22:1–12 After Ahab, king of Israel, and Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, agree to recapture Ramoth-gilead from the Arameans (the Syrians), they inquire of Yahweh through 400 prophets of the royal court. The prophets ensure the kings that Ramoth-gilead will be given to Ahab. The kings summon the prophet Micaiah for a second opinion.

22:1 They lived three years, and there was no war between Aram and Israel This peace probably resulted from the treaty between Ahab and Ben-hadad (20:32–34), after Israel defeated Aram (Syria) twice.

22:2 Jehoshaphat Son and successor of Asa (15:24). Jehoshaphat’s reign is briefly recorded after the death of Ahab (vv. 41–50).

22:3 Ramoth-Gilead belongs to us It is unclear when Ramoth-gilead came under Aramean (Syrian) control. First Kings 4:13 names it as one of Solomon’s provinces; according to Ahab’s agreement with Ben-hadad (20:32–34), Aram was to return to Israel all Aramean cities formerly under Israel’s control.

22:4 my horses are like your horses Jehoshaphat repeats a similar formula when allying with Ahab’s successor (2 Kgs 3:7).

22:5 inquire for The book of Kings uses the Hebrew word darash when prophets seek knowledge from Yahweh (1 Kgs 14:5).

22:6 the king of Israel assembled the prophets Previously, priests participated in such consultations (see Num 27:21; 1 Sam 30:7–8).

four hundred First Kings 18:19 identifies 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah (18:19).

the Lord While multiple Hebrew manuscripts and the Aramaic translations (or Targums) have God’s personal name, Yahweh, here, most manuscripts read adonay, meaning “lord”—a generic term that can be applied to any master, whether human or divine. The use of adonay emphasizes that the word from the 400 prophets is not from Yahweh.

22:7 prophet of Yahweh Ahab’s 400 prophets did not satisfy Jehoshaphat, who calls specifically for a prophet of Yahweh. Greek and Latin versions omit “another,” apparently to emphasize that the 400 prophets were false. Although the 400 were part of the royal court (v. 10), Jehoshaphat seems to have doubted that they were prophets of Yahweh.

22:10 the threshing floor Winnowing was a seasonal activity, so the threshing floor would have been empty the rest of the year.

22:11 With these you shall gore the Arameans Ancient Near Eastern literature from as early as 3400 bc, including the ot, portrays kings and gods as bulls pushing down their enemies with their horns (e.g., the Hittite “Crossing of the Taurus”; compare Num 23:22–24; Deut 33:17; Pss 22:12; 92:10).

22:16 How many times must I make you swear that you shall not tell me anything but truth in the name of Yahweh? Since Micaiah was known for giving King Ahab only bad news (1 Kings 22:8), his favorable response causes Ahab to suspect that he is lying or being sarcastic.

22:17 sheep without a shepherd Comparing kings and leaders to shepherds is a common motif in ancient Near Eastern literature, including the ot (e.g., Num 27:17; 2 Sam 5:2; 7:7; Jer 23:1–4; Ezek 34:1–6; Zech 13:7). Here, the leaderless flock will be Israel’s army.

22:18 he would not prophesy good concerning me Ahab did not consult Micaiah in the first place for this reason (1 Kgs 22:8).

22:19 the hosts of heaven Here, this phrase refers to members of the heavenly court (Psa 82; Job 1–2) who are allowed to decide how to carry out Yahweh’s divine decree that Ahab must die (1 Kings 22:21–23). Elsewhere, the same terminology is broadly used to refer to celestial bodies, which other nations worshiped; Israel was forbidden from this type of worship (e.g., Deut 4:19; 17:3; 2 Kgs 17:16; 21:3; Jer 8:2; 19:13).

22:21 a spirit Refers to a specific spirit. The actions of this spirit resemble those of the adversary who comes forward to test Job (Job 1–2; see note on Job 1:6); however, that term is not used to describe the spirit in this passage.

22:22 a false spirit The Hebrew here indicates that this is a spirit of deception.

22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah One of the 400 prophets who foretold victory for Ahab (1 Kgs 22:11).

slapped Micaiah on the cheek A gesture meant to humiliate.

did the Spirit of Yahweh pass from me to speak with you Zedekiah does not recognize that he speaks with a spirit of deception and therefore accuses Micaiah of doing so.

22:25 from room to room Similarly, Ben-hadad hid in an inner chamber in the city of Aphek during his second battle against Ahab (20:30).

22:26 the city Refers to Samaria (v. 10).

22:27 Put this fellow in the house of imprisonment The Israelites could confine suspects until their case was decided (Num 15:32–36; Lev 24:10–12). Presumably, Micaiah was released after his prophecy proved true, although the text does not say so.

this See note on 1 Kgs 20:7.

until I come in peace Meaning until Micaiah’s prophecy is proven false.

22:28 Yahweh has not spoken with me The proof of a valid prophet is whether his prophecy comes true (Deut 18:21–22).

22:30 you wear your robes This would make Jehoshaphat the prime target for the enemy.

the king of Israel disguised himself Ahab’s desire to blend in with the troops instead of leading them confirms Micaiah’s accusation that he does not “shepherd” his flock (1 Kgs 22:17).

22:31 his thirty-two chariot commanders Ben-hadad replaced his 32 allied kings with these 32 captains (20:24).

22:32 Surely he is the king of Israel Jehoshaphat’s true identity is confirmed upon closer inspection (20:33).

Jehoshaphat called out The content of this cry is unknown. 1–2 Chronicles adds that Jehoshaphat called upon Yahweh, who helped him (2 Chr 18:31). It may have been a Judaic war cry or he may have been simply telling the captains his true identity.

22:34 drew his bow fully The archer disobeys Ben-hadad’s command to fight only against the king of Israel (1 Kgs 22:31).

Turn the chariot This gesture both turns the chariot and signals a change in direction to the forces (see 2 Kgs 9:23).

22:35 the king was being propped up in the chariot Contrary to his wish to be carried away from battle, the king is made to stand.

22:36 each to his land Fulfills the rest of Micaiah’s prophecy (1 Kings 22:17). Israel’s army is without a leader (v. 30), and the troops retreat as a result.

22:38 the pool of Samaria Archaeologists have excavated a small pool (5 × 10 m) in the royal quarters at Samaria.

the dogs licked his blood A parallel to Elijah’s prophecy (21:19).

the prostitutes Elijah does not mention prostitutes in his prophecy concerning Ahab’s death (21:19–24). The Targums (ancient Aramaic translations) and ancient Syriac translations interpret the Hebrew word used here, zonah (meaning “harlot” or “prostitute”), as zena (meaning “armor”), resulting in the translation “the armor was washed.” This spelling correction to the Hebrew text makes sense of this otherwise enigmatic line.

22:39 the ivory palace See note on 10:18. The ivory inlays were probably set into the paneling. Archeologists have excavated more than 500 ivory fragments, carved in Phoenician style, in a burnt building at Samaria. While the date of this stratum is debated, it may date to the ninth-century and the Omride kings—especially Ahab.

all the cities that he built Many archaeological sites in northern Israel that were once ascribed to the building activities of Solomon (9:10–22)—such as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer (9:15)—have been redated to the ninth-century and the Omride kings, especially Ahab.

the events of the days of the kings of Israel See note on 14:19.

22:40 slept with his ancestors See note on 2:10.

22:41–50 The author first introduced Jehoshaphat in 15:24, as the son and successor of Asa, king of Judah. Although the narrator has already recounted Jehoshaphat’s involvement with Ahab and Israel’s war against Syria (vv. 1–33), this is the first time the narrator formally describes Jehoshaphat’s reign.

22:42 he reigned twenty-five years Jehoshaphat reigned from 873–848 bc. See 2 Chr 17:1–21:1.

Northern King	Date	Southern King	Date
Ahab	874–853 bc	Jehoshaphat	873–848 bc
Ahaziah	853–852 bc
Jehoram/Joram	852–841 bc	Jehoram	848–841 bc

22:43 he did not remove the high places Jehoshaphat’s father, Asa, also allowed the high places to remain, yet he was found faithful—suggesting that in the viewpoint of 1 Kings, they were not used for idolatrous worship during his time (1 Kings 15:14).

22:44 made peace with the king of Israel The Hebrew word used here, shalem, conveys the sense of surrender (Deut 20:12; Josh 10:1; 11:19). Israel and Judah wage war from the time the monarchy splits (see 1 Kings 14:30; 15:16, 32) until Jehoram’s marriage to Ahab’s daughter (2 Kgs 8:18).

22:46 the male shrine prostitutes See note on 14:24.

22:47 There was not a king in Edom The last king of Edom mentioned was Hadad, who rebelled against Solomon (11:14–22).

22:48 ships of the Tarshish type to go to Ophir Second Chronicles 20:35–37 fills in a few details about this ill-fated attempt to resume the maritime activities of Solomon (1 Kings 9:26–28; 10:11, 22). The Hebrew text refers to these ships as of Tarshish type; Tarshish was a distant trading port (see note on Jonah 1:3). Ophir, also mentioned here, was possibly in Arabia and was known for fine gold (see note on Job 28:16).

22:50 slept with his ancestors See note on 1 Kings 2:10.

22:52 his mother Probably refers to Jezebel.

the way of Jeroboam Apparently, the idolatrous practices begun by Jeroboam (12:25–33) remained in place during Ahaziah’s reign.

22:53 Baal The Canaanite storm god.