And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would [Heb. say to thee, He will, etc.] prophesy no good concerning me but evil? [It is clear that Ahab had understood perfectly the purport of Micaiah's words. He now appeals to them as a proof of the latter's malice.] read more
And he said, Hear thou [in 2 Chronicles 18:18 , Hear ye ] therefore [The LXX . has οὐχ οὕτως , whence it would almost appear that they had the text לא כֵן before them (Bähr). But לָכֵן is every way to be preferred. It is emphatic by position, and the meaning is, "Since you will have it that my words are prompted by malice, hear the message I have for you," etc.] the word of the Lord. I saw the Lord [It is not implied (Wordsworth) that he had any direct and... read more
And the Lord said, Who shall persuade [Same word in Exodus 22:16 , Hebrews; 14:15 ; 16:5 ; Proverbs 1:10 , etc.; in all of which instances it is translated "entice." Compare with this question that of Isaiah 6:8 .] Ahab, that he may go up and fan at Ramoth-Gilead? [The meaning is that Ahab's death in battle had been decreed in the counsels of God, and that the Divine Wisdom had devised means for accomplishing His purpose.] And one said on this manner, and another said [Heb. ... read more
And there came forth a spirit [Heb. the spirit . By some, especially of the earlier commentators, understood of the evil spirit. But the view now generally adopted (Thenius, Keil, Bähr) is that "the spirit of prophecy" is meant, "the power which, going forth from God and taking possession of a man, makes him a prophet ( 1 Samuel 10:6 , 1 Samuel 10:10 ; 1 Samuel 19:20 , 1 Samuel 19:23 ). The נָביא is the אִישׁ הָרוּחַ ( Hosea 9:7 )" Bähr. This power is here... read more
And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? [Heb. By what? ] And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit [Heb. a spirit of a lie . Cf. Zechariah 13:2 ; 1 John 4:6 ] in the mouth of all his prophets. [His prophets, not God's. Cf. 2 Kings 3:13 .] And he said, Thou shalt persuade him. and prevail also: go forth, and do so. read more
Now therefore, behold, th e Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth Of all these thy [Cf. ὁ οἷκος ὑμῶν , Matthew 23:38 ] prophets [This statement, especially to those who have taken the narrative literally, and who have seen in "the spirit" either one of the angels of God, or Satan himself, has presented almost insuperable difficulties. The main difficulty lies in the fact that the Almighty and All Holy is here made to give His sanction to deceit and lying, for the purpose... read more
And he answered him ... - Micaiah speaks the exact words of the 400 in so mocking and ironical a tone, that the king cannot mistake his meaning, or regard his answer as serious. The king’s rejoinder implies that this mocking manner was familiar to Micaiah, who had used it in some former dealings with the Israelite monarch. Hence, in part, the king’s strong feeling of dislike (compare 1 Kings 22:8). read more
Thus adjured, Micaiah wholly changes his tone. Ahab cannot possibly mistake the meaning of his vision, especially as the metaphor of “sheep and shepherd” for king and people was familiar to the Israelites from the prayer of Moses Numbers 27:17. read more
See 1 Kings 22:8. Ahab implies that he believes Micaiah to have spoken out of pure malevolence, without any authority for his prediction from God. By implication he invites Jehoshaphat to disregard this pseudo-prophecy, and to put his trust in the unanimous declaration of the 400. Micaiah, therefore, proceeds to explain the contradiction between himself and the 400, by recounting another vision. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 22:17
And he said [We may imagine how entire was the change of tone. He now speaks with profound seriousness. Thenius sees in the peculiarity and originality of this vision a proof of the historical truth of this history. "We feel that we are gradually drawing nearer to the times of the later prophets. It is a vision which might rank amongst those of Isaiah or Ezekiel" (Stanley)], I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no... read more