Zedekiah son of Chenaanah

Biblical Account

The story of Zedekiah son of Chenaanah is recorded in nearly identical form in 1 Kings 22 and 2 Chronicles 18. Ahab, king of the northern kingdom of Israel (see Ahab and Jezebel), sought to recover Ramoth-gilead, which Aram had taken, and asked Jehoshaphat, king of the southern kingdom of Judah, to join him in battle. When Jehoshaphat proposed that they first inquire of the LORD, Ahab assembled about four hundred prophets. All of them prophesied that the king would be victorious.

Zedekiah stepped forward as a kind of spokesman for these prophets. He made horns of iron and declared, "Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them" (1 Kings 22:11; 2 Chronicles 18:10). This was a symbolic act, in which meaning was conveyed through gestures or objects accompanying the spoken word.

The prophet Micaiah, who was summoned afterward, related a vision in which Israel was defeated and the king was killed. He also said that the LORD had put a lying spirit in the mouth of the prophets (1 Kings 22:19–23). Zedekiah then "went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?" (1 Kings 22:24). Micaiah replied, "Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself" (1 Kings 22:25). In the battle Ahab was struck by an arrow and died, just as Micaiah had prophesied. Scripture does not record what became of Zedekiah afterward.

Significance Within Scripture

Zedekiah represents the majority of prophets who told the king what he wanted to hear. He is therefore read as a foil to Micaiah, who alone delivered a different message. The scene bears on the Old Testament theme of how to distinguish true prophecy from false prophecy. The New Testament does not mention this Zedekiah directly.

He should be distinguished from others who bear the same name. Zedekiah, the last king of Judah, is a different person. So is "Zedekiah the son of Maaseiah" (Jeremiah 29:21–22), whom Jeremiah rebuked for prophesying falsely in Babylon.

Interpretations and Issues

• The meaning of the iron horns: Commentators regard the iron horns as a symbol of strength and victory, and some connect them with Deuteronomy 33:17, which likens the tribes of Joseph to the horns of a wild ox.
• Was Zedekiah sincere?: The text says that a lying spirit was in the mouth of the prophets. For this reason, some interpreters hold that Zedekiah prophesied while himself deceived rather than lying deliberately. Others see him as a professional prophet who flattered the king.
• The problem of the lying spirit: Interpretations differ regarding the statement that God sent a lying spirit. The Reformed tradition often explains it as an act of sovereign judgment by God, who rules even over evil. Other interpreters regard the statement as visionary language expressing what God permitted.
• Later Jewish literature is reported to contain discussions to the effect that Zedekiah should have heeded Micaiah's words and exercised discernment. This tradition should be distinguished from the content of the biblical text.