2 Chronicles 18:14

KJV

And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.

KJV (with Strong's)

And when he was come {H935} to the king {H4428}, the king {H4428} said {H559} unto him, Micaiah {H4318}, shall we go {H3212} to Ramothgilead {H7433}{H1568} to battle {H4421}, or shall I forbear {H2308}? And he said {H559}, Go ye up {H5927}, and prosper {H6743}, and they shall be delivered {H5414} into your hand {H3027}.

Complete Jewish Bible

When he reached the king, the king asked him, "Mikhay'hu, should we go up and attack Ramot-Gil'ad, or should we hold off?" He answered, "Go up, you will succeed, they will be handed over to you."

Berean Standard Bible

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 they will be given into your hand.”

American Standard Version

And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And he said, Go ye up, and prosper; and they shall be delivered into your hand.

Commentary

### SUMMARY
In 2 Chronicles 18:14, the prophet Micaiah stands before King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah, who seek divine counsel regarding an impending battle against Ramoth-Gilead. When King Ahab directly asks if they should proceed to war or refrain, Micaiah delivers an initial, seemingly positive response: "Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand." This statement, however, is laden with profound irony and sarcasm, mimicking the false prophecies given by Ahab's 400 court prophets, thereby challenging the king to confront the uncomfortable truth of God's actual, dire message, which Micaiah subsequently reveals.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is a critical juncture within the larger narrative of 2 Chronicles 18, which parallels 1 Kings 22. The chapter opens with a precarious alliance between King Jehoshaphat of Judah and King Ahab of Israel, solidified by marriage. Ahab's primary objective is to reclaim Ramoth-Gilead from the Syrians. Jehoshaphat, a more righteous king, insists on consulting the Lord before battle, despite Ahab's preference for his 400 court prophets who uniformly promise victory. Micaiah is reluctantly summoned, having a history of prophesying unfavorably for Ahab. The messenger's warning to Micaiah in [2 Chronicles 18:12](/2_chronicles/18-12 "2 Chronicles 18:12 - Messenger's Warning to Micaiah") to conform his prophecy sets the stage for Micaiah's ironic response in verse 14, immediately preceding Ahab's demand for the "truth" in [2 Chronicles 18:15](/2_chronicles/18-15 "2 Chronicles 18:15 - Ahab Demands Truth from Micaiah"). This dramatic setup underscores the tension between pleasing human authority and speaking divine truth.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** The setting is the divided monarchy of Israel and Judah, with a temporary alliance forged between the northern kingdom (Israel, under Ahab) and the southern kingdom (Judah, under Jehoshaphat). Ramoth-Gilead was a strategic city in Transjordan, often contested between Israel and Aram (Syria). In ancient Near Eastern cultures, kings frequently consulted prophets, diviners, or omens before major undertakings, especially warfare, to ascertain divine favor. However, there was a constant tension between true prophets, who spoke God's unvarnished word regardless of consequence, and court prophets, who often functioned as royal advisors, prone to telling kings what they wanted to hear for personal gain or favor. This narrative highlights the spiritual decline in Israel under Ahab, where true prophecy was suppressed and false prophecy flourished.
* **Key Themes:** The central theme is the **contrast between true and false prophecy**. Micaiah's initial sarcastic prophecy exposes the superficiality and deceit of Ahab's 400 prophets, who prioritize the king's pleasure over divine truth. This sets the stage for the revelation of God's genuine, albeit unwelcome, message. Another significant theme is **divine sovereignty versus human stubbornness**. Despite clear warnings from God through Micaiah, Ahab's determination to pursue his own agenda leads to his demise, illustrating that God's will ultimately prevails, even when resisted. The narrative also explores the **danger of seeking comfortable lies over uncomfortable truth**, a timeless warning against self-deception and the perils of surrounding oneself with flatterers. This theme resonates throughout the prophetic books, as seen in passages like [Jeremiah 5:31](/jeremiah/5-31 "Jeremiah 5:31 - Prophets Prophesy Falsely") and [Ezekiel 13:3](/ezekiel/13-3 "Ezekiel 13:3 - Woe to Foolish Prophets").

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

#### Key Word Analysis
* **Go ye up (עֲלֵה, _‘aleh_):** This is an imperative verb, literally meaning "ascend" or "go up." In the context of warfare, it signifies to advance into battle. Micaiah's use of this command, mirroring the false prophets, is outwardly an encouragement to proceed, but inwardly, given his true message, it becomes a bitter irony.
* **Prosper (וְהַצְלַח, _v'hatzlah_):** This verb means "to succeed," "to be profitable," or "to have good fortune." It is a common blessing or wish for success. When combined with "go up," it forms a standard encouraging phrase for a military endeavor. Micaiah's utterance of this word, knowing the true outcome, transforms it into a cutting piece of sarcasm, highlighting the deceptive nature of the court prophets' pronouncements.
* **delivered into your hand (וְיִנָּתְנוּ בְּיֶדְכֶם, _v'yinnatnu b'yedkhem_):** This is a common Hebrew idiom for victory, meaning the enemy will be defeated and placed under the control of the victor. The phrase implies complete subjugation and triumph. In Micaiah's mouth, this promise of victory is a direct echo of the false prophets' assurances, serving as a stark contrast to the actual defeat and death that await Ahab.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"And when he was come to the king, the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go to Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear?":** This opening clause establishes the direct confrontation between the king and the prophet. Ahab's question is precise, demanding a clear "yes" or "no" regarding the military campaign. It's the same question he posed to his 400 prophets, setting up the expectation for a similar, favorable answer. The king's direct address to "Micaiah" underscores the personal nature of the encounter and Ahab's awareness of Micaiah's reputation for speaking uncomfortable truths.
* **"And he said, Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand.":** This is Micaiah's immediate, seemingly compliant response. On the surface, it is a perfect echo of the 400 false prophets' pronouncements, using the exact language of encouragement and promised victory. However, the dramatic context—Micaiah's known character, the messenger's prior warning, and Ahab's immediate reaction in the subsequent verse—reveals this as a profound act of irony and sarcasm. Micaiah is not genuinely blessing the venture but is rather mocking the king's desire for pleasant lies and exposing the emptiness of the false prophecies. He confronts Ahab with the very words he wants to hear, forcing him to acknowledge their superficiality.

#### Literary Devices
The primary literary device at play in 2 Chronicles 18:14 is **Irony**, specifically **Verbal Irony** and **Sarcasm**. Micaiah speaks words that appear to be a blessing and a promise of victory, but his true intention, understood by both the audience and immediately sensed by King Ahab, is the exact opposite. This **Sarcasm** serves as a sharp critique of Ahab's preference for flattery over truth and highlights the absurdity of the false prophets' unanimous, yet deceitful, counsel. The prophet's feigned agreement forces Ahab to confront his own desire for comfortable lies, leading him to demand Micaiah's true, unvarnished prophecy in the very next verse. This dramatic setup also employs **Foreshadowing**, as Micaiah's ironic "blessing" subtly hints at the disastrous outcome that awaits Ahab, a stark contrast to the promised "prosperity" and "delivery into your hand."

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Micaiah's ironic prophecy in 2 Chronicles 18:14 powerfully illustrates the fundamental tension between divine truth and human desire, particularly when that desire is for self-serving affirmation. It underscores the integrity and courage required of a true prophet, who must speak God's word faithfully, even when it is unpopular or dangerous. The passage highlights God's unwavering commitment to truth and His willingness to expose deception, even through unconventional means like sarcasm. It also serves as a warning against the spiritual peril of surrounding oneself with "yes-men" who validate ungodly desires, rather than seeking genuine, often challenging, divine counsel. The narrative affirms that God's purposes will ultimately prevail, regardless of human resistance or attempts to manipulate divine revelation.

* [Jeremiah 14:14](/jeremiah/14-14 "Jeremiah 14:14 - False Prophets Speak Lies")
* [Ezekiel 13:6-7](/zekiel/13-6-7 "Ezekiel 13:6-7 - False Visions and Lying Divination")
* [Proverbs 29:12](/proverbs/29-12 "Proverbs 29:12 - A Ruler Who Listens to Lies")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Micaiah's ironic prophecy serves as a timeless cautionary tale for all who seek guidance, whether from spiritual leaders, advisors, or even within their own hearts. It challenges us to critically examine the motivations behind the counsel we receive and the counsel we give. Are we genuinely seeking God's truth, or are we merely fishing for validation of our pre-existing desires? The passage calls us to cultivate discernment, recognizing that true wisdom often comes in forms that are uncomfortable, challenging, or even counter-intuitive to our immediate gratification. It reminds us that embracing unpopular truth, even when it leads to personal difficulty, is ultimately more beneficial than succumbing to flattering lies that lead to destruction. Like Ahab, we can be tempted to surround ourselves with voices that affirm our biases, but spiritual maturity demands a willingness to hear and heed God's unvarnished word, trusting that His path, though difficult, leads to life.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of your life might you be tempted to seek comfortable affirmations rather than uncomfortable truths?**
* **How can you cultivate greater discernment to distinguish between genuine, God-inspired counsel and flattery or human opinion?**
* **What steps can you take to ensure you are not surrounding yourself with "yes-men" but with those who will speak truth in love, even when it's difficult?**
* **When has God's truth challenged your desires, and how did you respond?**

### FAQ

**Why did Micaiah initially give a sarcastic answer instead of the true prophecy?**

Answer: Micaiah's initial sarcastic answer, "Go ye up, and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand," was a deliberate rhetorical strategy designed to expose the absurdity and danger of King Ahab's situation. By mimicking the flattering, false prophecies of the 400 court prophets, Micaiah highlighted the superficiality of their message and forced Ahab to confront his own desire for pleasant lies. Ahab's immediate reaction in [2 Chronicles 18:15](/2_chronicles/18-15 "2 Chronicles 18:15 - Ahab Demands Truth from Micaiah"), demanding Micaiah to speak "nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord," confirms that the king understood the irony and was being called out. This approach created a dramatic tension that underscored the gravity of the true, dire message Micaiah subsequently delivered. It was a prophetic act intended to provoke a deeper engagement with the truth, rather than simply delivering a blunt warning that might have been immediately dismissed.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The prophetic encounter in 2 Chronicles 18:14, with Micaiah standing as God's lone, courageous voice against a multitude of false prophets, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate prophet, Jesus Christ. Like Micaiah, Jesus often spoke truths that were unpopular and challenged the prevailing religious and political authorities of His day. While Micaiah used sarcasm to expose deception, Jesus employed parables and direct confrontation to reveal the true nature of God's kingdom and expose the hypocrisy of those who sought to please men rather than God, as seen in His denunciations of the Pharisees in [Matthew 23](/matthew/23 "Matthew 23 - Woes to the Scribes and Pharisees"). Both Micaiah and Christ faced rejection and persecution for their faithfulness to God's word, with Micaiah being struck and imprisoned ([2 Chronicles 18:23-26](/2_chronicles/18-23-26 "2 Chronicles 18:23-26 - Micaiah is Struck and Imprisoned")) and Jesus ultimately suffering crucifixion. However, just as Micaiah's prophecy concerning Ahab's death was ultimately fulfilled, so too were all of Christ's prophecies, culminating in His triumph over death and sin. Jesus is the ultimate truth-teller, the one who does not offer comfortable lies but the challenging, life-giving truth that sets us free ([John 8:32](/john/8-32 "John 8:32 - The Truth Will Set You Free")), even when that truth demands repentance and self-denial ([Luke 9:23](/luke/9-23 "Luke 9:23 - Take Up Your Cross")). He is the one who perfectly embodies the prophetic integrity to speak God's word, come what may, guiding humanity towards the ultimate victory found in Him.

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

1 Kings 22:15

¶ So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver [it] into the hand of the king.

1 Kings 18:27

And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, Cry aloud: for he [is] a god; either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is in a journey, [or] peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked.

Matthew 26:45

Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take [your] rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.

Lamentations 4:21

¶ Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, that dwellest in the land of Uz; the cup also shall pass through unto thee: thou shalt be drunken, and shalt make thyself naked.

Ecclesiastes 11:1

¶ Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days.

Amos 4:4

Come to Bethel, and transgress; at Gilgal multiply transgression; and bring your sacrifices every morning, [and] your tithes after three years:

Amos 4:5

And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving with leaven, and proclaim [and] publish the free offerings: for this liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.