= 1 Kings 22 * Please see [[nsv:license|License]] for Copyright notice and Licensing information. * [ [[1_Kings_21|Previous]] ] == 1 Kings 22 1 And they continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. 2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel. 3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria? 4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to battle to Ramothgilead? And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses. 5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day. 6 Then the king of Israel gathered the 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. 7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 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 I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. 9 Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah. 10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them. 11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the Lord, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them. 12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the king's hand. 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 one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good. 14 And Micaiah said, As the Lord liveth, what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak. 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, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king. 16 And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the Lord? 17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace. 18 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil? 19 And he said, Hear thou therefore 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 hand and on his left. 20 And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner. 21 And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. 22 And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. 23 Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee. 24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee? 25 And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself. 26 And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king's son; 27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace. 28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the Lord hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you. 29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramothgilead. 30 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle. 31 But the king of Syria commanded his thirty and two captains that had rule over his chariots, saying, Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel. 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 cried out. 33 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots perceived that it was not the king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him. 34 And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. 35 And the battle increased that day: and the 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. 36 And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. 37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. 38 And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the Lord which he spake. 39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, and the ivory house which he made, and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel? 40 So Ahab slept with his fathers; and Ahaziah his son reigned in his stead. 41 And Jehoshaphat the son of Asa began to reign over Judah in the fourth year of Ahab king of Israel. 42 Jehoshaphat was thirty and five years old when he began to reign; and he reigned twenty and five years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Azubah the daughter of Shilhi. 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 the high places were not taken away; for the people offered and burnt incense yet in the high places. 44 And Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel. 45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, and his might that he shewed, and how he warred, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? 46 And the remnant of the sodomites, which remained in the days of his father Asa, he took out of the land. 47 There was then no king in Edom: a deputy was king. 48 Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber. 49 Then said Ahaziah the son of Ahab unto Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with thy servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not. 50 And Jehoshaphat slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David his father: and Jehoram his son reigned in his stead. 51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab began to reign over Israel in Samaria the seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over Israel. 52 And he 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 made Israel to sin: 53 For he served Baal, and worshipped him, and provoked to anger the Lord God of Israel, according to all that his father had done. == Notes == Cross Reference == Commentary == Rashi ==== Verse 2 In the third year. Since he had released Ben-Hadad.1See above 20:34. ==== Verse 3 We have been quiet. We are lazy.2Alternatively, “we have been quiet [=מחשים]” as in, “a time to be quiet [לחשות],” in Koheles 3:7—Metzudas Tzion Siamo figre, in O.F. ==== Verse 7 Is there no other prophet of Adonoy? I have a tradition that no two prophets prophesy with the same expression, and these are all saying the same expression.3See Maseches Sanhedrin 89a.4Yehoshofot did not accuse them directly of not being God’s prophets out of respect for Achov.—Radak ==== Verse 8 But only evil. For he said to me, “Because you released the man whom I condemned, etc.”5Above 20:42. ==== Verse 15 Go up and be successful. He did not say [it] to him in God’s Name.6He was merely wishing him good luck, or giving him a blessing that he succeed.—Metzudas Dovid And may Adonoy give. If only He deliver it into the king’s hand. ==== Verse 17 These have no masters. You alone will die in the war, as the matter is stated below, “Do not battle the small or the great, but only with the king of Yisroel himself.”7Below v. 31. Even though it was stated, “and your people instead of his people,”8Above 20:42. the drop of blood that came out of the righteous man, Michoyhu, whose friend struck him, striking and wounding him, was an atonement for all Yisroel. So it is explained in the [Midrash] Aggadah.9Talmud Yerushalmi Maseches Sanhedrin 10:5. ==== Verse 19 To His right and to His left. Is there “left” in Heaven? Is it not stated, “The right hand of Adonoy’s is exalted, the right hand of Adonoy performs deeds of valor,”10Tehillim 118:16. [and,] “Your right hand, Adonoy, is adorned with power; Your right hand, Adonoy, crushes the enemy”11Shemos 15:6.? But rather, these are on the right and these are on the left. Those on the right present the case for the defense and those on the left present the case for the prosecution. ==== Verse 21 And a spirit came forth. The spirit of Navos.12Maseches Sanhedrin 89a. See also Maseches Shabbos 149b. ==== Verse 24 When did the spirit of Adonoy pass? [I.e.,] which way did it pass? This is an abbreviated verse.13I.e., the word דרך [=way] is missing. In Divrei Hayomim it is written, “In what way did [Adonoy’s spirit] pass.”14II Divrei Hayomim 18:23. ==== Verse 30 The king of Yisroel said to Yehoshofot, I will disguise myself and go into battle. To disguise himself and go [into battle]. I will disguise myself, [i.e.,] I will change my royal garments, so that they will not recognize me, for if they recognize me, they will turn toward me to attack. But you wear your own [royal] garments. That you are wearing, for you are not the king of Yisroel, but the king of Yehudah, and they have no conflict with you. ==== Verse 32 And Yehoshofot cried out. To the Holy One Blessed Is He. ==== Verse 34 A man drew. This was Naaman.15Who would later be cured from leprosy by Elisha. See II Melochim 5:1-15. Innocently [without aiming]. He was not aware that he was the king of Yisroel.16Alternatively, לתמו means “to complete it,” i.e., the prophecies of Michoyhu and Eliyahu were completed with the death of Achov. See Maseches Sanhedrin 39b. Between the plates of armor. Some coats of mail are made of layers of scales, in the manner it is stated, “and a coat of mail,”17I Shmuel 17:5. and the scales fall on the holes of the coat and close them, and they are called “דבקים” [=attached]. ==== Verse 35 Stood up in the chariot. He exerted himself and stood so that the [Bnei] Yisroel would not become aware of his wound and flee, for flight is the beginning of defeat. ==== Verse 38 And the dogs licked his blood. I say that Novos was killed there, for the prophet said, “In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Navos, etc.”18Above 21:19.19But how is this possible, Navos was killed in Yizreel while Achov was killed in Shomron? Radak suggests that Yizreel was near Shomron and the water of the pool in Shomron flowed to Yizreel where dogs licked Achov’s blood which was mixed in the water. And they washed the weapons [there]. And they washed off blood from the weapons there, [Targum] Yonoson rendered it in this manner. But our Rabbis said, “Achov was a cold person, so Ezevel made for him the image of two prostitutes in his chariot.20Maseches Sanhedrin 39b and Rashi there. 21Alternatively, “the prostitutes bathed there,” in the pool of Shomron, which was now mixed with Achov’s blood.—Metzudas Dovid ==== Verse 39 The ivory palace. [Made of] elephant tooth [i.e., ivory]. ==== Verse 45 Yehoshofot made peace with the king of Yisroel. Since there was war between Asa his father and Basha the king of Yisroel, it was necessary to say this. ==== Verse 47 The remainder of the prostitution. Who acted lasciviously in public. ==== Verse 48 There was no king in Edom. [Beginning with] the time of Dovid, the governor22I.e., the governor that was appointed by the king of Yehudah.—Radak was the king. This was written here because in the days of Yehorom his son who sinned, in his days Edom rebelled and crowned a king for themselves, but in the time of Yehoshofot they were still subordinate to him. ==== Verse 49 For they [the ships] were broken. Since he joined Achazyahu in this [undertaking], therefore, they were broken. And so did the prophet say to him in Divrei Hayomim, “Because you have allied yourself with a Achazyahu, Adonoy has wrecked your undertakings.”23II Divrei Hayomim 20:37. ==== Verse 52 In the seventeenth year of Yehoshofot. Some wonder about this verse, because it is stated concerning Achov that he reigned twenty-two [years],24Above 16:29. and concerning Yehoshofot it is stated, that he became king “in the fourth year of Achov,”25Above v. 41. thus resulting that Achov’s [rule] ended in the nineteenth year of Yehoshofot[’s rule], but here it states that Achazyahu became king in the seventeenth year of Yehoshofot[’s rule]. However, I searched and found in Divrei Hayomim concerning the kings of Yisroel, that [Scripture] is not exact in the number of their years, and if one became king at the end of a year, he counts it at the beginning, but he does not count it elsewhere. Therefore I say that, “in the fourth year of Achov,” that is mentioned in reference to when Yehoshofot became king, does not count with it Achov’s first year [of kingship]. And so you find in the majority [of cases]. Also, the year in which Yehoshofot became king is not included in these seventeen years.