Bible Strands
2 Chronicles 18:5
So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, four hundred men, and asked them, “Should we go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should we refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and God will deliver it into the hand of the king.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The king of Israel gathers four hundred court prophets and asks whether to march on Ramoth-gilead or hold back. This inquiry occurs immediately after Jehoshaphat’s directive to seek the Lord’s word first, marking a moment of military deliberation.
The words — וַ/יִּקְבֹּ֨ץ (va/i.yik.Botz) literally means “and he assembled,” describing the king’s deliberate gathering of the religious advisors. מֶֽלֶךְ\־ יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל (Me.lekh- Yis.ra.'El) identifies the speaker as the ruling authority of the northern kingdom.
The thread — The assembly of four hundred prophets recalls the earlier summoning of Baal’s prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:19) and parallels the northern court’s reliance on its own religious advisors (2 Kings 3:13). The identical question about Ramoth-gilead resurfaces when the true prophet Micaiah arrives (2 Chronicles 18:14).
Why it lands — The text records a ruler seeking military counsel from a majority of religious figures who deliver an unqualified, favorable answer. A reader must observe how institutional consensus can precede and obscure the need for independent divine inquiry.
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
Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth–gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 18:19 Now summon all Israel to meet me on Mount Carmel, along with the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah who eat at Jezebel’s table.”
- 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.”
- 2 Chronicles 18:20 Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’ ‘By what means?’ asked the LORD.
- Jeremiah 8:10 Therefore I will give their wives to other men and their fields to new owners. For from the least of them to the greatest, all are greedy for gain; from prophet to priest, all practice deceit.
- Jeremiah 23:14 And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
- Jeremiah 23:17 They keep saying to those who despise Me, ‘The LORD says that you will have peace,’ and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart, ‘No harm will come to you.’
- Jeremiah 28:1 In the fifth month of that same year, the fourth year, near the beginning of the reign of King Zedekiah of Judah, the prophet Hananiah son of Azzur, who was from Gibeon, said to me in the house of the LORD in the presence of the priests and all the people:
- Jeremiah 38:14 Then King Zedekiah sent for Jeremiah the prophet and received him at the third entrance to the house of the LORD. “I am going to ask you something,” said the king to Jeremiah. “Do not hide anything from me.”
- Jeremiah 42:2 Jeremiah the prophet and said, “May our petition come before you; pray to the LORD your God on behalf of this entire remnant. For few of us remain of the many, as you can see with your own eyes.