The First Book of Kings
Chapter Twenty-Two
Ahab and Jehoshaphat Versus Aram
To Hear a Talk based on the Text below:
Ahab and Jehoshaphat Versus Aram
Ahab of Israel and Jehohaphat of Judah versus Aram.
1-Kings ch. 22
(ca. 43 minutes)
Talk includes points not mentioned in the text.
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1 Kings 22 (New King James
Version)
1-Kings chapter 22
22: 1 Now three years passed without war between Syria and Israel.
Remember that the name translated as
"Syria" in Hebrew is Aram
whose territory extended far to the north and east.
22: 2 Then it came to pass, in the third year, that Jehoshaphat the king of
Judah went down to visit the king of Israel.
The Commentary
Meam
Loez
points out one goes up when arriving at Jerusalem and down when leaving it no
matter what your actual altitude may be.
Jehoshaphat
of Judah and Ahab of Israel had previously been hostile to each other. They had
now made peace. Jehoram
(Yehoram),
the son of Jehoshaphat,
was married to the daughter of Ahab.
Cf.
AND HE WALKED IN THE WAY OF THE KINGS OF ISRAEL, AS DID THE HOUSE OF AHAB: FOR
THE DAUGHTER OF AHAB WAS HIS WIFE: AND HE DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD
[2-Kings 8:18].
Not only that but according to tradition
Jehoshaphat
himself married the daughter of
Omri and sister of Ahab.
Jehoshaphat
was therefore both brother-in-law of Ahab and father-in-law to the daughter of
Ahab.
22:3 And the king of Israel said to his servants, Do you know that Ramoth in
Gilead is ours, but we hesitate to take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?
In chapter 21 we saw how the King of
Aram
had promised to restore all territories previously taken from Israel. Three
years later he had not done so. Ahab decided to take the lands back by force.
22:4 So he said to Jehoshaphat, Will you go with me to fight at Ramoth Gilead?
Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, I am as you are, my people as your
people, my horses as your horses.
22:5 Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, Please inquire for the word of
the LORD today.
22:6 Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred
men, and said to them, Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to fight, or shall I
refrain?
So they said, Go up, for the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.
Who were these 400?
It will be remembered that when Elijah challenged the Prophets of
baal
at Mount Carmel there had been prophets of the
Asherah
also present (1-Kings 18:19).
# Now therefore, send and gather all
Israel to me on Mount Carmel, the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal, and
the four hundred prophets of
Asherah, who eat at Jezebels
table # [1-Kings 18:19]. #
Yehudah
Kiel (Daat
Mikra)
quotes from Moshe Ziedel
that these Prophets from the
Asherah had not been stricken by
Elijah and had made themselves over to be regular soothsayers on the borderline
between idolatry and what was acceptable.
The Malbim
also says that there were the same 400.
The
Asherah
could refer to the worship of the goddess
Ashtoreth
or to the worship of the Almighty in a pagan manner in sacred groves that are
also referred to as Asherah.
At
Kuntillet
Ajrud,
in southern Israel, in the former territory of Simeon are depictions of "Yahweh"
with a consort goddess alongside an image of the Egyptian god
Bes.
For Dever,
the inscriptions prove that in Israel Yahweh could be closely identified with
the cult of Asherah,
and in some circles the goddess was actually personified as his consort
(1984:31).
An inscription on the spot refers to:
`Yahweh of Samaria,' (depicted in the form of a calf) "and his consort
Asherah"
From this inscription we can deduce:
1. Simeon though in the south was probably subservient to the northern kingdom
("Samaria") as hinted at by the Bible and included in the Ten tribes who were
exiled by Assyria.
2. The worship of the God of Israel was
paganized
and mixed up with pagan notions.
The prophets refer to this and frequently condemn it but do not go into most of
the details probably due to respect.
For more on this subject see our
commentary to Ezekiel 8:18
http://britam.org/Ezekiel6to10.html
The false Prophets that
Ahab had assembled said:
They said, "the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king".
The word translated as "the Lord" here is
Adoni
meaning lord or master. Where as the word translated as "the LORD" below is the
Tetragrammaton
meaning the Hebrew Name for the Almighty.
22:7 And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here, that
we may inquire of Him?[a]
Jehoshaphat
the King of Judah did not accept the false prophets that Ahab has assembled.
22:8 So the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, There is still one
man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate
him, because he does not prophesy good concerning me, but evil.
And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say such things!
Micaiah
the son of Imlah
was the Prophet who had told Ahab he would be punished for releasing the King of
Aram
(1-Kings 20:42). Micaiah
at the time was incarcerated or under some form of detention
In the care of the Kings officials as we see later (1-Kings 20:26-27).
The name Micaiah
means "Who is like the Almighty?".
The name "Imlah"
(pronounced "Yimlah")
is of uncertain meaning but may be derived from the root "Malay" i.e. full or
fulfill, God will fulfill HIS promises.
22:9 Then the king of Israel called an officer and said, Bring Micaiah the son
of Imlah quickly!
"officer" in Hebrew "saris" which can
mean eunuch though is sometimes applied to any official. Emasculating males (or
even animals) is forbidden by the Torah but the Court of Ahab was full of
idolaters.
22:10 The king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah, having put on their
robes, sat each on his throne, at a threshing floor at the entrance of the gate
of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
#at a threshing floor # in Hebrew "goren".
Daat
Mikra
points out that this was usually a bare rocky space where the grain could be
threshed out and remain clean. The term is also used to denote a circular or
semi-circular kind of open-air auditorium.
22:11 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made horns of iron for himself; and
he said, Thus says the LORD: With these you shall gore the Syrians until they
are destroyed.
22:12 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth Gilead and
prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the kings hand.
All the other prophets took their cue
from Chenaanah
and repeated his message.
22:13 Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, Now
listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Please,
let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.
22:14 And Micaiah said, As the LORD lives, whatever the LORD says to me, that I
will speak.
22:15 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!
Apparently he made his answer in an
openly sarcastic manner as we see from the reaction his words received.
22:16 So the king said to him, How many times shall I make you swear that you
tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?
22:17 Then he said, I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that
have no shepherd. And the LORD said, These have no master. Let each return to
his house in peace.
The King of Israel was destined to be
killed in this war but the Radak
points out that apart from Ahab there were not many other casualties.
22:18 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell you he would
not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?
22:19 Then Micaiah said, Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD
sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by, on His right hand
and on His left.
22:20 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.
22:21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the LORD, and said, I will
persuade him.
Spirit. Hebrew "ruach".
These are matters we no little about.
Below are different explanations:
Yehudah
Kiel (Daat
Mikra):
# "spirit" (ruach)
a certain angel whose task is to seduce and entice human beings to commit sins
and foolish deeds. #
The Sages said: A person does not sin unless a spirit of stupidity enters into
him.
Psalm 104:4 Who makes His angels spirits,
His ministers a flame of fire.
Judges 9:23 God sent a spirit of ill will between
Abimelech
and the men of Shechem;
and the men of Shechem
dealt treacherously with
Abimelech,
At the beginning of the Book of Job and in the Book of Zechariah (3:1-2) this
spirit is referred to as the "satan"
or adversary.
The Sages said that this spirit was
connected to the death of Naboth
(1-Kings 21:1-10).
The Malbim
points out that Ahab (through his wife Jezebel) had been responsible for the
death of Naboth
by bearing false witness against him.
Now he was being punished by "measure for measure" in that the Spirit was
causing his "prophets" to bear false witness in their prophesying for him.
The Death of Ahab
22:22 The LORD said to him, In what way? So he said, I will go out and be a
lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And the LORD said, You shall
persuade him, and also prevail. Go out and do so.
In those days the Israelites were at
both a higher and lower level than we are today. They could reach greater
spiritual heights and at a faster pace but they could also fall down
spiritually. Many of them had what today would be termed
parapsychological
powers. The Prophets or so-called prophets that Ahab used in the past had
probably often proven themselves.
This time however they were being
deliberately mislead from on high.
22:23 Therefore look! The LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
prophets of yours, and the LORD has declared disaster against you.
22:24 Now Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near and struck Micaiah on the
cheek, and said, Which way did the spirit from the LORD go from me to speak to
you?
22:25 And Micaiah said, Indeed, you shall see on that day when you go into an
inner chamber to hide!
22:26 So the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and return him to Amon the
governor of the city and to Joash the kings son;
22:27 and say, Thus says the king: Put this fellow in prison, and feed him with
bread of affliction and water of affliction, until I come in peace.
22:28 But Micaiah said, If you ever return in peace, the LORD has not spoken by
me. And he said, Take heed, all you people!
22:29 So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah went up to Ramoth
Gilead.
22:30 And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself and go
into battle; but you put on your robes. So the king of Israel disguised himself
and went into battle.
The Commentary "Meam
Loaz"
explains that Jehoshaphat
took the Prophecy of Micaiah
seriously. He was afraid and admitted it. Ahab was saying that
Jehoshaphat
need not worry since the prophecy was against him and not against
Jehoshaphat.
Despoite
his fear Ahab went down to battle for the sake of the People of Israel. The
Sages actually spoke favorably of Ahab and considered him basically a good
person who had been led astray by
hius
wife Jezebel. Many a husband today unfortunately can probably sympathize with
Ahab. Womens
Liberation is not a new thing.
Before this last war with
Aram
there had apparently been a period in which Ahab and the King of
Aram
had been allied with each other and had even been part of a confederation
against Assyria.
An Assyrian inscription describes the Battle of
Qarqar
(in Northern Syria) in which
Shalmaneser III of Assyria fought
against a confederation of 11 Kings in 853 BCE. This may have taken place after
Ahab had defeated Ben Hadad
and made friends with him and before hostiles were renewed between them. In the
Battle of Qarqar
the contingent of Ahab had the greatest number of chariots. The force of Ahab
numbered 2,000 chariots and 10,000 men.
The King of Aram
is referred to as Hadadezer
but assumedly this is another name for Ben
Hadad
whom Ahab had previously defeated.
Hahadezer
was allied with Ahab together with along with the Kings of
Hamath,
Gue
[Cilicia],
Musra
[an Egyptian colony in Northern Syria],
Irqanata,
Arwad
(on the Syrian Coast), Usannata
(in the Jeble
region of Lebanon), Shianu
(in the Jeble
region of Lebanon), King Gindibu
of Arabia, King Ba'asa,
son of Ruhubi,
of the land of Aman
(Lebanon).
The force of Hadadezer
was 1,200 chariots, 1,200 horsemen and 20,000 soldiers;
# The Assyrian king claimed a victory, but his immediate return and subsequent
expeditions in 849 BC and 846 BC against a similar but unspecified coalition
seem to show that he met with no lasting success. #
Whatever the case or whenever they had
been on friendly terms this had now ended and the Kings of
Aram
and Israel were about to war against each other with the King of Judah fighting
alongside the forces of Israel.
22:31 Now the king of Syria had commanded the thirty-two captains of his
chariots, saying, Fight with no one small or great, but only with the king of
Israel.
This order to focus on the King of
Israel was more than a tactical strategy. It was not just a case of aiming for
the commander in order to demoralize the troops. It also reflected malicious
animosity towards Ahab. The Commentary "Meam
Loaz"
points out the great ingratitude and cruelty of the King of
Aram
(Syria). Ahab had spared his life and restored him to the throne despite the
fact that the King of Aram
had been conducted a war of aggression against Israel.
In Yiddish there is saying, "Why do you hate me so much seeing that I never once
did you a favor?"
Evil people despise and resent they who have shown them kindness.
Another point that is perhaps indicated
here is that people feel things.
Micaiah had prophesied that Ahab
would be killed. It could be that the King of
Aram
sensed it also and gave the order he gave since he realized that Ahab was
vulnerable. It was in the air, as if to say.
22:32 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.
22:33 And it happened, when the captains of the chariots saw that it was not the
king of Israel, that they turned back from pursuing him.
22:34 Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel
between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, Turn
around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded.
22:35 The battle increased that day; and the king was propped up in his chariot,
facing the Syrians, and died at evening. The blood ran out from the wound onto
the floor of the chariot.
See what a hero Ahab was in his won way!
He had been hit by an arrow and mortally wounded. He did not return from the
battle-field to get treatment that may have saved his life. He stayed, propped
himself up and kept the battle going.
22:36 Then, as the sun was going down, a shout went throughout the army, saying,
Every man to his city, and every man to his own country!
22:37 So the king died, and was brought to Samaria. And they buried the king in
Samaria.
22:38 Then someone washed the chariot at a pool in Samaria, and the dogs licked
up his blood while the harlots bathed,[b] according to the word of the LORD
which He had spoken.
# dogs # Hebrew "klavim"
. Some modern commentators says that the word "Kelev"
meaning "dog" was also used by the Canaanites (of whom the
Phoneicians
were part) for a male prostitute. It has been suggested that such is the
intention here.
22:39 Now the rest of the acts of Ahab, and all that he did, the ivory house
which he built and all the cities that he built, are they not written in the
book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel?
# the ivory house #. This was not a
house made of ivory but rather made of wood or stone with ivory carvings
inserted in to the wood etc. Samaria was a center of ivory carving.
Half-completed carvings from what are considered to have been workshops have
been found in the ruins of Samaria. Many ivory carvings were recovered from the
excavations of Samaria. In addition archaeological finds in the Assyrian Palaces
have given us numerous carvings that originated in Samaria and that the Kings of
Assyria were destined to take away as booty. The motifs were often similar to
those found in Egypt and
Pheonicia.
Some of the carvings from Samaria may be
seen on our web-sites.
http://www.britam.org/HebrewTypes.html#Samaria
Ivory Engravings from the
area of Northern Israel
http://britam.org/HebrewTypes6.html
Not only did Ahab have a
House of Ivory that he was known for but so apparently did other leading
Israelite dignitaries.
Ivory was a precious item in those days as it is today. One of the signs of
wealth that Israel benefited from was their access to ivory sources and their
working of the material. This is described by Amos who mocks the aristocracy of
Samaria:
[Amos 6:4] THAT LIE UPON BEDS OF IVORY, AND STRETCH THEMSELVES UPON THEIR
COUCHES, AND EAT THE LAMBS OUT OF THE FLOCK, AND THE CALVES OUT OF THE MIDST OF
THE STALL.
The Houses of Ivory were to be destroyed by the Assyrians as prophesied by Amos:
[Amos 3:14] THAT IN THE DAY THAT I SHALL VISIT THE TRANSGRESSIONS OF ISRAEL UPON
HIM I WILL ALSO VISIT THE ALTARS OF BETHEL: AND THE HORNS OF THE ALTAR SHALL BE
CUT OFF, AND FALL TO THE GROUND.
[Amos 3:15] AND I WILL SMITE THE WINTER
HOUSE WITH THE SUMMER HOUSE; AND THE HOUSES OF IVORY SHALL PERISH, AND THE GREAT
HOUSES SHALL HAVE AN END, SAITH
THE LORD.
Where did the ivory come from?
We know the Phoenicians had bases in East Africa as shown by molecular
examination of some of the metals they used. In addition at that time there may
well have existed herds of elephants still extant on the plains of Syria. Not
only that but a Phoenician inscription mentions ivory from seal walruses that
they must have obtained from the North Sea or Baltic in Northern Europe.
Ahab had built other cities in Israel.
Ahab was a greater king than we realize.
22:40 So Ahab rested with his fathers. Then Ahaziah his son reigned in his
place.
22:41 Jehoshaphat the son of Asa had become king over Judah in the fourth year
of Ahab king of Israel.
22:42 Jehoshaphat was thirty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned
twenty-five years in Jerusalem. His mothers name was Azubah the daughter of
Shilhi.
22:43 And he walked in all the ways of his father Asa. He did not turn aside
from them, doing what was right in the eyes of the LORD. Nevertheless the high
places were not taken away, for the people offered sacrifices and burned incense
on the high places.
#high places# Hebrew "bamot"
(singular: "bamah").
The people made offerings to the God of Israel at these high places. After the
building of the Temple by Solomon in Jerusalem this practice should have been
discontinued. They were not worshipping other gods. They were just worshipping
the God of Israel in the wrong way. Only in the reign of King Hezekiah (after
the reign of 10 more monarchs) were the "bamot"
to be removed (2-Kings 18:4).
22:44 Also Jehoshaphat made peace with the king of Israel.
Asa,
the father of Jehoshaphat,
had been art war with the northern Kingdom of Israel of the Ten Tribes.
Jehoshaphat
made peace and as we have seen even came to assist the King of Israel in his war
with Aram.
22:45 Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, the might that he showed, and how
he made war, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of
Judah?
22:46 And the rest of the perverted persons,[c] who remained in the days of his
father Asa, he banished from the land.
#the perverted
persons,[c]#
: #[c] Hebrew qadesh,
that is, one practicing sodomy and prostitution in religious rituals.#
This comment found in the New King James Version is probably correct.
We would rephrase it to say, the practice of male sodomy and/or female
prostitution in religious cults.
This may have been part of the Canaanite Idolatry that some of the people had
adopted or it may have been a Canaanite practice that had been carried over into
the worship of the God of Israel.
We should not be surprised or even
overduly
shocked at this perversion. In our own way we are just as bad, maybe worse.
Nowadays there are homosexual churches and synagogues in the USA!
22:47 There was then no king in Edom, only a deputy of the king.
Edom was ruled over by Judah. The port
of Ezion-Geber
on the Red Sea coast was in the
Edomite domain.
22:48 Jehoshaphat made merchant ships to go to Ophir for gold; but they never
sailed, for the ships were wrecked at Ezion Geber.
#merchant ships# This should be "Ships
of Tarshish".
Tarshish
is Tartessos
in Spain.
http://www.britam.org/Questions/QuesTarshish.html
Tarshish
may also represent the Atlantic Ocean area in general.
In Bible Codes the name IRIN
(i.e. Ireland) is connected with the Ships of
Tarshish.
http://www.britam.org/codesarticles/CodesIreland.html#5
Enormous quantities of gold products have been found in Ireland dating from the
Bronze Age. It is not known where the gold came from. Due to the large quantity
involved it has been assumed that the gold must be from a local source but
exactly where is not known.
The US dollar sign actually represents the Straits of Gibraltar and thus
Tarshish.
Ships of Solomon had sailed to
Tarshish.
Jehoshapat
(four generations later) of Judah together with
Ahaziah,
the King of Northern Israel, attempted to send a joint group of Ships of
Tarshish
to go to Ophir
for gold.
[1-Kings 22:48] JEHOSHAPHAT
MADE SHIPS OF THARSHISH
TO GO TO OPHIR
FOR GOLD: BUT THEY WENT NOT; FOR THE SHIPS WERE BROKEN AT
EZIONGEBER.
[2-Chronicles 20:35] AND AFTER THIS DID
JEHOSHAPHAT
KING OF JUDAH JOIN HIMSELF WITH
AHAZIAH KING OF ISRAEL, WHO DID
VERY WICKEDLY:
[2-Chronicles 20:36] AND HE JOINED HIMSELF WITH HIM TO MAKE SHIPS TO GO TO
TARSHISH:
AND THEY MADE THE SHIPS IN
EZIONGABER.
We see that the Book of Chronicles is
critical of Jehoshapat
for co-operating with Ahaziah.
Ophir
was probably in east or souther
Africa. The very name Africa is derived from the same word root as
Ophir
which in Hebrew connotes "ash" or "dark".
Ezion-Gaber
was clin
the region of the present ports of
Eilat
and Akaba
(in Jordan) on the Red Sea coast. The ships would sail via the Red Sea down the
east coast of Africa, circumvent the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa from the
east, sail up the African west coast, and return to the Mediterranean via the
Straits of Gibraltar. The whole journey would take three years.
22:49 Then Ahaziah the son of Ahab said to Jehoshaphat, Let my servants go with
your servants in the ships. But Jehoshaphat would not.
After the disaster with the ships
Jehoshaphat
decided to get out of the partnership while the going was good.
This is an important verse. In the time of Solomon the King of
Tyre
had sent Phoenician sailors with the servants of Solomon to make the three-year
trip to Tarshish.
Ahaziah
was suggesting that his own men fulfill the role formerly played by the
Phoenicians.
22:50 And Jehoshaphat rested with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers
in the City of David his father. Then Jehoram his son reigned in his place.
22:51 Ahaziah the son of Ahab became king over Israel in Samaria in the
seventeenth year of Jehoshaphat king of Judah, and reigned two years over
Israel.
22:52 He did evil in the sight of the LORD, and walked in the way of his father
and in the way of his mother and in the way of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who
had made Israel sin;
22:53 for he served Baal and worshiped him, and provoked the LORD God of Israel
to anger, according to all that his father had done.
The so-called Celtic peoples of Gaul,
Britain, and Ireland were also destined to worship Baal. Britain was known in
Welsh Tradition as the "Honey Isle of
Bel".
Bel
is another name for Baal. The Bible always (or nearly always) present "baal"
as the name of a foreign pagan god. In actual fact the People of Israel at the
popular level may well have confused Baal with the Almighty. The term "baal"
means lord or master but it can also connote husband and as a verb "baal"
means the male act of coitus.
