Page:The Books of Chronicles (1916).djvu/305

Rh in the war. And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Inquire, I pray thee, at the word of the to-day. Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God shall deliver it into the hand of the king. But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here besides a prophet of the, that we might inquire of him? And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man by whom we may inquire of the : but I hate him; for he never prophesieth good concerning me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so. Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah

proclaim it, whatever cost of personal suffering it may entail. His opponents were professedly servants of Jehovah, and it is noteworthy that Micaiah does not accuse them of deliberate intent to deceive Ahab but rather of self-deception and ignorance of the truth (ver. 21). Their ignorance of course was blameworthy, for it was due to their willingness to prophesy smooth things: they lacked that utter integrity of heart and entire devotion to his prophetic calling which Micaiah possessed.

4. Jehoshaphat] Cp. 1 Kin. iii. 11.

Inquire at the word] Cp. Dan. ii. 10 (A.V.), "no king asked such things at any magician." The use of "at" after verbs of asking is obsolete.

5. the prophets] These no doubt were prophets of Jehovah (not of Baal); cp. ver. 4 and note on ver. 6.

Shall we go or shall I forbear?] In 1 Kin., "Shall I go  or shall I forbear?" (so LXX., but not Pesh., of Chron.).

6. But Jehoshaphat said] The insertion of this lengthy account of an event which principally concerns the Northern Kingdom is remarkable, seeing that the Chronicler nowhere else inserts a narrative dealing with the affairs of north Israel. Some commentators find the chief motive for its insertion in this verse which credits Jehoshaphat with an honourable desire to ascertain Jehovah's real will. A secondary motive may be that the story shows very clearly the obstinate wickedness of Ahab, as the Chronicler would regard it, and so lends point to the censure which is subsequently passed on Jehoshaphat (xix. 2) for his alliance with the northern king.

Is there not here besides a prophet of the ] Or, Hath not the LORD here yet another prophet. The unanimity of the four hundred prophets aroused the suspicion of Jehoshaphat.

8. called an officer] The Heb. word means "eunuch." From