1 Kings 22 20

1 Kings 22:20 kjv

And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.

1 Kings 22:20 nkjv

And the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?' So one spoke in this manner, and another spoke in that manner.

1 Kings 22:20 niv

And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that.

1 Kings 22:20 esv

and the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one said one thing, and another said another.

1 Kings 22:20 nlt

And the LORD said, 'Who can entice Ahab to go into battle against Ramoth-gilead so he can be killed?' "There were many suggestions,

1 Kings 22 verses

1 Kings 22 20 Meaning

This verse depicts a crucial moment in a prophetic vision revealed to Micaiah, showing God's sovereign decision-making process within a heavenly assembly. The Lord directly initiates the question of how to entice King Ahab into a fatal battle at Ramoth-gilead, thereby orchestrating his impending judgment and death. The subsequent part of the verse reveals a deliberation or discussion within this divine council, where various suggestions were proposed, preceding the intervention of a specific "spirit" in the following verse who offers a solution involving deception. This reveals God's active involvement in justly delivering His pre-ordained judgment upon the wicked king Ahab, who had persistently rejected divine truth.

1 Kings 22 20 Context

This verse is central to Micaiah the prophet's extraordinary vision, delivered as a counter-prophecy to the 400 court prophets of Ahab and Jehoshaphat. Ahab, king of Israel, eager to reclaim Ramoth-gilead from Aram, consults his 400 prophets, who uniformly predict victory. However, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah (who unwisely allied with Ahab), insists on consulting a prophet of the Lord. Micaiah is then reluctantly summoned, and after an initial sarcastic affirmation of the other prophets, delivers his true, grim message: a vision of Israel scattered without a shepherd, and critically, this very heavenly scene of God orchestrating Ahab's demise. The verse immediately precedes the lying spirit's offer to entice Ahab, setting the stage for the prophetic showdown and Ahab's fated battle. Historically, Ahab had persistently defied God's laws, promoted Baal worship, and recently unjustly seized Naboth's vineyard, for which Elijah had already pronounced God's judgment (1 Ki 21). This divine decree serves as the execution of that judgment.

1 Kings 22 20 Word analysis

• And the Lord said (וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה - vayyo'mer Yahweh): Emphasizes God's active initiation and supreme authority. It is not an arbitrary act but a deliberate divine decree from the ultimate Sovereign. This opening stresses that the entire event proceeds from Yahweh Himself, underscoring His control over even deceptive forces.
• Who will entice (מִי יְפַתֶּה - mi yefatteh): The verb פָּתָה (pātāh) means "to persuade, to entice, to deceive, to trick, to seduce." Here, it's used with the sense of a leading to one's downfall. It signifies a divine permitting or even commissioning of an agent to lead Ahab into error as an act of judgment. God does not directly perform evil, but in His sovereignty, He can allow or commission deceptive forces to achieve His righteous judgments upon those who have consistently rejected truth. This is a crucial theological point, as it portrays God's ultimate judicial control over the means of judgment, not His authorship of evil.
• Ahab (אַחְאָב - ʾAḥʾāb): The specific target of this divine judgment. Ahab's persistent wickedness, idolatry, and rebellion against God, culminating in the Naboth incident (1 Ki 21), make him ripe for divine retribution. This name here signifies the summation of human rebellion deserving of this precise divine intervention.
• that he may go up (וְיַעַל - v'yaʿal): Indicates the act of ascending or going up to battle, specifically against Ramoth-gilead. It connects God's decision directly to Ahab's immediate military ambition, linking the means of judgment to Ahab's own desired action.
• and fall (וְיִפֹּל - v'yippol): Implies defeat, being killed, or literally "falling down" in battle. It is the decreed outcome, ensuring Ahab's demise. This confirms the judgmental nature of the entire process—it's not merely deception for deception's sake but deception unto deserved destruction.
• at Ramoth-gilead (בְּרָמֹת גִּלְעָד - b'Ramot Gilʿad): The specific geographic location where God's judgment on Ahab is to be executed. This precise detail emphasizes the controlled and determined nature of God's plan, underscoring His detailed oversight of events.
• And one said one thing, and another said another (וַיֹּאמֶר זֶה בְּכֹה וְזֶה בְּכֹה - vayyo'mer zeh b'khoh v'zeh bְּkhoh): Describes a deliberation or discussion within the divine council. This is not chaos, but a structured process where different proposals are offered before the specific method is chosen (as seen in the following verse). It shows a divine decision-making environment, rather than an arbitrary command, though ultimately God's will is paramount. This detail humanizes the scene to make it comprehensible, reflecting a King consulting his court.

1 Kings 22 20 Bonus section

This rare biblical depiction of God's heavenly council engaged in a deliberative process offers profound theological insights. It is one of the clearest Old Testament references to the "Divine Council," echoed in passages like Psalm 82:1 and Job 1-2. It establishes Yahweh not as a chaotic or warring deity like pagan gods, but as the supreme ruler whose plans are executed through various means, including the allowance or even dispatch of deceptive spirits as instruments of His righteous judgment. This challenges any notion that God is powerless over evil or unaware of its workings; rather, He commands all things, even allowing deception, to bring about His just and holy will. This vision, seen through Micaiah, stands in stark contrast to the easy, favorable prophecies given by Ahab's 400 "prophets," revealing their true nature as recipients of a "lying spirit" permitted by God to ensure Ahab's fated end. This is a theological parallel to passages in the New Testament, like 2 Thess 2:11, where God "sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false" upon those who refuse to love the truth.

1 Kings 22 20 Commentary

1 Kings 22:20 opens a profound window into divine sovereignty and the nature of judgment, a vision that distinguishes true prophecy from false. God, seated in His heavenly court, actively initiates the question of how to lure wicked King Ahab to his doom at Ramoth-gilead. This is not God tempting man to sin (Jam 1:13), but rather orchestrating the means of judgment for a man already steeped in sin and set on his own self-destructive path. Ahab had stubbornly rejected every warning and pursued idolatry and injustice; consequently, God permits a delusion to take hold of him, confirming his path to ruin. The depiction of deliberation in the divine council highlights God's sovereign wisdom and orderly administration, even when dealing with negative outcomes. It's a striking illustration that behind seemingly human political and military maneuvers, there is often a profound spiritual reality guided by the Most High for the fulfillment of His righteous purposes and prior prophecies. God does not directly lie, but He may permit or send a spirit of delusion upon those who have refused His truth, hardening their hearts unto judgment.