1 Kings 22:17

1 Kings 22:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the Lord said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’ ”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he said, "I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, 'These have no master; let each return to his home in peace.'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the Lord said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’ ”

Context of 1 Kings 22:17

15When Micaiah arrived, the king asked him, ‘Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?’ Micaiah answered, ‘Yes, attack it. You will surely win the fight. The Lord will give it to you, our king.’ 16Then King Ahab said to Micaiah, ‘I have already told you many times to tell me only what is true! You must promise to do this in the name of the Lord!’ Then Micaiah said, ‘I saw the whole army of Israel and they were walking about on the hills without any leader. They were like sheep with no shepherd as their guide. The Lord told me, “These people have no master. They should go home quietly and they should not fight.” ’ 18The king of Israel said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘I told you what he would say! He never says that anything good will happen to me. He only says that I will have trouble.’ 19Then Micaiah said, ‘So now listen to the Lord's message! I saw the Lord as he was sitting on his throne. The great crowd of his angels in heaven were standing around him, on his right side and on his left side.

1 Kings 22:17 word by word

וַיֹּ֗אמֶר רָאִ֤יתִי אֶת־כָּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל֙ נְפֹצִ֣ים אֶל־הֶהָרִ֔ים כַּצֹּ֕אן אֲשֶׁ֥ר אֵין־לָהֶ֖ם רֹעֶ֑ה וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ לֹֽא־אֲדֹנִ֣ים לָאֵ֔לֶּה יָשׁ֥וּבוּ אִישׁ־לְבֵית֖וֹ בְּשָׁלֽוֹם׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• I sawרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• all Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
• scatteredפּוּץpûts · to scatterH6327
• upon the hillsהַרhar · mountain: mountH2022
• as sheepצֹאןtsô'n tse'ôn · flockH6629
• that have not a shepherdרָעָהrâ‛âh · to pastureH7462
• and the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• These have no masterאָדוֹן'âdôn 'âdôn · lordH113
• let them returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
• every manאִישׁ'îysh · man: anyoneH376
• to his houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: homeH1004
• in peaceשָׁלוֹםshâlôm shâlôm · peaceH7965

Cross-references for 1 Kings 22:17

• 1 Samuel 9:9(That was the custom in Israel. If someone needed to hear a message from God, he would say, ‘We should go and talk with the seer.’ The man that we now call a prophet was called a ‘seer’ at that time.)
• Jeremiah 1:11The Lord asked me, ‘What do you see, Jeremiah?’ I replied, ‘I see the branch of an almond tree.’
• Ezekiel 1:4As I looked, I saw a great storm that was coming from the north. It was a large cloud, with bright lightning. Light shone all around the cloud. It was like a fire that had bright metal in the centre of it.
• Acts 10:11In a vision, he saw heaven open above him. Then he saw something like a large piece of cloth. Somebody held it at each of its four corners and let it come down to the ground.
• 1 Kings 22:24Then Kenaanah's son Zedekiah went to Micaiah. He hit Micaiah on his face. He asked Micaiah, ‘Do you say that the Lord's spirit has gone away from me and has spoken to you instead? How did he do that?’
• Numbers 27:17He will lead them when they go out to fight, and he will bring them back safely. Then the Lord's people will not be like sheep who have no shepherd.’
• 2 Chronicles 18:16Then Micaiah said, ‘I saw the whole army of Israel and they were walking about on the hills without any leader. They were like sheep with no shepherd as their guide. The Lord told me, “These people have no master. They should go home quietly and they should not fight.” ’
• Jeremiah 23:1The Lord says, ‘Terrible trouble will come to the rulers of my people. They should have taken care of my people, as shepherds take care of their sheep. Instead, they have caused them to run away.’
• Jeremiah 50:6My people have been like sheep that are lost. Their leaders should have taken care of them like shepherds. Instead, they have let my people become lost, like sheep that have gone into the mountains. They go from one hill to another hill, and they have forgotten where their home is.
• Ezekiel 34:4You have not helped the weak sheep to be strong. You have not made the sick sheep well. Nor have you covered their wounds. You have not looked for lost sheep and brought them back. Instead, you have ruled my people in a cruel way.
• Zechariah 10:2People ask idols for help, but the idols do not speak true words. Some people explain what a dream means. But they do not speak true words. The help that they give is not good. So the people move from place to place like sheep. They are not safe. They have no leaders.
• Zechariah 13:7‘Attack my shepherd with a sharp knife. Attack the man that is next to me,’ says the Lord Almighty. ‘Kill the shepherd and then the sheep will run away. Then I will attack the young sheep.
• Matthew 9:36When Jesus saw the crowds of people, he felt sorry for them. They had trouble in their minds. They had nobody to help them. Jesus thought, ‘These people are like sheep that have nobody to take care of them.’

Commentaries on 1 Kings 22:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17These have no master - Here the prophet foretells the defeat of Israel, and the death of the king; they were as sheep that had not a shepherd, people that had no master, the political shepherd and master (Ahab) shall fall in battle.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Thus adjured, Micaiah wholly changes his tone. Ahab cannot possibly mistake the meaning of his vision, especially as the metaphor of “sheep and shepherd” for king and people was familiar to the Israelites from the prayer of Moses Numbers 27:17.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-28Verses 15-28 The greatest kindness we can do to one that is going in a dangerous way, is, to tell him of his danger. To leave the hardened criminal without excuse, and to give a useful lesson to others, Micaiah related his vision. This matter is represented after the manner of men: we are not to imagine that God is ever put upon new counsels; or that he needs to consult with angels, or any creature, about the methods he should take; or that he is the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 17Like God himself (Psalm 23; Isaiah 40:10–11), Israel's kings and leaders were responsible for caring for the people, much like a shepherd cares for sheep (Numbers 27:16–17; Ezekiel 34:2, 11–16). The idea of the shepherd and the sheep, related to the coming Messiah (Ezekiel 34:23–24), was fulfilled in Christ, the Good Shepherd (John 10:1–11). Although he sacrificed his life for the sheep (John 10:14–18; 1 Peter 2:24–25), he still lives (Hebrews 13:20) and…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 14-1714-17. what the Lord saith unto me, that will I speak--On the way the messenger who conducted [Micaiah] to the royal presence informed him of the tenor of the prophecies already given and recommended him to agree with the rest, no doubt from the kindly motive of seeing him released from imprisonment. But Micaiah, inflexibly faithful to his divine mission as a prophet, announced his purpose to proclaim honestly whatever God should bid him. On being asked…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 22:17

• Armies
• Micaiah
• Reproof
• Vision

In the dictionaries

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

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