So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
Parallel translations
- WEB The king said to him, “How many times do I have to adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”
- KJV And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
- BSB 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?”
- NASB Then the king said to him, “How many times must I make you swear that you will tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?”
- NLT But the king replied sharply, “How many times must I demand that you speak only the truth to me when you speak for the Lord?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Ahab demands the genuine truth in Yahweh's name, ironically insisting on honesty he has long resisted.
Overview
The king, sensing Micaiah's irony, adjures him to speak only truth in Yahweh's name. The moment is striking: Ahab knew Micaiah's flattery was false yet still preferred falsehood from the others. His demand exposes that he understood the difference between true and false prophecy all along.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Acts 19:13But some of the itinerant Jews, exorcists, took on themselves to invoke over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.”
- Josh 6:26Joshua commanded them with an oath at that time, saying, “Cursed is the man before Yahweh, who rises up and builds this city Jericho. With the loss of his firstborn he will lay its foundation, and with the loss of his youngest son he will set up its gates.”
- Matt 22:16–17They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach, for you aren’t partial to anyone.
- Jer 42:3–6that Yahweh your God may show us the way in which we should walk, and the thing that we should do.”
- 2 Chr 18:15The king said to him, “How many times shall I adjure you that you speak to me nothing but the truth in Yahweh’s name?”
- Mark 5:7and crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, don’t torment me.”
- 1 Sam 14:24The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening, and I am avenged of my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
- Matt 26:63But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 22:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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