Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 18:27
But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Micaiah addresses the king of Israel and the assembled people after being ordered confined until the king's safe return. He delivers this warning immediately before the kings depart for Ramoth-gilead.
The words — The Hebrew phrase שׁוֹב תָּשׁוּב בְּשָׁלוֹם (shov, ta.shuv be.sha.lom) literally means "if you return in safety," paired with לֹא דִבֶּר (lo' di.ber) for "he has not spoken." These terms establish the conditional proof Micaiah uses to validate his prophetic message.
The thread — The conditional structure mirrors the authentication formula in Numbers 16:29, where a prophet ties his message to a specific outcome. The public summons "Take heed, all you people!" aligns with the judicial warning pattern in Micah 1:2.
Why it lands — The text requires readers to recognize that prophetic authority depends on factual fulfillment rather than royal endorsement. The passage forces a direct assessment of whether to trust the warning or proceed with the king's military plan.
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 Micaiah said, If thou certainly return in peace, then hath not the Lord spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, all ye people.
Cross-references
- Numbers 16:29 If these men die a natural death, or if they suffer the fate of all men, then the LORD has not sent me.
- Amos 9:10 All the sinners among My people will die by the sword—all those who say, ‘Disaster will never draw near or confront us.’”
- Micah 1:2 Hear, O peoples, all of you; listen, O earth, and everyone in it! May the Lord GOD bear witness against you, the Lord from His holy temple.
- Matthew 13:9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
- Matthew 15:10 Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen and understand.
- Mark 7:14 Once again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “All of you, listen to Me and understand:
- Luke 20:45 In the hearing of all the people, Jesus said to His disciples,
- Acts 13:10 and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?