Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Dressed in royal attireThis phrase highlights the grandeur and authority of the kings. In ancient Israel, royal attire was not just a symbol of power but also a representation of divine appointment. The Hebrew word for "royal" (מַלְכוּת, malkut) signifies kingship and dominion, emphasizing the God-given authority bestowed upon these leaders. The attire would have been elaborate, possibly including purple or scarlet fabrics, which were costly and signified wealth and status. This setting underscores the seriousness of the occasion and the expectation of divine guidance. the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah
This phrase identifies the two monarchs involved in the narrative. The king of Israel at this time was Ahab, known for his idolatry and opposition to the prophets of Yahweh. Jehoshaphat, on the other hand, was a king of Judah who sought to follow the ways of the Lord, as seen in 2 Chronicles 17:3-4. The alliance between these two kings is significant, as it represents a political and military partnership, despite their differing spiritual paths. Historically, this alliance was strategic, aimed at countering the threat from Aram (Syria). were sitting on their thrones
The imagery of the kings sitting on their thrones conveys a sense of judgment and decision-making. In ancient Near Eastern culture, the throne was a symbol of authority and governance. The Hebrew word for "throne" (כִּסֵּא, kise) often denotes a seat of honor and power. This setting indicates that the kings were in a position to make significant decisions, likely regarding warfare or political alliances. It also suggests a formal and solemn assembly, where important matters were to be discussed. at the threshing floor
Threshing floors were open spaces used for separating grain from chaff, often located on elevated ground to catch the wind. In biblical times, they were also places of communal gathering and significant events. The use of a threshing floor as the location for this meeting may symbolize a place of decision and separation, much like the process of threshing itself. Spiritually, it can be seen as a place where truth is discerned and falsehood is cast away. by the entrance of the gate of Samaria
The gate of a city was a place of legal transactions, public announcements, and judgment. Samaria, being the capital of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was a central location for such activities. The gate served as a hub of civic life and was often where elders and leaders would gather to discuss and decide on important matters. This setting underscores the public and official nature of the proceedings, as well as the accessibility of the kings to their people. with all the prophets prophesying before them
This phrase indicates the presence of prophets who were delivering messages, presumably from God. In the context of ancient Israel, prophets were seen as intermediaries between God and the people, tasked with conveying divine will. However, the narrative later reveals that many of these prophets were false, speaking words that pleased the king rather than the truth of God. This highlights the tension between true and false prophecy, a recurring theme in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word for "prophesying" (נִבָּא, naba) implies speaking under divine inspiration, though in this case, it is ironic given the falsehood of their messages. Persons / Places / Events 1. King of IsraelAhab, the king of Israel, known for his idolatry and opposition to the prophets of God. 2. JehoshaphatThe king of Judah, known for his faithfulness to God, yet criticized for his alliance with Ahab. 3. Threshing FloorA place often used for judgment and decision-making, symbolizing a place of separation and revelation. 4. Gate of SamariaThe location where important decisions and judgments were made, serving as a public forum. 5. ProphetsA group of prophets, likely false, who were prophesying in favor of Ahab's plans. Teaching Points Discernment in LeadershipThe presence of Jehoshaphat alongside Ahab highlights the need for godly leaders to exercise discernment in their alliances and decisions. The Role of ProphetsThe gathering of prophets at the gate underscores the importance of seeking God's true voice amidst a multitude of opinions. Symbolism of the Threshing FloorThe threshing floor as a setting for this event symbolizes the need for spiritual discernment and the separation of truth from falsehood. Public Decision-MakingThe location at the gate of Samaria reminds us of the importance of transparency and accountability in leadership decisions. Consequences of AlliancesJehoshaphat's alliance with Ahab serves as a cautionary tale about the potential spiritual and practical consequences of ungodly partnerships. Bible Study Questions 1. What can we learn from Jehoshaphat's decision to ally with Ahab, and how does this apply to our own relationships and partnerships? 2. How does the setting of the threshing floor and the gate of Samaria enhance our understanding of the events in this passage? 3. In what ways can we discern true prophetic voices in our lives today, and what biblical principles should guide us? 4. How does the presence of false prophets in this passage relate to Jesus' warnings about false prophets in the New Testament? 5. What steps can we take to ensure that our decisions, especially those made in public or leadership roles, align with God's will and truth? Connections to Other Scriptures 2 Chronicles 18This chapter provides a parallel account of the events in 1 Kings 22, offering additional insights into the interactions between Ahab, Jehoshaphat, and the prophets. Deuteronomy 13:1-5Discusses the test of a true prophet, emphasizing the importance of discerning true prophecy from false. Matthew 7:15-20Jesus warns about false prophets, highlighting the need for discernment based on their fruits. People Ahab, Ahaziah, Amon, Aram, Asa, Azubah, Chenaanah, David, Geber, Imlah, Jehoram, Jehoshaphat, Jeroboam, Joash, Micah, Micaiah, Nebat, Ophir, Shilhi, Sodomites, Syrians, Tarshish, Tharshish, ZedekiahPlaces Edom, Ezion-geber, Jerusalem, Ophir, Ramoth-gilead, Samaria, Syria, TarshishTopics Acting, Arrayed, Authority, Clothed, Doorway, Dressed, Entrance, Floor, Garments, Gate, Jehoshaphat, Jehosh'aphat, Judah, Open, Opening, Prophesied, Prophesying, Prophets, Robes, Royal, Samaria, Sama'ria, Sat, Seated, Seats, Sitting, Threshing, Threshing-floor, Throne, Thrones, VoidDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Kings 22:10 4524 threshing-floor
5177 robes
5323 gate
5581 throne
7778 school of prophets 1 Kings 22:1-28 7774 prophets, false 1 Kings 22:1-38 8131 guidance, results 1 Kings 22:10-28 1469 visions Library Unpossessed Possessions
'And the king of Israel said unto his servants, Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours, and we be still, and take it not out of the hand of the king of Syria?'--1 KINGS xxii. 3. This city of Ramoth in Gilead was an important fortified place on the eastern side of the Jordan, and had, many years before the date of our text, been captured by its northern neighbours in the kingdom of Syria. A treaty had subsequently been concluded and broken a war followed thereafter, in which Ben-hadad, King of Syria, …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureAhab and Micaiah
'And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the Lord besides, that we might enquire of him? 8. And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the Lord: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.'--1 KINGS xxii. 7,8. An ill-omened alliance had been struck up between Ahab of Israel and Jehoshaphat of Judah. The latter, who would have been much better in Jerusalem, had come down to Samaria …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Prophet Micah.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. Micah signifies: "Who is like Jehovah;" and by this name, the prophet is consecrated to the incomparable God, just as Hosea was to the helping God, and Nahum to the comforting God. He prophesied, according to the inscription, under Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. We are not, however, entitled, on this account, to dissever his prophecies, and to assign particular discourses to the reign of each of these kings. On the contrary, the entire collection forms only one whole. At …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
1. The Hebrews reckon but three books as poetical, namely: Job, Psalms, and Proverbs, which are distinguished from the rest by a stricter rhythm--the rhythm not of feet, but of clauses (see below, No. 3)--and a peculiar system of accentuation. It is obvious to every reader that the poetry of the Old Testament, in the usual sense of the word, is not restricted to these three books. But they are called poetical in a special and technical sense. In any natural classification of the books of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible The Assyrian Revival and the Struggle for Syria
Assur-nazir-pal (885-860) and Shalmaneser III. (860-825)--The kingdom of Urartu and its conquering princes: Menuas and Argistis. Assyria was the first to reappear on the scene of action. Less hampered by an ancient past than Egypt and Chaldaea, she was the sooner able to recover her strength after any disastrous crisis, and to assume again the offensive along the whole of her frontier line. Image Drawn by Faucher-Gudin, from a bas-relief at Koyunjik of the time of Sennacherib. The initial cut, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 7 Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion The Shepherd of Our Souls.
"I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep."--John x. 11. Our Lord here appropriates to Himself the title under which He had been foretold by the Prophets. "David My servant shall be king over them," says Almighty God by the mouth of Ezekiel: "and they all shall have one Shepherd." And in the book of Zechariah, "Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of Hosts; smite the Shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered." …
John Henry Newman—Parochial and Plain Sermons, Vol. VIII Of Councils and their Authority.
1. The true nature of Councils. 2. Whence the authority of Councils is derived. What meant by assembling in the name of Christ. 3. Objection, that no truth remains in the Church if it be not in Pastors and Councils. Answer, showing by passages from the Old Testament that Pastors were often devoid of the spirit of knowledge and truth. 4. Passages from the New Testament showing that our times were to be subject to the same evil. This confirmed by the example of almost all ages. 5. All not Pastors who …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion That the Employing Of, and Associating with the Malignant Party, According as is Contained in the Public Resolutions, is Sinful and Unlawful.
That The Employing Of, And Associating With The Malignant Party, According As Is Contained In The Public Resolutions, Is Sinful And Unlawful. If there be in the land a malignant party of power and policy, and the exceptions contained in the Act of Levy do comprehend but few of that party, then there need be no more difficulty to prove, that the present public resolutions and proceedings do import an association and conjunction with a malignant party, than to gather a conclusion from clear premises. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning Of Passages from the Holy Scriptures, and from the Apocrypha, which are Quoted, or Incidentally Illustrated, in the Institutes.
TO THE AUTHORS QUOTED IN THE INSTITUTES PREFATORY ADDRESS TO HIS MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY, THE MOST MIGHTY AND ILLUSTRIOUS MONARCH, FRANCIS, KING OF THE FRENCH, HIS SOVEREIGN; [1] JOHN CALVIN PRAYS PEACE AND SALVATION IN CHRIST. [2] Sire,--When I first engaged in this work, nothing was farther from my thoughts than to write what should afterwards be presented to your Majesty. My intention was only to furnish a kind of rudiments, by which those who feel some interest in religion might be trained to …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion He Does Battle for the Faith; He Restores Peace among those who were at Variance; He Takes in Hand to Build a Stone Church.
57. (32). There was a certain clerk in Lismore whose life, as it is said, was good, but his faith not so. He was a man of some knowledge in his own eyes, and dared to say that in the Eucharist there is only a sacrament and not the fact[718] of the sacrament, that is, mere sanctification and not the truth of the Body. On this subject he was often addressed by Malachy in secret, but in vain; and finally he was called before a public assembly, the laity however being excluded, in order that if it were …
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God Tit. 2:06 Thoughts for Young Men
WHEN St. Paul wrote his Epistle to Titus about his duty as a minister, he mentioned young men as a class requiring peculiar attention. After speaking of aged men and aged women, and young women, he adds this pithy advice, "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded" (Tit. 2:6). I am going to follow the Apostle's advice. I propose to offer a few words of friendly exhortation to young men. I am growing old myself, but there are few things I remember so well as the days of my youth. I have a most …
John Charles Ryle—The Upper Room: Being a Few Truths for the Times General Principles of Interpretation. 1 Since the Bible Addresses Men in Human Language...
CHAPTER XXXIV. GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATION. 1. Since the Bible addresses men in human language, and according to human modes of thinking and speaking, the interpreter's first work is to ascertain the meaning of the terms employed. Here he must proceed as in the case of other writings, seeking by the aid of grammars, lexicons, cognate languages, ancient versions, ancient interpreters, and whatever other outward helps are available, to gain a thorough knowledge of the language employed by …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Commerce
The remarkable change which we have noticed in the views of Jewish authorities, from contempt to almost affectation of manual labour, could certainly not have been arbitrary. But as we fail to discover here any religious motive, we can only account for it on the score of altered political and social circumstances. So long as the people were, at least nominally, independent, and in possession of their own land, constant engagement in a trade would probably mark an inferior social stage, and imply …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life The Figurative Language of Scripture.
1. When the psalmist says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield" (Psa. 84:11), he means that God is to all his creatures the source of life and blessedness, and their almighty protector; but this meaning he conveys under the figure of a sun and a shield. When, again, the apostle James says that Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath-day (Acts 15:21), he signifies the writings of Moses under the figure of his name. In these examples the figure lies in particular words. But it may be embodied …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible Instruction for the Ignorant:
BEING A SALVE TO CURE THAT GREAT WANT OF KNOWLEDGE, WHICH SO MUCH REIGNS BOTH IN YOUNG AND OLD. PREPARED AND PRESENTED TO THEM IN A PLAIN AND EASY DIALOGUE, FITTED TO THE CAPACITY OF THE WEAKEST. 'My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.'--Hosea 4:6 ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This little catechism is upon a plan perfectly new and unique. It was first published as a pocket volume in 1675, and has been republished in every collection of the author's works; and recently in a separate tract. …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Kings 22:10 NIV1 Kings 22:10 NLT1 Kings 22:10 ESV1 Kings 22:10 NASB1 Kings 22:10 KJV
1 Kings 22:10 Commentaries
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