Bible Strands
1 Kings 22:20
And the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one suggested this, and another that.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The LORD addresses the assembled prophets and heavenly court following Micaiah’s vision of the divine throne room. This occurs at the moment Ahab’s military campaign at Ramoth-gilead is being divinely evaluated.
The words — יְפַתֶּה (ye.fa.Teh) literally means “will he deceive” or “entice,” framing the divine question around the agent who will persuade Ahab to advance. וְ/יִפֹּ֖ל (ve./yi.Pol) means “and he may fall,” specifying the intended outcome of the ascent.
The thread — The motif of divine agency over deception runs through Ezekiel 14:9, where God entices a prophet, and Job 12:16, which declares both the deceived and deceiver belong to Him. Jeremiah 4:10 further records God’s role in misleading a people through prophetic proclamation.
Why it lands — The text states that God initiates the inquiry about who will entice Ahab, establishing that the campaign’s outcome rests on divine permission rather than chance. It requires the reader to accept that human rebellion and prophetic deception operate within a framework of sovereign oversight.
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
And the Lord said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth–gilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
Cross-references
- 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 people Israel.
- Job 12:16 True wisdom and power belong to Him. The deceived and the deceiver are His.
- Jeremiah 4:10 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD, how completely You have deceived this people and Jerusalem by saying, ‘You will have peace,’ while a sword is at our throats.”