2 Chronicles 18:23

KJV

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?

KJV (with Strong's)

Then Zedekiah {H6667} the son {H1121} of Chenaanah {H3668} came near {H5066}, and smote {H5221} Micaiah {H4321} upon the cheek {H3895}, and said {H559}, Which {H335} way {H1870} went {H5674} the Spirit {H7307} of the LORD {H3068} from me to speak {H1696} unto thee?

Complete Jewish Bible

Then Tzidkiyah the son of Kena'anah came up, slapped Mikhay'hu in the face and said, "And how did the Spirit of ADONAI leave me to speak to you?"

Berean Standard Bible

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?”

American Standard Version

Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near, and smote Micaiah upon the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of Jehovah from me to speak unto thee?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
2 Chronicles 18:23 vividly captures a pivotal moment of confrontation between divine truth and human deception. Following Micaiah's courageous prophecy of King Ahab's impending defeat and death, Zedekiah, a prominent false prophet, physically assaults Micaiah and mockingly challenges the source of his prophetic authority. This act of violence and scorn underscores the deep animosity often directed towards God's true messengers when their words expose comfortable lies and inconvenient truths, setting the stage for Ahab's tragic end.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is situated within a larger narrative detailing the alliance between King Ahab of Israel and King Jehoshaphat of Judah for a military campaign against Ramoth-Gilead. Ahab, despite his general wickedness, seeks prophetic counsel, gathering 400 prophets who unanimously assure him of victory. However, Jehoshaphat, discerning the lack of true divine inspiration among them, insists on consulting a genuine prophet of the LORD. This leads to the reluctant summoning of Micaiah, who, unlike the others, prophesies disaster for Ahab, revealing that the 400 prophets are operating under a "lying spirit" permitted by God to entice Ahab to his doom, as detailed in [2 Chronicles 18:22](/2_chronicles/18-22 "2 Chronicles 18:22 - The Lying Spirit"). Zedekiah's violent reaction in verse 23 immediately follows Micaiah's stark revelation, serving as a dramatic climax to the clash between true and false prophecy.
* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In the ancient Near East, prophets held significant social and political sway, often serving as advisors to kings. However, there was a constant tension between true prophets who spoke God's unvarnished word and false prophets who merely echoed the king's desires or popular sentiment for personal gain. Striking someone on the cheek, as Zedekiah does to Micaiah, was not merely a physical assault but a profound act of public humiliation, contempt, and an attempt to discredit the recipient's authority and message. It was a deliberate act of shaming, designed to strip Micaiah of his credibility before the assembled kings and their courts, reinforcing Zedekiah's own perceived authority and the consensus of the 400 false prophets.
* **Key Themes:** The immediate context of 2 Chronicles 18:23 highlights several critical themes permeating the book of Chronicles and the broader Old Testament. Foremost is the **conflict between truth and falsehood**, starkly personified by Micaiah and Zedekiah, respectively. This confrontation emphasizes the necessity of **discernment** in distinguishing between genuine divine revelation and deceptive human manipulation, a theme echoed in [Deuteronomy 18:20-22](/deuteronomy/18-20 "Deuteronomy 18:20-22 - Distinguishing True and False Prophets"). Another prominent theme is the **persecution of God's messengers**, as Micaiah's suffering for speaking truth foreshadows the experiences of many prophets, including Jeremiah ([Jeremiah 20:2](/jeremiah/20-2 "Jeremiah 20:2 - Jeremiah Struck and Put in Stocks")) and ultimately, Christ Himself. Furthermore, the passage underscores **divine sovereignty**, as God orchestrates events, even permitting a "lying spirit" to fulfill His judgment upon a rebellious king like Ahab, demonstrating that His purposes prevail regardless of human opposition or deception ([2 Chronicles 18:18-22](/2_chronicles/18-18 "2 Chronicles 18:18-22 - Micaiah's Vision of the Heavenly Council")).

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **smote (Hebrew, _nākāh'_):** This verb signifies a forceful, often violent striking or beating. In this context, it denotes a deliberate act of physical assault, intended not just to inflict pain but to publicly humiliate and discredit Micaiah. The act carries significant weight, representing a direct challenge to Micaiah's prophetic authority and an aggressive rejection of his message.
* **cheek (Hebrew, _leḥî'_):** The specific mention of the "cheek" is crucial. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, striking someone on the cheek was a profound insult and a gesture of extreme contempt and disrespect. It was an act designed to shame and belittle, signifying a complete dismissal of the person's dignity and message. Zedekiah's action was a public declaration that Micaiah's words were worthless and deserving of scorn.
* **Spirit of the LORD (Hebrew, _rûaḥ YHWH'_):** This phrase refers to the divine animating force that empowers prophets to speak God's word. Zedekiah's sarcastic question, "Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?", reveals his profound delusion and arrogance. He genuinely believed he possessed the Spirit, despite being used by a lying spirit, and was mocking Micaiah's claim to divine inspiration, ironically highlighting the very distinction between true and false prophecy.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Then Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah came near":** This introduces Zedekiah, one of the 400 false prophets who had prophesied victory for Ahab. His action is deliberate and confrontational, stepping forward from the crowd of prophets to directly engage Micaiah. His lineage is mentioned, perhaps to identify him as a known figure among the false prophets.
* **"and smote Micaiah upon the cheek":** This is the core action of the verse. It's a public, physical assault, designed to humiliate and silence Micaiah. This act of violence is a desperate attempt to discredit the true prophet's message, as Zedekiah and his cohorts had no spiritual counter-argument to Micaiah's divinely revealed truth. It underscores the hostility and aggression that truth-tellers often face from those invested in falsehood.
* **"and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?":** Zedekiah's question is dripping with sarcasm and arrogance. He is implying that if the Spirit of the LORD had truly left him to speak through Micaiah, he would have felt its departure. This rhetorical question is a challenge to Micaiah's prophetic legitimacy, a boast of his own (false) spiritual authority, and a further attempt to ridicule Micaiah's prophecy as illegitimate. It reveals Zedekiah's utter spiritual blindness and his inability to discern the true source of prophetic inspiration.

#### Literary Devices
The passage employs several potent literary devices. **Antithesis** is central, contrasting the true prophet Micaiah with the false prophet Zedekiah, and by extension, divine truth with human deception. Zedekiah's violent act and sarcastic question stand in stark opposition to Micaiah's courageous, Spirit-empowered declaration of God's word. **Irony** is also deeply embedded in Zedekiah's question; he mocks Micaiah's claim to the Spirit while being utterly deceived by a lying spirit himself, unknowingly confirming Micaiah's true prophetic insight. Furthermore, the act of striking Micaiah on the cheek functions as powerful **Symbolism**. It is not merely a physical blow but a symbolic rejection of God's word, a public declaration of contempt for divine truth, and a foreshadowing of the persecution that awaits those who faithfully deliver unwelcome messages from God.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
2 Chronicles 18:23 serves as a stark reminder of the perennial conflict between divine truth and human rebellion, often manifested through false prophecy and the persecution of God's faithful messengers. The incident highlights God's sovereign control, even over deceptive spirits, to bring about His purposes and judgment. It underscores the crucial need for spiritual discernment within the community of faith, urging believers to test all claims of divine authority against the revealed character and word of God. The cost of speaking truth in a world that prefers comfortable lies is vividly portrayed in Micaiah's suffering, echoing the experiences of many prophets throughout biblical history who faced opposition for their faithfulness.

* [Deuteronomy 13:1-5](/deuteronomy/13-1 "Deuteronomy 13:1-5 - Testing a Prophet")
* [Matthew 5:11-12](/matthew/5-11 "Matthew 5:11-12 - Blessed are the Persecuted")
* [1 John 4:1](/1_john/4-1 "1 John 4:1 - Testing the Spirits")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Micaiah's steadfastness in the face of physical assault and public ridicule offers a powerful lesson for believers today. We live in a world saturated with competing voices and narratives, many claiming to speak truth or divine wisdom. This passage compels us to cultivate deep spiritual discernment, to rigorously test what we hear against the unchanging standard of God's revealed Word, and to be wary of messages that primarily cater to our desires or worldly comforts rather than challenging us to holiness. Furthermore, Micaiah's experience reminds us that faithfulness to God's truth often comes at a cost; it may lead to unpopularity, rejection, or even hostility. Yet, the integrity of God's word and the eternal consequences of embracing or rejecting it far outweigh any temporal discomfort or persecution. We are called to embody courageous conviction, speaking truth in love, even when it is difficult, trusting that God's vindication will ultimately prevail.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **How do I discern between true and false messages in my own life and in the broader culture?**
* **What "unpopular truths" might God be calling me to embrace or speak, even if it means facing opposition or ridicule?**
* **In what ways do I, like Zedekiah, sometimes prioritize comfort or popular opinion over God's challenging truth?**

### FAQ
**Why did Zedekiah strike Micaiah on the cheek?**

Answer: Zedekiah struck Micaiah on the cheek as a profound act of public humiliation and contempt. In ancient Near Eastern culture, this gesture was a grave insult, designed to discredit and belittle the person being struck. Zedekiah, as one of the 400 prophets who had promised King Ahab victory, was deeply invested in the false narrative and felt his authority challenged by Micaiah's true prophecy. His act was a desperate attempt to silence Micaiah, assert his own (false) prophetic authority, and rally support for the prevailing lie, demonstrating his utter rejection of Micaiah's message and the God who sent him.

**What is the significance of Zedekiah's question about the Spirit of the LORD?**

Answer: Zedekiah's question, "Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?", is laden with sarcasm and spiritual blindness. It reveals his arrogant conviction that he, not Micaiah, possessed the true Spirit of the LORD. He was mocking Micaiah's claim to divine inspiration, implying that if the Spirit had truly left him to empower Micaiah, he would have felt its departure. Ironically, this question highlights the very distinction Micaiah had just made: that the 400 prophets were operating under a "lying spirit" permitted by God to deceive Ahab ([2 Chronicles 18:22](/2_chronicles/18-22 "2 Chronicles 18:22 - The Lying Spirit")). Zedekiah's question, therefore, serves to underscore his own delusion and the profound spiritual chasm between true and false prophecy.

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The confrontation in 2 Chronicles 18:23, where Micaiah is struck and mocked for speaking God's unwelcome truth, powerfully foreshadows the ultimate prophet, Jesus Christ. Like Micaiah, Jesus consistently spoke the unvarnished truth of God, often challenging popular opinion and the religious establishment of His day. He, too, faced intense opposition, ridicule, and physical abuse for His prophetic ministry. The striking of Micaiah on the cheek finds its ultimate and most profound fulfillment in the suffering of Christ, who was struck on the face and mocked during His trial ([Matthew 26:67-68](/matthew/26-67 "Matthew 26:67-68 - Jesus Struck and Mocked"); [John 18:22-23](/john/18-22 "John 18:22-23 - Jesus Struck by an Officer")). Zedekiah's deluded claim to the Spirit contrasts sharply with Jesus, who was undeniably filled with the Spirit without measure ([John 3:34](/john/3-34 "John 3:34 - Jesus Has the Spirit Without Measure")) and whose words were indeed the very words of God ([John 12:49-50](/john/12-49 "John 12:49-50 - Jesus Speaks the Father's Words")). Micaiah's willingness to suffer for truth points directly to Christ, who, as the [Lamb of God](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), willingly endured the ultimate rejection and suffering to fulfill God's redemptive plan, ensuring that the truth of God's salvation would prevail.

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.