Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 18:17
Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The king of Israel addresses Jehoshaphat immediately after Micaiah pronounces judgment over the assembled armies. He voices a prior complaint about the prophet’s consistently unfavorable messages.
The words — The phrase הֲ/לֹא֙ אָמַ֣רְתִּי (ha./Lo' 'a.Mar.ti) translates literally to “did I not say.” It anchors the king’s rhetorical question to his earlier warning about the prophet’s reliability.
The thread — This identical exchange appears in 1 Kings 22:18 as a parallel record of the same royal dialogue. The king’s earlier refusal to consult the prophet is documented in 2 Chronicles 18:7.
Why it lands — The text records a ruler acknowledging his own prior skepticism about a prophet’s unwelcome message. It requires the reader to confront the practical cost of dismissing inconvenient truth until consequences arrive.
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 king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would not prophesy good unto me, but evil?
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 22:18 Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?”
- 2 Chronicles 18:7 The king of Israel answered, “There is still one man through whom we can inquire of the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah.” “The king should not say that!” Jehoshaphat replied.
- Proverbs 29:1 A man who remains stiff-necked after much reproof will suddenly be shattered beyond recovery.
- Jeremiah 43:2 Azariah son of Hoshaiah, Johanan son of Kareah, and all the arrogant men said to Jeremiah, “You are lying! The LORD our God has not sent you to say, ‘You must not go to Egypt to reside there.’