1 Kings 22:21
in 1 Kings 22Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before Jehovah, and said, I will entice him.
KJV
And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him.
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This verse in 1 Kings 22
Commentary
7 notes on this verseI think every evil and deceitful spirit is a lie, and whenever anyone of these speaks, it speaks from its own resources and by no means from the resources of God. And the father of these [spirits] is the liar, the devil. We will now present what moved us to say that every inferior spirit is false.
This site's exposition
Then a spirit came forward
on 1 Kings 22:21-23
A spirit comes forward before the LORD and offers, “I will entice him”. It will be “a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets”, and the LORD answers, “Go and do it”. Micaiah then tells Ahab what the court has seen: “the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours”. In the same breath he says the LORD “has pronounced disaster against you”.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
Perhaps someone says, "How can it happen that one who sins in his flesh by dissipation possesses the devil in his soul?" What we have said, dearly beloved, we will prove with evidence from sacred Scripture. Listen to the Scriptures saying that the proud person …
The Medieval Church1 voice
The "spirit" who "came forward and stood [before the Lord]" is an angel and not an evil spirit, namely, Satan, as certain [authors] suggest. In fact, why would an evil spirit stand before the Lord? On the contrary, this spirit is Michael, the leader of …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And there came forth a spirit,.... Not from the heavenly host on the right hand or the left, for they are pure and holy spirits, and impeccable, and cannot lie or deceive; but the evil spirit, Satan, the father of lies, the old deceiver, who came forth from his own place and his own company: and stood before the Lord presented himself before him, as Satan did, Job 1:6, and said, l will persuade him; or prevail upon him; evil spirits love to be employed in doing harm to men, they go about seeking whom they may devour.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
A spirit - “The spirit “ - which some explain as “the evil spirit” - i. e. Satan; others as simply “the spirit” who should “persuade.”
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?--Since Ahab was disposed to trace this unwelcome truth to personal enmity, Micaiah proceeded fearlessly to tell the incensed monarch in full detail what had been revealed to him. The Hebrew prophets, borrowing their symbolic pictures from earthly scenes, described God in heaven as a king in His kingdom.
The words behind it
8 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֵּצֵ֣א | vaiyetze' | and it came forth | H3318 → | 1067 times |
| הָר֗וּחַ | haruach | the spirit | H7307 → | 378 times |
| וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙ | vaiyaamod | and it stood | H5975 → | 521 times |
| לִפְנֵ֣י | lifnei | <to> before | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| יְהוָ֔ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| וַיֹּ֖אמֶר | vaiyomer | and it said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֲנִ֣י | ʾani | I | H589 → | 874 times |
| אֲפַתֶּ֑נּוּ | ʾafattenu | I will deceive him | H6601 → | 28 times |
וַיֵּצֵ֣אand it came forth
vaiyetze'H3318 →1067 times
הָר֗וּחַthe spirit
haruachH7307 →378 times
וַֽיַּעֲמֹד֙and it stood
vaiyaamodH5975 →521 times
לִפְנֵ֣י<to> before
lifneiH6440 →2123 times
יְהוָ֔הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
וַיֹּ֖אמֶרand it said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
אֲנִ֣יI
ʾaniH589 →874 times
אֲפַתֶּ֑נּוּI will deceive him
ʾafattenuH6601 →28 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Job 2:1On another day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to present himself before Him.
it leads to
- Job 1:6
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
- Hebrews 1:14
Are not the angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
- Luke 1:19
“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
- Job 1:6
Through
1 Kings 22:23So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
it leads to
- Ezekiel 14:9
But if the prophet is enticed to speak a message, then it was I the LORD who enticed him, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My…
- Isaiah 6:9–10
And He replied: “Go and tell this people, ‘Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.’
- Matthew 24:24–25
For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible.
- Isaiah 44:20
He feeds on ashes. His deluded heart has led him astray, and he cannot deliver himself or say, “Is not this thing in my right hand a lie?”
- 2 Chronicles 25:16
While he was still speaking, the king asked, “Have we made you the counselor to the king? Stop! Why be struck down?” So the prophet stopped, but he said, “I know that God has…
- Ezekiel 14:9
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Caesarius of Arles, SERMON 79.2; Ishodad of Merv, BOOKS OF SESSIONS 1 KINGS 22:20; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Keil, The Books of the Kings; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 20.257-62.