1 Kings 22:15 kjv
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, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
1 Kings 22:15 nkjv
Then he came to the king; and the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king!"
1 Kings 22:15 niv
When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or not?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for the LORD will give it into the king's hand."
1 Kings 22:15 esv
And when he had come to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?" And he answered him, "Go up and triumph; the LORD will give it into the hand of the king."
1 Kings 22:15 nlt
When Micaiah arrived before the king, Ahab asked him, "Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we hold back?" Micaiah replied sarcastically, "Yes, go up and be victorious, for the LORD will give the king victory!"
1 Kings 22 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jer 28:1-4 | In the fifth month of that same year, in the fourth year…Hananiah…spoke, "Thus says the Lord…" | False prophecy for favor |
| Jer 28:15-17 | Then the prophet Jeremiah said to Hananiah… "You have made this people trust in a lie…this year you shall die…" | False prophet's fate |
| Ezek 13:3-8 | Thus says the Lord GOD, "Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!..." | Condemnation of false prophets |
| 2 Tim 4:3-4 | For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears will accumulate for themselves teachers… | Desire for pleasing teachers |
| Prov 29:1 | He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck, will suddenly be broken beyond healing. | Stubborn rejection of truth |
| Prov 12:15 | The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice. | Folly of self-deception |
| 2 Chr 18:14 | And when he came to the king, the king said to him, "Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-Gilead to battle…" | Parallel account in Chronicles |
| Jer 6:13-14 | "For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain…They have healed the wound of my people lightly…" | Superficial, false peace |
| Isa 30:9-10 | For they are a rebellious people, lying children, children unwilling to hear the instruction of the Lord; who say to the seers, "Do not see…" | Rejection of divine truth |
| Isa 5:20 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! | Distorting truth, pleasing lies |
| Num 22:38 | But Balaam said to Balak, "Behold, I have come to you! Have I now any power to speak anything at all? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak." | Prophet constrained by God's word |
| Deut 18:20 | But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak…that same prophet shall die. | Consequence of false prophecy |
| Mt 7:15 | "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." | Warning against false prophets |
| 1 Jn 4:1 | Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world. | Discerning true from false |
| Job 12:16 | With Him are strength and prudence; The deceived and the deceiver are His. | God's sovereignty over deception |
| Judges 9:23 | God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem… | God uses evil/deceiving spirits |
| 2 Thes 2:11 | Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false… | Divine judgment through delusion |
| Prov 1:30-31 | They would have none of my counsel; They despised all my rebuke. Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way… | Consequence of rejecting counsel |
| Prov 26:28 | A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth works ruin. | Ruin from flattery |
| Ps 73:6-9 | Therefore pride is their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment…Their mouth sets itself against the heavens… | Arrogance and self-deception |
| Lk 20:20-23 | So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something… | Attempt to trap truth-teller |
| Mt 26:63-64 | But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God…Are you the Christ, the Son of God?" | Reluctance to give direct truth when mocked |
1 Kings 22 verses
1 Kings 22 15 Meaning
1 Kings 22:15 records the initial, highly sarcastic response of the prophet Micaiah to King Ahab's inquiry about going to battle against Ramoth-Gilead. Ahab asks if he should attack or refrain. Micaiah's reply, "Go up and triumph; the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king," is a cynical echo of the false prophets' pronouncements, mimicking their positive but ultimately deceptive assurances. It is a rhetorical device, not a genuine prophecy, designed to expose the king's preference for flattery over truth and to highlight the emptiness of the counsel he had already received from 400 prophets. Micaiah's tone and body language, implicitly understood by the king, revealed the irony, prompting Ahab to press for a true word from the Lord.
1 Kings 22 15 Context
The verse takes place during a critical encounter between King Ahab of Israel and the prophet Micaiah. King Ahab, in league with King Jehoshaphat of Judah, planned to wage war against Ramoth-Gilead, a strategically important city. Before embarking, Jehoshaphat insisted on consulting the Lord. Ahab gathered 400 of his own "prophets," who all uniformly delivered a positive prophecy, assuring victory and triumph. However, Jehoshaphat discerned that these were not true prophets of the Lord and requested a prophet of Yahweh. Reluctantly, Ahab sent for Micaiah, a prophet he disliked because Micaiah "never prophesies good concerning me, but evil." Ahab’s disdain for Micaiah sets the stage for the dramatic confrontation. This verse captures Micaiah's initial response upon entering Ahab's presence, understanding that the king was not truly seeking God's will but merely validation for his already decided military campaign and the positive outcome promised by his other prophets.
1 Kings 22 15 Word analysis
- So when he came to the king: This signifies the moment Micaiah, after being brought from prison, stood before the ruler. It emphasizes the direct confrontation that Ahab was trying to avoid.
- the king said to him: This highlights Ahab's direct engagement with Micaiah, but also implies an expectation for Micaiah to confirm what the other prophets had already said.
- Micaiah: The prophet's name, Mikayah (מִיכָיְהוּ), means "Who is like Yahweh?". His very name foreshadows the uniqueness of his true prophecy compared to the multitude, asserting the singular authority of God.
- shall we go to Ramoth Gilead to battle, or shall we refrain?: Ahab's direct question, using a form of decision-making query. "Ramoth Gilead" (רָמֹת גִּלְעָד, ramoth gil‘ad) refers to a strategically vital city in Transjordan. Ahab seeks affirmation for an offensive military action already strongly advocated by 400 prophets. This implies Ahab wasn't genuinely seeking guidance, but seeking confirmation.
- And he answered him: Introduces Micaiah's immediate response.
- Go up and triumph: (עֲלֵה֙ וְהַצְלַ֔ח, ‘aleh v'hatzlaḥ) "Go up" is an imperative, an immediate command. "Triumph" comes from the root צָלַח (tsalach), meaning to prosper, succeed, be fortunate. This phrase precisely mimics the flattering and positive declarations of the 400 false prophets. It is an apparent endorsement.
- the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king: (וְנָתַ֨ן יְהוָ֥ה, və-natan YHWH…בְּיַ֣ד הַמֶּ֑לֶךְ, bə-yad ha-melekh) This is the full statement of assurance, attributed to "the Lord" (YHWH). This part is crucial as Micaiah sarcastically attributes the false promise to God, thereby exposing the blasphemy of the false prophets' pronouncements and Ahab's willingness to accept such lies. The phrase "deliver it into the hand of the king" is a common biblical idiom for victory and control. Micaiah's deliberate use of these precise terms highlights the perversion of true prophecy. The intonation, manner, and look of Micaiah undoubtedly conveyed the sarcastic and contemptuous nature of this answer, as Ahab immediately recognized it.
1 Kings 22 15 Bonus section
- This verse subtly underscores the theme of divine sovereignty even over deception; while Micaiah sarcastically attributes the outcome to the Lord, later he reveals the Lord actively allowed a "deceiving spirit" to influence the false prophets. This points to God's ultimate control over events, even as a judgment on those who willingly choose falsehood.
- The scene mirrors other biblical instances where prophets are pressured to speak pleasant words, or where truth-tellers face hostility from those in power (e.g., Amos, Jeremiah). Micaiah's courage in delivering an unpalatable truth, even sarcastically at first, makes him a paradigmatic figure of authentic prophecy.
- The "triumph" promised by the false prophets (and sarcastically echoed by Micaiah) highlights the superficial nature of worldly success sought apart from God's genuine will.
1 Kings 22 15 Commentary
1 Kings 22:15 serves as a powerful illustration of the contrast between true prophecy rooted in divine truth and false prophecy rooted in human desire for affirmation. Micaiah's initial response is not a divine message but a masterful piece of prophetic irony. By mirroring the pleasant, triumphant words of Ahab's 400 false prophets, Micaiah cleverly exposes the king's self-deception and the sycophantic nature of the court prophets. Ahab, accustomed to Micaiah speaking unwelcome truth, likely detected the sarcasm in Micaiah's tone or demeanor. The king's immediate challenge in the following verse ("How many times shall I make you swear that you speak to me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?") confirms his understanding that Micaiah's initial statement was not genuine. This setup effectively prepares for the grim, authentic prophecy Micaiah is about to deliver, demonstrating that a true prophet speaks only what God has commanded, even if it is unpopular or dangerous. It highlights God's justice in allowing those who reject truth to be deceived by pleasant lies.