1 Kings 22:20-23

22:20 The Lord said, ‘Who will deceive Ahab, so he will attack Ramoth Gilead and die ¹  there?’ One said this and another that. 22:21 Then a spirit ²  stepped forward and stood before the Lord. He said, ‘I will deceive him.’ The Lord asked him, ‘How?’ 22:22 He replied, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.’ The Lord ³  said, ‘Deceive and overpower him. ⁴  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.”

1 Kings 22:28

22:28 Micaiah said, “If you really do safely return, then the Lord has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take note, ⁵  all you people.”

1 Kings 22:34-37

22:34 Now an archer shot an arrow at random, ⁶  and it struck the king of Israel between the plates of his armor. The king ⁷  ordered his charioteer, “Turn around and take me from the battle line, ⁸  because I’m wounded.” 22:35 While the battle raged throughout the day, the king stood propped up in his chariot opposite the Syrians. He died in the evening; the blood from the wound ran down into the bottom of the chariot. 22:36 As the sun was setting, a cry went through the camp, “Each one should return to his city and to his homeland.” 22:37 So the king died and was taken to Samaria, where they buried him. ⁹ 

[22:20]  ¹ tn Heb “and fall.”

[22:21]  ² tn Heb “the spirit.” The significance of the article prefixed to רוּחַ (ruakh) is uncertain, but it could contain a clue as to this spirit’s identity, especially when interpreted in light of v. 24. It is certainly possible, and probably even likely, that the article is used in a generic or dramatic sense and should be translated, “a spirit.” In the latter case it would show that this spirit was vivid and definite in the mind of Micaiah the storyteller. However, if one insists that the article indicates a well-known or universally known spirit, the following context provides a likely referent. Verse 24 tells how Zedekiah slapped Micaiah in the face and then asked sarcastically, “Which way did the spirit from the Lord (רוּחַ־יְהוָה, [ruakh-Yahweh], Heb “the spirit of the Lord”) go when he went from me to speak to you?” When the phrase “the spirit of the Lord” refers to the divine spirit (rather than the divine breath or mind, Isa 40:7, 13) elsewhere, the spirit energizes an individual or group for special tasks or moves one to prophesy. This raises the possibility that the deceiving spirit of vv. 20-23 is the same as the divine spirit mentioned by Zedekiah in v. 24. This would explain why the article is used on רוּחַ; he can be called “the spirit” because he is the well-known spirit who energizes the prophets.

[22:22]  ³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:22]  ⁴ 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.”

[22:28]  ⁴ tn Heb “Listen.”

[22:34]  ⁵ tn Heb “now a man drew a bow in his innocence” (i.e., with no specific target in mind, or at least without realizing his target was the king of Israel).

[22:34]  ⁶ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[22:34]  ⁷ tn Heb “camp.”

[22:37]  ⁶ tn Heb “and the king died and he came to Samaria, and they buried the king in Samaria.”