Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 18:23
Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, “Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Zedekiah son of Kenaanah strikes the prophet Micaiah in the face and demands to know how the Spirit of the LORD departed from him to speak to Micaiah. This confrontation occurs during a military council where royal prophets contradict Micaiah’s warning.
The words — The Hebrew verb וַ/יַּ֥ךְ (va/i.Yakh) translates literally as "and he struck," denoting the physical blow delivered by Zedekiah. The proper noun מִיכָ֖יְהוּ (mi.Kha.ye.hu) identifies the specific prophet who receives the strike.
The thread — The passage directly continues the dialogue from 1 Kings 22:23 regarding the lying spirit, while the act of striking a prophet reappears in Jeremiah 20:2 and the blindfolded mockery in Mark 14:65.
Why it lands — The text states that Zedekiah physically assaults Micaiah and demands an explanation for the Spirit's movement before demanding the reader acknowledge that violence frequently targets those who deliver unwelcome divine speech. It requires the reader to separate the messenger's physical suffering from the validity of the message he carries.
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
Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the Lord from me to speak unto thee?
Cross-references
- Mark 14:65 Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.
- Jeremiah 20:2 he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
- 1 Kings 22:23 So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:10 Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, “This is what the LORD says: ‘With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.’”
- Isaiah 50:5 The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back.
- Jeremiah 29:26 ‘The LORD has appointed you priest in place of Jehoiada, to be the chief officer in the house of the LORD, responsible for any madman who acts like a prophet—you must put him in stocks and neck irons.
- Lamentations 3:30 Let him offer his cheek to the one who would strike him; let him be filled with reproach.
- Micah 5:1 Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.
- Matthew 26:67 Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him
- John 9:40 Some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard this, and they asked Him, “Are we blind too?”