Verse Lens · Concise explanation
2 Chronicles 18:8 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 8. 8And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
This verse advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence: “And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son….” Its responsible meaning belongs to the complete movement “Jehoshaphat joins Ahab while prophets promise victory.”
Read It With
- 2 Chronicles 18:1–11
Read 2 Chronicles 18:8 with 18:1–11. The selected wording supplies one step in the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence; the surrounding verses supply the causes, responses, and outcome summarized here: Jehoshaphat enters a marriage alliance with Ahab, accepts lavish hospitality, agrees to attack Ramoth-gilead, asks for divine counsel, and hears four hundred prophets promise success.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Within “Jehoshaphat joins Ahab while prophets promise victory,” 2 Chronicles 18:8 advances the thought unit through its next action, speech, or consequence through the wording “And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son….” Its placement is governed by this reviewed relationship: The celebrated king's alliance creates a test between court-supported unanimity and truthful discernment. 2 Chronicles 17:10–19 has just established this prior movement: Surrounding kingdoms fear Judah, Philistines and Arabians bring tribute, Jehoshaphat builds store cities, and commanders lead very large forces while a garrison remains in Jerusalem. Together those details explain why “Jehoshaphat joins Ahab while prophets promise victory” belongs here rather than merely following a database record.
Read 2 Chronicles 18:1–11 together
Why these verses belong together: 2 Chronicles 18:1–11 forms the complete movement “Jehoshaphat joins Ahab while prophets promise victory”: Jehoshaphat enters a marriage alliance with Ahab, accepts lavish hospitality, agrees to attack Ramoth-gilead, asks for divine counsel, and hears four hundred prophets promise success.
Verse 1. 1 Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance, and joined affinity with Ahab.
Verse 2. 2 And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth-gilead.
Verse 3. 3 And Ahab king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat king of Judah, Wilt thou go with me to Ramoth-gilead? And he answered him, I am as thou art, and my people as thy people; and we will be with thee in the war.
Verse 4. 4 And Jehoshaphat said unto the king of Israel, Enquire, I pray thee, at the word of the LORD to day.
Verse 5. 5 Therefore the king of Israel gathered together of prophets four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall we go to Ramoth-gilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for God will deliver it into the king’s hand.
Verse 6. 6 But Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?
Verse 7. 7 And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he never prophesied good unto me, but always evil: the same is Micaiah the son of Imla. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
Verse 8. 8 And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son of Imla.
Verse 9. 9 And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah sat either of them on his throne, clothed in their robes, and they sat in a void place at the entering in of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
Verse 10. 10 And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah had made him horns of iron, and said, Thus saith the LORD, With these thou shalt push Syria until they be consumed.
Verse 11. 11 And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramoth-gilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
What Remains True
Teaching, courts, alliances, prophecy, fear, prayer, conflict, and deliverance must be judged together; visible success does not turn every decision into divine approval. This unit tests that truth through the narrated movement: Jehoshaphat enters a marriage alliance with Ahab, accepts lavish hospitality, agrees to attack Ramoth-gilead, asks for divine counsel, and hears four hundred prophets promise success. In 2 Chronicles 18:8, the concrete line “And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son…” keeps that truth accountable to the narrated evidence.
How It Can Shape Life
- The evidence to keep visible in this verse is “And the king of Israel called for one of his officers, and said, Fetch quickly Micaiah the son….” Build courts, teaching, alliances, crisis plans, and public communication that can hear dissent, admit uncertainty, protect affected people, and combine prayer with accountable action. This response follows from the unit's own movement: Jehoshaphat enters a marriage alliance with Ahab, accepts lavish hospitality, agrees to attack Ramoth-gilead, asks for divine counsel, and hears four hundred prophets promise success.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 2 Chronicles 18:1–11 — Jehoshaphat joins Ahab while prophets promise victorySources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage for this thought unit.
Exact location: 2 Chronicles 18:1–11, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 2 Chronicles
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording, morphology, names, clauses, regnal formulas, temple vocabulary, older-English controls, and translation limits.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/2Chr.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 18:1–11
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Full Notes: 2 Chronicles
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press; STEP Bible presentation, 2019 edition; current web presentation
Supports: Unit-bounded translation comparisons and only those lexical, textual, grammatical, numerical, historical, and parallel-passage notes attached to these verses.
Exact location: STEP Bible NET2full, 2 Chronicles 18:1–11, verse-attached translation and translator notes
Open source ↗