English Standard Version
1 Kings 22:5
5And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."
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.”
- New King James Version (NKJV)Also Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire for the word of the Lord today.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”
Context of 1 Kings 22:5
3And the king of Israel said to his servants, "Do you know that Ramoth-gilead belongs to us, and we keep quiet and do not take it out of the hand of the king of Syria?" 4And he said to Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?" And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses." And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord." 6Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, "Shall I go to battle against Ramoth-gilead, or shall I refrain?" And they said, "Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king." 7But Jehoshaphat said, "Is there not here another prophet of the Lord of whom we may inquire?"
Read all of 1 Kings 221 Kings 22:5 word by word
וַיֹּ֥אמֶר יְהוֹשָׁפָ֖ט אֶל־מֶ֣לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל דְּרָשׁ־נָ֥א כַיּ֖וֹם אֶת־דְּבַ֥ר יְהוָֽה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Jehoshaphatיְהוֹשָׁפָטyehôshâphâţ · JehoshaphatH3092
- saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- unto the kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- of Israelיִשְׂרָאֵלyiώrâ'êl · IsraelH3478
- Enquireדָּרַשׁdârash · to seekH1875
- I pray thee, at the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- to dayיוֹםyôm · day: todayH3117
Cross-references for 1 Kings 22:5
- Numbers 27:21And he shall stand before Eleazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before the Lord. At his word they shall go out, and at his word they shall come in, both he and all the people of Israel with him, the whole congregation."
- Joshua 9:14So the men took some of their provisions, but did not ask counsel from the Lord.
- Judges 1:1After the death of Joshua, the people of Israel inquired of the Lord, "Who shall go up first for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?"
- Judges 20:18The people of Israel arose and went up to Bethel and inquired of God, "Who shall go up first for us to fight against the people of Benjamin?" And the Lord said, "Judah shall go up first."
- 1 Samuel 14:18So Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God here." For the ark of God went at that time with the people of Israel.
- 1 Samuel 23:2Therefore David inquired of the Lord, "Shall 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, "Shall I pursue after this band? Shall I overtake them?" He answered him, "Pursue, for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue."
- 2 Kings 1:3But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say to them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?
- 2 Kings 3:11And Jehoshaphat said, "Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?" Then one of the king of Israel's servants answered, "Elisha the son of Shaphat is here, who poured water on the hands of Elijah."
- 1 Chronicles 10:13So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the Lord in that he did not keep the command of the Lord, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance.
- 2 Chronicles 18:4And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, "Inquire first for the word of the Lord."
- Proverbs 3:5Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
- Jeremiah 21:2"Inquire of the Lord for us, for Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is making war against us. Perhaps the Lord will deal with us according to all his wonderful deeds and will make him withdraw from us."
- Jeremiah 42:2and said to Jeremiah the prophet, "Let our plea for mercy come before you, and pray to the Lord your God for us, for all this remnant—because we are left with but a few, as your eyes see us—
- Ezekiel 14:3"Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their hearts, and set the stumbling block of their iniquity before their faces. Should I indeed let myself be consulted by them?
- Ezekiel 20:1In the seventh year, in the fifth month, on the tenth day of the month, certain of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and sat 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
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
English Standard Version — © 2001 Crossway Bibles
Commentaries