1 Kings 22:32 kjv
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 cried out.
1 Kings 22:32 nkjv
So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, "Surely it is the king of Israel!" Therefore they turned aside to fight against him, and Jehoshaphat cried out.
1 Kings 22:32 niv
When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they thought, "Surely this is the king of Israel." So they turned to attack him, but when Jehoshaphat cried out,
1 Kings 22:32 esv
And when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "It is surely the king of Israel." So they turned to fight against him. And Jehoshaphat cried out.
1 Kings 22:32 nlt
So when the Aramean chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat in his royal robes, they went after him. "There is the king of Israel!" they shouted. But when Jehoshaphat called out,
1 Kings 22 32 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Chr 18:31 | "So it was, when the captains of the chariots saw him... the LORD helped him, and God moved them to depart from him." | Direct parallel, confirming God's intervention. |
| Ps 34:17 | "The righteous cry, and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles." | God hears and delivers the distressed. |
| Ps 18:6 | "In my distress I called upon the LORD, And cried to my God; He heard my voice from His temple..." | God hears calls for help from heaven. |
| Ps 118:5 | "I called on the LORD in distress; The LORD answered me and set me in a large place." | God answers distressed prayers for deliverance. |
| Exod 14:10 | "When Pharaoh drew near... the children of Israel cried out to the LORD." | Example of a desperate cry in immediate peril. |
| Jon 2:2 | "I cried out to the LORD because of my affliction, And He answered me..." | Prayer in extreme danger. |
| Lam 3:55-58 | "I called on Your name, O LORD... You drew near on the day I called on You; You said, 'Do not fear!'" | God's responsive presence in trouble. |
| Heb 5:7 | "who, in the days of His flesh, offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears..." | Example of intense, fervent prayer to God. |
| Prov 21:30 | "There is no wisdom nor understanding Nor counsel against the LORD." | Human plans are subject to divine will. |
| Ps 33:10-11 | "The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect... The counsel of the LORD stands forever." | God's ultimate sovereignty over human schemes. |
| Gen 50:20 | "But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good..." | God uses human actions for His ultimate purpose. |
| 1 Kgs 22:34 | "Now a certain man drew a bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor." | God's specific execution of judgment on Ahab. |
| 1 Kgs 22:30 | "Ahab... disguised himself and went into battle." | Ahab's reliance on human stratagem and deception. |
| 1 Kgs 22:31 | "But the king of Syria had commanded his thirty-two captains... 'Do not fight with small or great, but only with the king of Israel.'" | Aram's clear military order, leading to misidentification. |
| 1 Kgs 22:20-23 | "the LORD said, 'Who will persuade Ahab to go up, that he may fall at Ramoth Gilead?'" | God orchestrates events for His prophetic fulfillment. |
| 2 Chr 19:2 | "Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you." | Rebuke for Jehoshaphat's alliance with wicked Ahab. |
| 2 Chr 20:35-37 | "After this Jehoshaphat king of Judah allied himself with Ahaziah king of Israel... for helping Ahaziah to make ships... ships were wrecked." | Consequences of future unwise alliances. |
| Prov 13:20 | "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the companion of fools will suffer harm." | Warning against associating with the ungodly. |
| Isa 41:10 | "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you..." | Promise of God's sustaining presence and help. |
| Rom 8:31 | "If God is for us, who can be against us?" | God's ultimate power to protect His people. |
| 2 Thes 3:3 | "But the Lord is faithful, who will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one." | God's faithfulness in preserving His saints. |
| Neh 9:27 | "But when they cried out to You in the time of their trouble, You heard from heaven..." | God's consistent readiness to hear His people's cry. |
| Jer 33:3 | "Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know." | Invitation to prayer with promise of great answers. |
| Zeph 1:14-16 | "A day of trouble and distress... A day of clouds and thick darkness." | Illustrates times of immense trouble and the need for God. |
| Matt 8:25 | "His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, 'Lord, save us! We are perishing!'" | Disciples' urgent cry for rescue in dire circumstances. |
1 Kings 22 verses
1 Kings 22 32 Meaning
1 Kings 22:32 describes a critical moment in the battle of Ramoth-gilead where the Aramean (Syrian) chariot captains, under orders to eliminate only the King of Israel, mistakenly identified Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, as their primary target due to his visible royal attire (unlike the disguised Ahab). They immediately diverted their attack to surround and engage him. In this moment of intense danger and mistaken identity, Jehoshaphat responded by crying out, signifying a desperate appeal for deliverance.
1 Kings 22 32 Context
1 Kings 22 sets the stage for a major conflict at Ramoth-gilead. King Ahab of Israel, seeking to reclaim the city, formed an alliance with King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Despite the prophetic warnings from Micaiah (who, unlike Ahab's court prophets, spoke truthfully and foresaw Ahab's death), Ahab proceeded to battle, devising a plan to disguise himself while having Jehoshaphat wear his royal robes. Meanwhile, the King of Aram issued specific orders to his elite chariot commanders to focus their efforts solely on eliminating the King of Israel. Verse 32 immediately recounts the near-fatal execution of these orders, driven by the misidentification, and Jehoshaphat's desperate plea.
1 Kings 22 32 Word analysis
- For when the captains of the chariots (שָׂרֵי הָרֶכֶב - sarey ha-rekhev): These are not ordinary soldiers but specialized, high-ranking military commanders leading the primary assault force. Their specific focus and strategic role in the battle underscore the grave threat they posed.
- saw (וַיִּרְאוּ - vayyir'u): This verb simply means "to see," but here it emphasizes their immediate perception and crucial misidentification of Jehoshaphat, which dramatically altered their tactics.
- Jehoshaphat (יְהוֹשָׁפָט - Yehoshaphat): King of Judah, his name means "The Lord has judged" or "The Lord is judge." This divine name contrasts with the context of his unholy alliance, but his characteristically turning to God ultimately proves key to his deliverance.
- they said (וַיֹּאמְרוּ - vayyo'mru): Indicates a collective recognition and decisive consensus among the captains based on their erroneous visual identification.
- 'Certainly it is the king of Israel!' (אַךְ מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל הוּא - ach melech Yisra'el hu'): The Hebrew particle "ach" (אַךְ) conveys strong affirmation and emphasis, akin to "Indeed!" or "Surely!" This highlights their absolute conviction in their mistaken identity, propelling them into action based on their false assumption.
- So they turned aside (וַיִּסֹּבּוּ - vayyisovvu): The verb means to "turn around" or "surround." This denotes an immediate, deliberate shift in their military maneuver, diverting from other targets to converge on Jehoshaphat.
- to fight against him (לְהִלָּחֶם בּוֹ - lehillachem bo): Expresses their direct and determined intention to engage him in lethal combat, consistent with their king's precise orders.
- But Jehoshaphat cried out (וַיִּזְעַק - vayyiz'aq): This is a key action. The verb "za'aq" typically signifies a loud cry, often for help or relief in extreme distress, and in a spiritual context, it almost always implies a desperate plea to God (as seen in many Old Testament accounts of individuals or Israel in trouble). It signals Jehoshaphat's immediate and fundamental reliance on the divine rather than any human strategy.
- Word-group analysis: "captains... saw Jehoshaphat... said, 'Certainly it is the king of Israel!'": This phrase portrays the critical error of human judgment. The elite Aramean commanders, armed with clear objectives, were entirely misled by outward appearance and circumstances, demonstrating how finite human plans can be confounded, setting the stage for divine intervention.
- Word-group analysis: "turned aside to fight against him. But Jehoshaphat cried out.": This highlights the rapid shift from imminent peril to the only possible course of action for a man of faith. Faced with overwhelming, targeted aggression, Jehoshaphat's "cry out" represents an instinctive, desperate turning to his ultimate source of help, signifying spiritual rather than physical resistance.
1 Kings 22 32 Bonus section
The episode of Jehoshaphat's near-death experience serves as a powerful theological statement about divine sovereignty and the nature of prayer. The Lord’s plan for Ahab’s judgment (as pronounced by Micaiah in 1 Kgs 22:20-23) had to come to pass, but equally, Jehoshaphat, a righteous king (despite his lapses), was under God's protective hand. The mistaken identity allowed God to temporarily preserve Ahab, setting him up for his fated death, while at the same time rescuing Jehoshaphat. This duality highlights that God's orchestration works in mysterious ways, involving human actions, errors, and desperate cries. Jehoshaphat's "cry out" is not simply an expression of panic; it symbolizes his default reliance on God in crisis, a habit of faith that the Lord honored despite his presence in a dangerous, misguided alliance.
1 Kings 22 32 Commentary
1 Kings 22:32 powerfully illustrates God's sovereign control over even chaotic battlefield situations and the outcomes of human choices. Jehoshaphat, despite his integrity, had formed an unholy alliance with the wicked Ahab, putting himself in mortal danger. When the Aramean commanders, obeying explicit orders to eliminate the King of Israel, mistakenly identified Jehoshaphat due to Ahab's disguise, his life hung by a thread. His desperate cry was not merely an exclamation of fear, but an implied, fervent plea to the Lord. While the text in 1 Kings is succinct, 2 Chronicles 18:31 provides clarity, stating "the LORD helped him; and God moved them to depart from him." This divine intervention underscores that God's protection is extended even to those who, like Jehoshaphat, find themselves in compromised positions due to poor decisions, especially when they call upon Him in truth. This moment served to save Jehoshaphat while preserving the divine timing for Ahab's prophesied demise by a "random" arrow (v.34), showcasing God's meticulous providence orchestrating both judgment and deliverance simultaneously. The verse ultimately demonstrates that the Lord alone can frustrate human schemes and bring about His intended purposes, protecting His own in the process.