1 Kings 22:8

AHAB RELUCTANTLY SENT FOR THE TRUE PROPHET; MICAIAH

"And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of Jehovah, Micaiah the son of Imlah, but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imlah. Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah were sitting each on his throne, arrayed in their robes, in an open place at the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets were prophesying before them. And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith Jehovah, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until they be consumed. And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper; for Jehovah will deliver it into the hand of the king."

The false prophets of Baal or Ashera knew what was coming when Ahab sent for Micaiah, so they changed some of their message. This time they actually invoked the name of Jehovah upon their crooked prophecy, but it was still the old Delphian oracle type of deceit and falsehood. Note he italicized "it". (See reason (3) under 1 Kings 22:5, above.)

We may be certain that Ahab called Micaiah reluctantly, and that while Micaiah was being summoned the false prophets redoubled their efforts in the hope of convincing Jehoshaphat. The occasion was a spectacular display of the kings on their thrones dressed in all their royal regalia at the gate of Samaria and those four hundred false prophets putting on a vigorous display of their false prophecies. "Oriental kings had portable thrones which they took with them on their journeys."[13] "It seems very likely that Micaiah was in prison when Ahab sent for him,"[14] This is indicated by the fact of his ready availability to Ahab and his being sent for by a eunuch, the type of officer usually in charge of the harem and of the prison, and likewise by the fact of Zedekiah's arrogant slap of the defenseless Micaiah.

"Zedekiah made him horns ... with these shalt thou push the Syrians" (1 Kings 22:11). This false prophet had a Jehovist name, which speaks not of his religion, but of that of his parents. And like his sponsor Jezebel, he had a knowledge of the Pentateuch. "His use of horns here in his false prophecy is based upon Deuteronomy 33:17 in which Ephraim is compared to a bullock."[15]