New International Version
1 Kings 22:5
5But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel 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.
- 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.”
- New Living Translation (NLT)Then Jehoshaphat added, “But first let’s find out what the Lord says.”
Context of 1 Kings 22:5
3The king of Israel had said to his officials, “Don’t you know that Ramoth Gilead belongs to us and yet we are doing nothing to retake it from the king of Aram?” 4So he asked Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth Gilead?” Jehoshaphat replied to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” But Jehoshaphat also said to the king of Israel, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.” 6So the king of Israel brought together the prophets—about four hundred men—and asked them, “Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I refrain?” “Go,” they answered, “for the Lord will give it into the king’s hand.” 7But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no longer a prophet of the Lord here whom we can inquire of?”
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 27:21He is to stand before Eleazar the priest, who will obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the Lord. At his command he and the entire community of the Israelites will go out, and at his command they will come in.”
- Joshua 9:14The Israelites sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.
- Judges 1:1After the death of Joshua, the Israelites asked the Lord, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Canaanites?”
- Judges 20:18The Israelites went up to Bethel and inquired of God. They said, “Who of us is to go up first to fight against the Benjamites?” The Lord replied, “Judah shall go first.”
- 1 Samuel 14:18Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)
- 1 Samuel 23:2he inquired of the Lord, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The Lord answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.”
- 1 Samuel 30:8and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?” “Pursue them,” he answered. “You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue.”
- 2 Kings 1:3But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, “Go up and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, ‘Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going off to consult Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron?’
- 2 Kings 3:11But Jehoshaphat asked, “Is there no prophet of the Lord here, through whom we may inquire of the Lord?” An officer of the king of Israel answered, “Elisha son of Shaphat is here. He used to pour water on the hands of Elijah.”
- 1 Chronicles 10:13Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; 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, “First seek the counsel of the Lord.”
- Proverbs 3:5Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
- Jeremiah 21:2“Inquire now of the Lord for us because Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon is attacking us. Perhaps the Lord will perform wonders for us as in times past so that he will withdraw from us.”
- Jeremiah 42:2Jeremiah the prophet and said to him, “Please hear our petition and pray to the Lord your God for this entire remnant. For as you now see, though we were once many, now only a few are left.
- 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 let them inquire of me at all?
- Ezekiel 20:1In the seventh year, in the fifth month on the tenth day, some of the elders of Israel came to inquire of the Lord, and they sat down in front of 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
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