Asa's son Jehoshaphat reigned in his place, and he strengthened himself against Israel. He stationed troops in every fortified city of Judah and put garrisons in the land of Judah and in the cities of Ephraim that his father Asa had captured. Now the LORD was with Jehoshaphat because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek out the Baals, but he sought the God of his father and walked by His commandments rather than the practices of Israel. So the LORD established the kingdom in his hand, and all Judah brought him tribute, so that he had an abundance of riches and honor. And his heart took delight in the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and Asherah poles from Judah. In the third year of his reign, Jehoshaphat sent his officials Ben-hail, Obadiah, Zechariah, Nethanel, and Micaiah to teach in the cities of Judah, accompanied by certain Levites—Shemaiah, Nethaniah, Zebadiah, Asahel, Shemiramoth, Jehonathan, Adonijah, Tobijah, and Tob-adonijah—along with the priests Elishama and Jehoram. They taught throughout Judah, taking with them the Book of the Law of the LORD. They went throughout the towns of Judah and taught the people. And the dread of the LORD fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that surrounded Judah, so that they did not make war against Jehoshaphat. Some Philistines also brought gifts and silver as tribute to Jehoshaphat, and the Arabs brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats from their flocks. Jehoshaphat grew stronger and stronger, and he built fortresses and store cities in Judah and kept vast supplies in the cities of Judah. He also had warriors in Jerusalem who were mighty men of valor. These are their numbers according to the houses of their fathers: From Judah, the commanders of thousands: Adnah the commander, and with him 300,000 mighty men of valor; next to him, Jehohanan the commander, and with him 280,000; and next to him, Amasiah son of Zichri, the volunteer for the LORD, and with him 200,000 mighty men of valor. From Benjamin: Eliada, a mighty man of valor, and with him 200,000 armed with bows and shields; and next to him, Jehozabad, and with him 180,000 armed for battle. These were the men who served the king, besides those he stationed in the fortified cities throughout Judah.
Then three years passed without war between Aram and Israel. However, in the third year, Jehoshaphat king of Judah went down to visit the king of Israel, who 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?" So he asked Jehoshaphat, "Will you go with me to fight against Ramoth-gilead?" Jehoshaphat answered the king of Israel, "I am like you, 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." So 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." But Jehoshaphat asked, "Is there not still a prophet of the LORD here of whom we can inquire?" The king of Israel answered, "There is still one man who can ask the LORD, but I hate him because he never prophesies anything good for me, but only bad. He is Micaiah son of Imlah." "The king should not say that!" Jehoshaphat replied. So the king of Israel called one of his officials and said, "Bring Micaiah son of Imlah at once." Dressed in royal attire, the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, with all the prophets prophesying before them. Now Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made for himself iron horns and declared, "This is what the LORD says: 'With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are finished off.'" And all the prophets were prophesying the same, saying, "Go up to Ramoth-gilead and prosper, for the LORD will deliver it into the hand of the king." Then the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah instructed him, "Behold now, with one accord the words of the prophets are favorable to the king. So please let your words be like theirs, and speak favorably." But Micaiah said, "As surely as the LORD lives, I will speak whatever the LORD tells me." 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 the LORD will give it into the hand of the king." But the king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear not to tell me anything but the truth in the name of the LORD?" So Micaiah declared: "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 return home in peace.'" Then the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Did I not tell you that he never prophesies good for me, but only bad?" Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right and on His left. And the LORD said, 'Who will entice Ahab to march up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?' And one suggested this, and another that. Then a spirit came forward, stood before the LORD, and said, 'I will entice him.' 'By what means?' asked the LORD. And he replied, 'I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouths of all his prophets.' 'You will surely entice him and prevail,' said the LORD. 'Go and do it.' So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of all these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you." Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah went up, struck Micaiah in the face, and demanded, "Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when He departed from me to speak with you?" Micaiah replied, "You will soon see, on that day when you go and hide in an inner room." And the king of Israel declared, "Take Micaiah and return him to Amon the governor of the city and to Joash the king's son, and tell them that this is what the king says: 'Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.'" But Micaiah replied, "If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Take heed, all you people!" So the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah went up to Ramoth-gilead. And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "I will disguise myself and go into battle, but you wear your royal robes." So the king of Israel disguised himself and went into battle. Now the king of Aram had ordered his thirty-two chariot commanders, "Do not fight with anyone, small or great, except the king of Israel." When the chariot commanders saw Jehoshaphat, they said, "Surely this is the king of Israel!" So they turned to fight against him, but Jehoshaphat cried out. And when the chariot commanders saw that he was not the king of Israel, they turned back from pursuing him. However, a certain man drew his bow without taking special aim, and he struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So the king said to his charioteer, "Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am badly wounded!"
Significance
The Chronicler's account of Jehoshaphat's reign (2 Chr 17) substantially expands the brief 1 Kings 22 narrative by adding unique material about Jehoshaphat's Torah-teaching mission, sending officials and Levites throughout Judah with the "Book of the Law of the LORD" (sefer torat YHWH). While 1 Kings 22 focuses primarily on the ill-fated alliance with Ahab at Ramoth-gilead, the Chronicler first establishes Jehoshaphat's faithfulness and its reward—regional peace and tribute from surrounding nations—before narrating the Ahab alliance. This literary structure presents Jehoshaphat's foreign entanglement as a lapse from an otherwise exemplary reign.
Found via
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Reference Type
Allusion
Connection Method(s)
Redemptive-Historical Progression — the Chronicler re-presents for the post-exilic community the reign that 1 Kings 22:1-34 records only through the Ramoth-gilead campaign, prefacing that shared narrative with Jehoshaphat's Torah-teaching mission (2 Chr 17:7-9) and the resulting "dread of the LORD" on the surrounding kingdoms (17:10), so the later canonical retelling carries the earlier account forward with the lesson that seeking God, not alliance with Ahab, secures the kingdom.
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