1Ki 22:1
22:1 And they continued {a} three years without war between
     Syria and Israel.

     (a) Ben-hadad the king of Syria, and Ahab made a peace
         which endured three years.

1Ki 22:2
22:2 And it came to pass in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the
     king of Judah {b} came down to the king of Israel.

     (b) To see and visit him.

1Ki 22:3
22:3 And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that
     {c} Ramoth in Gilead [is] ours, and we [be] still, [and]
     take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?

     (c) The kings of Syria kept Ramoth before this league was
         made by Benhadad: therefore he did not think he was
         bound by it to restore it.

1Ki 22:4
22:4 And he said unto Jehoshaphat, Wilt thou go with me to
     battle to Ramothgilead?  And Jehoshaphat said to the king
     of Israel, {d} I [am] as thou [art], my people as thy
     people, my horses as thy horses.

     (d) I am ready to join and go with you , and all of mine is
         at your command.

1Ki 22:5
22:5 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, {e} Enquire,
     I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

     (e) He seemed that he would not go to war unless God
         approved it, yet when Michaiah advised the opposite he
         would not obey.

1Ki 22:6
22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the {f} 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.

     (f) Meaning the false prophets, who were liars and served
         for money whom Jezebel had assembled and kept after the
         death of those whom Elijah slew.

1Ki 22:7
22:7 And Jehoshaphat said, [Is there] not here a prophet of the
     {g} LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?

     (g) Jehoshaphat did not acknowledge the false prophets to
         be God's ministers, but contemned them.

1Ki 22:8
22:8 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 {h} I hate him; for he doth not
     prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat
     said, Let not the king say so.

     (h) By which we see that the wicked cannot abide to hear
         the truth, but hate the prophets of God and molest
         them.

1Ki 22:9
22:9 Then the king of Israel called an {i} officer, and said,
     Hasten [hither] Micaiah the son of Imlah.

     (i) Read @Ge 37:36.

1Ki 22:10
22:10 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah
      sat each on his throne, having put on their {k} robes, in
      a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and
      all the prophets prophesied before them.

      (k) In their kingly apparel.

1Ki 22:11
22:11 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him {i} horns of
      iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt
      thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.

      (i) The true prophets of God were accustomed to use signs
          for the confirmation of their doctrine,
          @Isa 20:2, Jer 7:2 in which the false prophets
          imitated them, thinking by it to make their doctrine
          more believable.

1Ki 22:13
22:13 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 {m} one mouth: let thy
      word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and
      speak [that which is] good.

      (m) This is the common argument of the wicked, who think
          that no one should speak against anything if the
          majority approves of it, be they ever so ungodly.

1Ki 22:15
22:15 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, {n} Go, and
      prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the hand of
      the king.

      (n) He speaks this in derision, because the king
          attributed so much to the false prophets, meaning that
          by experience he should discern that they were liars.

1Ki 22:17
22:17 And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as
      sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, {o}
      These have no master: let them return every man to his
      house in peace.

      (o) It is better for them to return home than to be
          punished and scattered because they go to war without
          God's counsel and approval.

1Ki 22:19
22:19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I
      saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the {p} host
      of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his
      left.

      (p) Meaning, his angels.

1Ki 22:21
22:21 And there came forth a spirit, and {q} stood before the
      LORD, and said, I will persuade him.

      (q) Here we see that though the devil is always ready to
          bring us to destruction, yet he has no more power than
          God gives him.

1Ki 22:22
22:22 And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will
      go forth, and I will be a {r} lying spirit in the mouth of
      all his prophets.  And he said, Thou shalt persuade [him],
      and prevail also: go forth, and do so.

      (r) I will cause all his prophets to tell lies.

1Ki 22:24
22:24 But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote
      Micaiah on the cheek, and said, {s} Which way went the
      Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

      (s) Thus the wicked would that none were in the favour of
          God but they, and that God has given his graces to
          none so much as to them.

1Ki 22:27
22:27 And say, Thus saith the king, Put this [fellow] in the
      prison, and feed him with {t} bread of affliction and with
      water of affliction, until I come in peace.

      (t) Let him waste away with hunger and be fed with a
          small portion of bread and water.

1Ki 22:28
22:28 And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD
      hath not spoken by me. And he said, {v} Hearken, O people,
      every one of you.

      (v) That when you see these things come to pass you may
          give God the glory, and know that I am his true
          prophet.

1Ki 22:32
22:32 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 {x} cried out.

      (x) That is, to the Lord for help.

1Ki 22:35
22:35 And the battle increased that day: and the {y} 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.

      (y) That is, Ahab, king of Israel.

1Ki 22:36
22:36 And there went a proclamation throughout the {z} host
      about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his
      city, and every man to his own country.

      (z) Of the Israelites.

1Ki 22:43
22:43 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 {a} the high places were
      not taken away; [for] the people offered and burnt incense
      yet in the high places.

      (a) Meaning, that he was led with an error, thinking that
          they might still sacrifice to the Lord in those
          places, as they did before the temple was built.

1Ki 22:47
22:47 [There was] then no king in Edom: a {b} deputy [was] king.

      (b) In the time of this king, Idumea was subject to Judah,
          and was governed by whom they of Judah appointed.

1Ki 22:48
22:48 Jehoshaphat made ships of {c} Tharshish to go to {d} Ophir
      for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at
      Eziongeber.

      (c) By Tharshish the scripture means Cilicia and all the
          Mediterranean Sea.
      (d) Josephus writes that Ophir is in India, where the
          Egyptians and Arabians traffic for gold.



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