1 Kings 18:19

18:19 Now send out messengers ¹  and assemble all Israel before me at Mount Carmel, as well as the 450 prophets of Baal and 400 prophets of Asherah whom Jezebel supports. ² 

1 Kings 22:6

22:6 So the king of Israel assembled about four hundred prophets and asked them, “Should I attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” ³  They said, “Attack! The sovereign one ⁴  will hand it over to the king.”

1 Kings 22:10-11

22:10 Now the king of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah were sitting on their respective thrones, ⁵  dressed in their robes, at the threshing floor at the entrance of the gate of Samaria. ⁶  All the prophets were prophesying before them. 22:11 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah made iron horns and said, “This is what the Lord says, ‘With these you will gore Syria until they are destroyed.’”

1 Kings 22:22-25

22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord ⁷  said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. ⁸  Go out and do as you have proposed.’ 22:23 So now, look, the Lord has placed a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours; but the Lord has decreed disaster for you.” 22:24 Zedekiah son of Kenaanah approached, hit Micaiah on the jaw, and said, “Which way did the Lord’s spirit go when he went from me to speak to you?” 22:25 Micaiah replied, “Look, you will see in the day when you go into an inner room to hide.”

[18:19]  ¹ tn The word “messengers” is supplied in the translation both here and in v. 20 for clarification.

[18:19]  ² tn Heb “who eat at the table of Jezebel.”

[22:6]  ³ tn Heb “Should I go against Ramoth Gilead for war or should I refrain?”

[22:6]  ⁴ tn Though Jehoshaphat requested an oracle from “the Lord” (יְהוָה, Yahweh), they stop short of actually using this name and substitute the title אֲדֹנָי (’adonai, “lord; master”). This ambiguity may explain in part Jehoshaphat’s hesitancy and caution (vv. 7-8). He seems to doubt that the four hundred are genuine prophets of the Lord.

[22:10]  ⁵ tn Heb “were sitting, a man on his throne.”

[22:10]  ⁶ map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.

[22:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁸ tn The Hebrew text has two imperfects connected by וְגַם (vÿgam). These verbs could be translated as specific futures, “you will deceive and also you will prevail,” in which case the Lord is assuring the spirit of success on his mission. However, in a commissioning context (note the following imperatives) such as this, it is more likely that the imperfects are injunctive, in which case one could translate, “Deceive, and also overpower.”