1 Kings 22:5

1 Kings 22:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day.
• New International Version (NIV)But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."
• New King James Version (NKJV)Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”

Context of 1 Kings 22:5

3who said to his servants, “Do you not know that Ramoth-gilead is ours, but we have failed to take it from the hand of the king of Aram?” 4So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?” Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people are your people, and my horses are your horses.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” 6So the king of Israel assembled the prophets, about four hundred men, and asked them, “Should I go to war against Ramoth-gilead, or should I refrain?” “Go up,” they replied, “and the Lord will deliver it into the hand of the king.” 7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?”

1 Kings 22:5 word by word

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל דְּרָשׁ־נָ֥א כַיּ֖וֹם אֶת־דְּבַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear

• But Jehoshaphatיְהוֹשָׁפָטyehôshâphâţ · JehoshaphatH3092
• also saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• toאֶל'êl 'el · to(wards)H413
• the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
• of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• Pleaseנָאnâ' · pleaseH4994
• inquireדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
• firstיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
• ·אֵת'êth · [Obj.]H853
• for the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the LORDיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068

Cross-references for 1 Kings 22:5

• Numbers 27:21He shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who will seek counsel for him before the LORD by the judgment of the Urim. At his command, he and all the Israelites with him—the entire congregation—will go out and come in.”
• Joshua 9:14Then the men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not seek the counsel of the LORD.
• Judges 1:1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites inquired of the LORD, “Who will be the first to go up and fight for us against the Canaanites?”
• Judges 20:18The Israelites set out, went up to Bethel, and inquired of God, “Who of us shall go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” “Judah will be first,” the LORD replied.
• 1 Samuel 14:18Then Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (For at that time it was with the Israelites.)
• 1 Samuel 23:2So David inquired of the LORD, “Should I go and attack these Philistines?” And the LORD said to David, “Go and attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
• 1 Samuel 30:8and David inquired of the LORD: “Should I pursue these raiders? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” the LORD replied, “for you will surely overtake them and rescue the captives.”
• 2 Kings 1:3But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are on your way to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?’
• 2 Kings 3:11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the LORD here? Let us inquire of the LORD through him.” And one of the servants of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
• 1 Chronicles 10:13So Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the LORD, because he did not keep the word of the LORD and even consulted a medium for guidance,
• 2 Chronicles 18:4But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.”
• Proverbs 3:5Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding;
• Jeremiah 21:2“Please inquire of the LORD on our behalf, since Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is waging war against us. Perhaps the LORD will perform for us something like all His past wonders, so that Nebuchadnezzar will withdraw from us.”
• Jeremiah 42:2Jeremiah 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.
• Ezekiel 14:3“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I consult with them in any way?
• Ezekiel 20:1In the seventh year, on the tenth day of the fifth month, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the LORD, and they sat down before me.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 22:5

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5Jehoshaphat, with characteristic piety 1 Kings 22:43 takes advantage of his position as Ahab‘s friend and ally, to suggest inquiry of the Lord (Yahweh) before the expedition is undertaken. Lest Ahab should consent in word and put off the inquiry in act, he asks to have the prophets called in at once: “today.”Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-9Following ancient Near Eastern tradition, Jehoshaphat asked the two kings to seek God's will before battle. This tradition appears in Aramean, Moabite, and Assyrian writings, as well as in the Old Testament (1 Samuel 23:2–4; 2 Samuel 5:19–25). Despite Ahab's doubts, Jehoshaphat insisted on calling Micaiah, a true prophet of God.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-83-8. Know ye that Ramoth in Gilead is ours--a Levitical and free town on the north border of Gad (De 4:43; Jos 21:38), on the site of the present Salt Lake, in the province of Belka. It lay within the territories of the Israelitish monarch, and was unjustly alienated; but whether it was one of the cities usurped by the first Ben-hadad, which his son had promised to restore, or was retained for some other reasons, the sacred historian has not mentioned. In…Read the comment

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Jehoshaphat
• Ahab
• Forbear
• Neither
• Nor
• Prophesy
• Ramothgilead
• Venture
• Void

Commentaries on 1 Kings 22

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings