17 And he said, H559 I saw H7200 all Israel H3478 scattered H6327 upon the hills, H2022 as sheep H6629 that have not a shepherd: H7462 and the LORD H3068 said, H559 These have no master: H113 let them return H7725 every man H376 to his house H1004 in peace. H7965
And a certain man H376 drew H4900 a bow H7198 at a venture, H8537 and smote H5221 the king H4428 of Israel H3478 between the joints H1694 of the harness: H8302 wherefore he said H559 unto the driver of his chariot, H7395 Turn H2015 thine hand, H3027 and carry me out H3318 of the host; H4264 for I am wounded. H2470 And the battle H4421 increased H5927 that day: H3117 and the king H4428 was stayed up H5975 in his chariot H4818 against H5227 the Syrians, H758 and died H4191 at even: H6153 and the blood H1818 ran out H3332 of the wound H4347 into the midst H2436 of the chariot. H7393 And there went H5674 a proclamation H7440 throughout the host H4264 about the going down H935 of the sun, H8121 saying, H559 Every man H376 to his city, H5892 and every man H376 to his own country. H776
Then he said, H559 I did see H7200 all Israel H3478 scattered H6327 upon the mountains, H2022 as sheep H6629 that have no shepherd: H7462 and the LORD H3068 said, H559 These have no master; H113 let them return H7725 therefore every man H376 to his house H1004 in peace. H7965 And the king H4428 of Israel H3478 said H559 to Jehoshaphat, H3092 Did I not tell H559 thee that he would not prophesy H5012 good H2896 unto me, but evil? H7451
Moreover the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me, saying, H559 Jeremiah, H3414 what seest H7200 thou? And I said, H559 I see H7200 a rod H4731 of an almond tree. H8247 Then said H559 the LORD H3068 unto me, Thou hast well H3190 seen: H7200 for I will hasten H8245 my word H1697 to perform H6213 it. And the word H1697 of the LORD H3068 came unto me the second time, H8145 saying, H559 What seest H7200 thou? And I said, H559 I see H7200 a seething H5301 pot; H5518 and the face H6440 thereof is toward H6440 the north. H6828 Then the LORD H3068 said H559 unto me, Out of the north H6828 an evil H7451 shall break forth H6605 upon all the inhabitants H3427 of the land. H776 For, lo, I will call H7121 all the families H4940 of the kingdoms H4467 of the north, H6828 saith H5002 the LORD; H3068 and they shall come, H935 and they shall set H5414 every one H376 his throne H3678 at the entering H6607 of the gates H8179 of Jerusalem, H3389 and against all the walls H2346 thereof round about, H5439 and against all the cities H5892 of Judah. H3063 And I will utter H1696 my judgments H4941 against them touching H5921 all their wickedness, H7451 who have forsaken H5800 me, and have burned incense H6999 unto other H312 gods, H430 and worshipped H7812 the works H4639 of their own hands. H3027
Woe H1945 be unto the pastors H7462 that destroy H6 and scatter H6327 the sheep H6629 of my pasture! H4830 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068 Therefore thus saith H559 the LORD H3068 God H430 of Israel H3478 against the pastors H7462 that feed H7462 my people; H5971 Ye have scattered H6327 my flock, H6629 and driven them away, H5080 and have not visited H6485 them: behold, I will visit H6485 upon you the evil H7455 of your doings, H4611 saith H5002 the LORD. H3068
The diseased H2470 have ye not strengthened, H2388 neither have ye healed H7495 that which was sick, H2470 neither have ye bound up H2280 that which was broken, H7665 neither have ye brought again H7725 that which was driven away, H5080 neither have ye sought H1245 that which was lost; H6 but with force H2394 and with cruelty H6531 have ye ruled H7287 them. And they were scattered, H6327 because there is no shepherd: H7462 and they became meat H402 to all the beasts H2416 of the field, H7704 when they were scattered. H6327 My sheep H6629 wandered H7686 through all the mountains, H2022 and upon every high H7311 hill: H1389 yea, my flock H6629 was scattered H6327 upon all the face H6440 of the earth, H776 and none did search H1875 or seek H1245 after them.
And G2532 saw G2334 heaven G3772 opened, G455 and G2532 a certain G5100 vessel G4632 descending G2597 unto G1909 him, G846 as G5613 it had been a great G3173 sheet G3607 knit G1210 at the four G5064 corners, G746 and G2532 let down G2524 to G1909 the earth: G1093 Wherein G1722 G3739 were G5225 all manner G3956 of fourfooted beasts G5074 of the earth, G1093 and G2532 wild beasts, G2342 and G2532 creeping things, G2062 and G2532 fowls G4071 of the air. G3772 And G2532 there came G1096 a voice G5456 to G4314 him, G846 Rise, G450 Peter; G4074 kill, G2380 and G2532 eat. G5315 But G1161 Peter G4074 said, G2036 Not so, G3365 Lord; G2962 for G3754 I have G5315 never G3763 eaten G5315 any thing G3956 that is common G2839 or G2228 unclean. G169 And G2532 the voice G5456 spake unto G4314 him G846 again G3825 G1537 the second time, G1208 What G3739 God G2316 hath cleansed, G2511 that call G2840 not G3361 thou G4771 common. G2840 G1161 This G5124 was done G1096 thrice: G1909 G5151 and G2532 the vessel G4632 was received up G353 again G3825 into G1519 heaven. G3772 Now G1161 while G5613 Peter G4074 doubted G1280 in G1722 himself G1438 what G5101 this vision G3705 which G3739 he had seen G1492 should mean, G302 G1498 behold, G2400 G2532 the men G435 which G3588 were sent G649 from G575 Cornelius G2883 had made enquiry G1331 for Simon's G4613 house, G3614 and stood G2186 before G1909 the gate, G4440
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on 1 Kings 22
Commentary on 1 Kings 22 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
CHAPTER 22
1Ki 22:1-36. Ahab Slain at Ramoth-gilead.
1. continued three years without war between Syria and Israel—The disastrous defeat of Ben-hadad had so destroyed his army and exhausted the resources of his country, that, however eager, he was unable to recommence active hostilities against Israel. But that his hereditary enmity remained unsubdued, was manifest by his breach of faith concerning the treaty by which he had engaged to restore all the cities which his father had seized (1Ki 20:34).
2. Jehoshaphat the king of Judah came down to the king of Israel—It was singular that a friendly league between the sovereigns of Israel and Judah should, for the first time, have been formed by princes of such opposite characters—the one pious, the other wicked. Neither this league nor the matrimonial alliance by which the union of the royal families was more closely cemented, met the Lord's approval (2Ch 19:2). It led, however, to a visit by Jehoshaphat, whose reception in Samaria was distinguished by the most lavish hospitality (2Ch 18:2). The opportunity of this visit was taken advantage of, to push an object on which Ahab's heart was much set.
3-8. Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours—a Levitical and free town on the north border of Gad (De 4:43; Jos 21:38), on the site of the present Salt Lake, in the province of Belka. It lay within the territories of the Israelitish monarch, and was unjustly alienated; but whether it was one of the cities usurped by the first Ben-hadad, which his son had promised to restore, or was retained for some other reasons, the sacred historian has not mentioned. In the expedition which Ahab meditated for the recovery of this town, the aid of Jehoshaphat was asked and promised (see 2Ch 18:3). Previous to declaring hostilities, it was customary to consult the prophets (see on 1Sa 28:8); and Jehoshaphat having expressed a strong desire to know the Lord's will concerning this war, Ahab assembled four hundred of his prophets. These could not be either the prophets of Baal or of Ashteroth (1Ki 18:19), but seem (1Ki 22:12) to have been false prophets, who conformed to the symbolic calf-worship of Jehovah. Being the creatures of Ahab, they unanimously predicted a prosperous issue to the war. But dissatisfied with them, Jehoshaphat inquired if there was any true prophet of the Lord. Ahab agreed, with great reluctance, to allow Micaiah to be summoned. He was the only true prophet then to be found residing in Samaria, and he had to be brought out of prison (1Ki 22:26), into which, according to Josephus, he had been cast on account of his rebuke to Ahab for sparing the king of Syria.
10. a void place—literally, "a threshing-floor," formed at the gate of Samaria.
11. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron—Small projections, of the size and form of our candle extinguishers (worn in many parts of the East as military ornaments), were worn by the Syrians of that time, and probably by the Israelite warriors also. Zedekiah, by assuming two horns, personated two heroes, and, pretending to be a prophet, wished in this manner to represent the kings of Israel and Judah in a military triumph. It was a symbolic action, to impart greater force to his language (see De 33:17); but it was little more than a flourish with a spontoon [Calmet, Fragments].
14-17. what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak—On the way the messenger who conducted [Micaiah] to the royal presence informed him of the tenor of the prophecies already given and recommended him to agree with the rest, no doubt from the kindly motive of seeing him released from imprisonment. But Micaiah, inflexibly faithful to his divine mission as a prophet, announced his purpose to proclaim honestly whatever God should bid him. On being asked by the king, "Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I forbear?" the prophet gave precisely the same answer as the previous oracles that had been consulted; but it must have been given in a sarcastic tone and in ironical mockery of their way of speaking. Being solemnly urged to give a serious and truthful answer, Micaiah then declared the visionary scene the Spirit had revealed to him;—
17. I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd—The purport of this was that the army of Israel would be defeated and dispersed; that Ahab would fall in the battle, and the people return without either being pursued or destroyed by the enemy.
18-23. Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?—Since Ahab was disposed to trace this unwelcome truth to personal enmity, Micaiah proceeded fearlessly to tell the incensed monarch in full detail what had been revealed to him. The Hebrew prophets, borrowing their symbolic pictures from earthly scenes, described God in heaven as a king in His kingdom. And as earthly princes do nothing of importance without asking the advice of their counsellors, God is represented as consulting about the fate of Ahab. This prophetic language must not be interpreted literally, and the command must be viewed as only a permission to the lying spirit (Ro 11:34) [Calmet].
24, 25. Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek—The insolence of this man, the leader of the false prophets, seems to have been provoked by jealousy at Micaiah's assumed monopoly of the spirit of inspiration. This mode of smiting, usually with a shoe, is both severe and ignominious. The calm reply of the Lord's prophet consisted in announcing the fate of the false prophets who suffered as the advisers of the disastrous expedition.
26-28. Take Micaiah, … Put this fellow in prison—Ahab, under the impulse of vehement resentment, remands the prophet until his return.
27, 28. bread of affliction, water of affliction—that is, the poorest prison fare. Micaiah submitted, but reiterated aloud, in the presence of all, that the issue of the war would be fatal to Ahab.
29-38. went up to Ramoth-gilead—The king of Israel, bent on this expedition, marched, accompanied by his ally, with all his forces to the siege; but on approaching the scene of action, his courage failed, and, hoping to evade the force of Micaiah's prophecy by a secret stratagem, he assumed the uniform of a subaltern, while he advised Jehoshaphat to fight in his royal attire. The Syrian king, with a view either to put the speediest end to the war, or perhaps to wipe out the stain of his own humiliation (1Ki 20:31), had given special instructions to his generals to single out Ahab, and to take or kill him, as the author of the war. The officers at first directed their assault on Jehoshaphat, but, becoming aware of their mistake, desisted. Ahab was wounded by a random arrow, which, being probably poisoned, and the state of the weather increasing the virulence of the poison, he died at sunset. The corpse was conveyed to Samaria; and, as the chariot which brought it was being washed, in a pool near the city, from the blood that had profusely oozed from the wound, the dogs, in conformity with Elijah's prophecy, came and licked it [1Ki 21:19]. Ahab was succeeded by his son Ahaziah [1Ki 22:40].