return safely."'" ²⁸Micaiah said, "If you indeed return safely the Lord has not spoken by me." And he said, "Listen, all you people."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:29-33
  ²⁹So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up against Ramoth-gilead. ³⁰The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into the battle, but you put on your robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into the battle. ³¹Now the king of Aram had commanded the thirty-two captains of his chariots, saying, "Do not fight with small or great, but with the king of Israel alone." ³²So when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel," and they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out. ³³When the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:34-36
  ³⁴Now a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel in a joint of the armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, "Turn around and take me out of the fight; for I am severely wounded." ³⁵The battle raged that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot in front of the Arameans, and died at evening, and the blood from the wound ran into the bottom of the chariot. ³⁶Then a cry passed throughout the army close to sunset, saying, "Every man to his city and every man to his country."

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:37-40
  ³⁷So the king died and was brought to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria. ³⁸They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), according to the word of the Lord which He spoke. ³⁹Now the rest of the acts of Ahab and all that he did and the ivory house which he built and all the cities which he built, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel? ⁴⁰So Ahab slept with his fathers, and Ahaziah his son became king in his place.

2 Kings 22:37 Micaiah's prophecy was fulfilled!

22:38 The author/editor of 1 Kings saw this verse as a fulfillment of 1 Kgs. 21:19.

▣ ""(now the harlots bathed themselves there)" These were probably the female worship partners at the local Ba'al/Asherah shrine. Their presence made a pool unclean, as did the presence of the dogs! Ahab has been judged!

22:39 "the ivory houses" This refers to Ahab's two palaces which had furniture inlaid with ivory carvings. These carvings were of foreign gods, imported by Ahab. This expensive furniture (cf. Amos 3:15) illustrated Israel's compromise of monotheism.

22:40 "slept" This is a Hebrew euphemism of death.

The added phrase, "with his fathers," was a way to denote he was buried in a family tomb in his capital city.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:41-44
  ⁴¹Now Jehoshaphat the son of Asa became king over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. ⁴²Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned twenty-five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. ⁴³He walked in all the way of Asa his father; he did not turn aside from it, doing right in the sight of the Lord. However, the high places were not taken away; the people still sacrificed and burnt incense on the high places. ⁴⁴Jehoshaphat also made peace with the king of Israel.

22:41-44 "Jehoshaphat" He and his father, Asa, were, for the most part (i.e., did not remove the local high places) godly, obedient, faithful kings of Judah (v. 43).

22:43 "he did not turn aside from it" This was a Hebrew idiom for Mosaic covenant obedience. It was characterized as a clearly marked, smooth, level path (i.e., "he walked in the way").

▣ "high places" See note at 1 Kgs. 15:14.

22:44 This was a mistake. Israel had become evil and idolatrous. Jehoshaphat should have recognized this.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:45-50
  ⁴⁵Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might which he showed and how he warred, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah? ⁴⁶The remnant of the sodomites who remained in the days of his father Asa, he expelled from the land. ⁴⁷Now there was no king in Edom; a deputy was king. ⁴⁸Jehoshaphat made ships of Tarshish to go to Ophir for gold, but they did not go for the ships were broken at Ezion-geber. ⁴⁹Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, "Let my servants go with your servants in the ships." But Jehoshaphat was not willing. ⁵⁰And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers and was buried with his fathers in the city of his father David, and Jehoram his son became king in his place.

The name comes from the term "Kodosh" (BDB 873 II), which means "holy" or "sacred." This was the male counterpart of the "harlots" of v. 38. Together they were part of the sexual ritual to insure the fertility of the land and herds. See full note at 1 Kgs. 14:24.

SPECIAL TOPIC: FERTILITY WORSHIP OF THE ANE

The MT has the VERB (BDB 128, KB 145, Piel PERFECT) which means "to burn" and thereby "consume." It denotes the total removal of something or someone but does not necessarily state how.

22:48 Jehoshaphat wanted to have trading ships, as Solomon did (cf. 1 Kgs. 9:26-28; 10:22). It does not state what happened to these new ships but they were destroyed.

Jeshoshaphat was not willing to share this lucrative trade possibility with Israel (v. 49).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 22:51-53
  ⁵¹Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and he reigned two years over Israel. ⁵²He did evil in the sight of the Lord and walked in the way of his father and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who caused Israel to sin. ⁵³So he served Baal and worshiped him and provoked the Lord God of Israel to anger, according to all that his father had done.

22:52 The evil Ahaziah, son of Ahab, did was follow the idolatry of his father and mother (i.e., v. 53).

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