1 Kings 22:1

_AND THEY CONTINUED THREE YEARS WITHOUT WAR BETWEEN SYRIA AND ISRAEL._ They continued three years without war between Syria and Israel. The disastrous defeat of Ben-hadad had exhausted the resources of his country. But, that his hereditary enmity remained unsubdued, was manifest by his breach of faith concerning the treaty by which he has engaged to restore all the cities which his father had seized (1 Kings 20:34)....

1-14 The same easiness of temper, which betrays some godly persons into friendship with the declared enemies of religion, renders it very dangerous to them. They will be drawn to wink at and countenance such conduct and conversation as they ought to protest against with abhorrence. Whithersoever a good man goes, he ought to take his religion with him, and not be ashamed to own it when he is with those who have no regard for it. Jehoshaphat had not left behind him, at Jerusalem, his affection and reverence for the word of the Lord, but avowed it, and endeavoured to bring it into Ahab's court. And Ahab's prophets, to please Jehoshaphat, made use of the name of Jehovah: to please Ahab, they said, Go up. But the false prophets cannot so mimic the true, but that he who has spiritual senses exercised, can discern the fallacy. One faithful prophet of the Lord was worth them all. Wordly men hav...

CHAPTER XXII _Jehoshaphat King of Judah, and Ahab King of Israel, unite_ _against the Syrians, in order to recover Ramoth-gilead_, 1-4. _They inquire of false prophets, who promise them success._ _Micaiah, a true prophet, foretells the disasters of the war_, 5-17. _A lying spirit in the mouths of Ahab's prophets persuades Ahab_ _to go up against Ramoth_, 18-29. _The confederate armies are routed, and the king of Israel_ _slain_, 30-36. _Death and burial of Ahab_, 37-40. Character of Jehosha

THREE YEARS - These must be counted from the close of the second campaign of Ben-hadad 1 Kings 20:34. They were not full years, as is evident from the next verse. Probably the first year is that of Ben-hadad’s dismissal after his defeat; the second is a year of actual peace; while the third is that in which Jehoshaphat paid his visit, and the Ramoth-Gilead expedition took place. The pause, here noticed, in the war between Israel and Syria was perhaps the result of a common danger. It was probably in the year following Ben-hadad’s dismissal by Ahab, that the first great Assyrian expedition took place into these parts. Shalmaneser II relates that on his first invasion of southern Syria, he was met by the combined forces of Ben-hadad, Ahab, the king of Hamath, the kings of the Hittites, and others, who gave him battle, but suffered a defeat....

EXPOSITION THE EXPEDITION OF AHAB AND JEHOSHAPHAT AGAINST HRAMOTH-GILEAD. THE DEATH OF AHAB. THE REIGNS OF JEHOSHAPHAT AND AHAZIAH. 1 KINGS 22:1 AND THEY CONTINUED [rather, _rested_._ _Heb. _sate_, _dwelt_._ _Cf. Judges 5:17. The LXX. has ἐκάθισε, sing.] THREE YEARS WITHOUT WAR [The Hebrew explains the "rested"—_there was not war, _etc. See Ewald, 286 g

AND THEY CONTINUED THREE YEARS WITHOUT WAR BETWEEN SYRIA AND ISRAEL. From the time that Benhadad made a covenant with Ahab; not three full years, but part of them: it was threatened by Elijah from the Lord, that Ahab's life should go for Benhadad's, because he had let him, go, 1 Kings 22:42, but because of his humiliation, as is thought by Ben Gersom and others, it was respited for those three years; and now an opportunity and occasion would be given for the fulfilment of what was threatened....

CHAPTER 22 THE DEATH OF AHAB _ 1. Jehoshaphat and Ahab (1 Kings 22:1)_ 2. The prophet Micaiah (1 Kings 22:13) 3. The battle and Ahab's death (1 Kings 22:29) 4. Jehoshaphat of Judah (1 Kings 22:41; 1 Kings 2 Chron. 19-20) 5. Ahaziah, King of Israel (1 Kings 22:51) Three years passed without war between Syria and Israel. In the third year Jehoshaphat of Judah came down to Ahab. Jehoshaphat's son and heir-apparent ha

AHAB'S ATTACK ON RAMOTH-GILEAD AND HIS DEATH. The death of Ahab must have taken place before or during the year 854 B.C., when the battle of Qarqara was fought, and his name is mentioned in the Assyrian inscription (p. 69). The question is, did he take part in that battle as a vassal of Bir-' idri (Ben-hadad) before or after the war related in 20. In the latter case his death was probably later in 854 B.C. The chapter is a continuation of the latter case his 20, and from the same source with additions. Jehoshaphat, whose son married Ahab's daughter (2 Kings 8:18), is present as Ahab's ally. Here, as in 1 Kings 20, 21, there is no allusion to the Baal worship. Ahab's prophets are prophets of Yahweh, and the king can muster four hundred. The rivalry is between true and false prophecy. It is not known where Ramoth-gilead (the heights of G.) actually was. It was a most important place, menti...

THREE YEARS. Probably reckoned from the peace of 1 Kings 20:34. During this time Jehoshaphat "strengthened himself against Israel" (2 Chronicles 17:1): not mentioned here because _esoteric._ See book comments for. Kings....

1 Kings 22:1-12. Ahab resolves to recover Ramoth-gilead. Jehoshaphat joins him. Ahab's prophets promise him victory (2 Chronicles 18:1-11) 1. _they continued three years without war_ This probably means after the defeat of Benhadad described in chapter 20. It must have been during this interval of peace that Naboth was put to death....