Close Look at Ahab & Jehoshaphat 's Reaction to Mass Prophecy

"The king of Israel (Ahab) is preparing for war against Aram, to repatriate captured Israelite territory. He invites King Jehoshaphat of Judah to join the campaign, who agrees, but adds a stipulation:

And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.

1 Kings 22:5

 

Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.

1 Kings 22:6 

Q: Which “king” is it? 

---Its ambiguity allows for the possibility that “king” here refers to
the Aramean king, and therefore portends Ahab’s defeat rather than Aram’s.

---Ahab does not notice that the answer isn’t definitive, deafened to the prophecy’s nuance by his self-absorption.

 

Jehoshaphat is unimpressed with this mass prophecy, and pushes for further clarification:

And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?

1 Kings 22:7 

---Jehoshaphat specifically requests “a prophet” in the singular, which may point to a level of suspicion against the mass prophecy."

JamesDiamond