Bible Strands
1 Kings 22:15
When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — King Ahab questions prophet Micaiah upon his arrival, asking whether to march on Ramoth-gilead or hold back. Micaiah delivers a brief, seemingly affirmative response to the king’s direct inquiry.
The words — The Hebrew הֲ/נֵלֵ֞ךְ (ha./ne.Lekh) literally means “will we go” or “shall we go,” framing the king’s inquiry as a direct question of military movement. The response relies on the phrase “Go up and triumph,” which sets up the immediate context for the king’s demand for truth in the following verse.
The thread — The king’s urgent inquiry about military strategy appears alongside other biblical moments where leaders seek or receive prophetic direction, such as 1 Kings 22:14 and 1 Kings 22:16. The structural placement of this exchange within a prophetic dialogue mirrors how divine messages are framed in narrative contexts like 2 Samuel 7:3.
Why it lands — The text records a straightforward military inquiry followed by a brief, seemingly affirmative answer. The narrative structure requires the reader to observe how the king’s immediate follow-up in 1 Kings 22:16 reveals the response as a setup for a harder truth.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramoth–gilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
Cross-references
- Judges 10:14 Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you in your time of trouble.”
- 1 Kings 18:27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them, saying, “Shout louder, for he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or occupied, or on a journey. Perhaps he is sleeping and must be awakened!”
- 2 Kings 3:13 Elisha, however, said to the king of Israel, “What have we to do with each other? Go to the prophets of your father and of your mother!” “No,” replied the king of Israel, “for it is the LORD who has summoned these three kings to deliver them into the hand of Moab.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:14 When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up and triumph,” Micaiah replied, “for they will be delivered into your hand.”
- Ecclesiastes 11:9 Rejoice, O young man, while you are young, and let your heart be glad in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment.
- Matthew 26:45 Then He returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.