The Meaning of 1 Kings 22:30 Explained

1 Kings 22:30

KJV: And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

YLT: And the king of Israel saith unto Jehoshaphat to disguise himself, and to go into battle, 'And thou, put on thy garments.' And the king of Israel disguiseth himself, and goeth into battle.

Darby: And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and will enter into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

ASV: And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, I will disguise myself, and go into the battle; but put thou on thy robes. And the king of Israel disguised himself, and went into the battle.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the king  of Israel  said  unto Jehoshaphat,  I will disguise  myself, and enter  into the battle;  but put thou on  thy robes.  And the king  of Israel  disguised  himself, and went  into the battle. 

What does 1 Kings 22:30 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 22:29-40 - The Bow At A Venture Executes God's Sentence
The cup of Ahab's sins was full, and the arrow at a venture executed divine retribution. Had Micaiah not spoken, men would have attributed this apparently chance arrow to misfortune; now, however, it became invested with quite another significance. There is no such thing as chance in this world. The bird does not fall to the ground, the arrow does not find its way to the heart, without a superintending Providence. Whether you live or die, your life is under the immediate supervision of the Almighty. In the battlefield, not a single bullet can hit your beloved, apart from the permitting providence of God. All is under law.
Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand in the evil day. Take the shield of faith, as covering your whole being, lest the joints of the armor open to the fiery darts of your foe. Watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. Note the contrast in the end of these men. The one went to his own place; no disguise could avert his doom. The other seems to have returned to God, 2 Chronicles 19:1-115 and 2 Chronicles 18:31, and God gave him years of rest, victory, and prosperity, of which further details are given in 1711627152_90; 2 Chronicles 20:1-37.
1 Kings 22:1-53 - A Prosperous Nation
What a picture is here given of national contentment and prosperity! We can almost hear the gladsome voice of the myriad-peopled land, teeming with young life and laden with golden harvests. It was the summer of their national existence. The sacred scribe enumerates first the high officials of the court, then the daily provision of the king, his studies, and his fame. Abundant proof was yielded by all these circumstances to the manner in which God kept the pledges which had been made to David, his father.
Here is Solomon "in all his glory," but as we turn from him to the lowly Carpenter of Nazareth, who had nowhere to lay His head; who found His friends among the poor; and who ultimately laid down His life a ransom for many, we realize that, even apart from His divine nature, His was the nobler ideal and the richer existence. "A greater than Solomon is here." Who can measure His empire or resources? What tongue can recount His wisdom? Happy and safe are they that sit at His table, hear His words, and are joint-heirs with Him in His Kingdom! Romans 8:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 22

1  Ahab, seduced by false prophets, by Michaiah's word, is slain at Ramoth Gilead
37  The dogs lick up his blood, and Ahaziah succeeds him
41  Jehoshaphat's good reign
45  His acts
46  Jehoram succeeds him
51  Ahaziah's evil reign

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 22:30 mean?

And said the king of Israel to Jehoshaphat I will disguise myself and go into battle but you put on your robes So disguised himself of Israel and went into battle
וַיֹּאמֶר֩ מֶ֨לֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל אֶל־ יְהוֹשָׁפָ֗ט הִתְחַפֵּשׂ֙ וָבֹ֣א בַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה וְאַתָּ֖ה לְבַ֣שׁ בְּגָדֶ֑יךָ וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ֙ יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיָּב֖וֹא בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה

וַיֹּאמֶר֩  And  said 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
מֶ֨לֶךְ  the  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֜ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
יְהוֹשָׁפָ֗ט  Jehoshaphat 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹושָׁפָט 
Sense: son of king Asa and himself king of Judah for 25 years; one of the best, most pious, and prosperous kings of Judah.
הִתְחַפֵּשׂ֙  I  will  disguise  myself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive absolute
Root: חָפַשׂ  
Sense: to search, search for, to search out, disguise oneself.
וָבֹ֣א  and  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בַמִּלְחָמָ֔ה  into  battle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.
וְאַתָּ֖ה  but  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
לְבַ֣שׁ  put  on 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: לָבַשׁ  
Sense: to dress, wear, clothe, put on clothing, be clothed.
בְּגָדֶ֑יךָ  your  robes 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: בֶּגֶד 
Sense: treachery, deceit.
וַיִּתְחַפֵּשׂ֙  So  disguised  himself 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָפַשׂ  
Sense: to search, search for, to search out, disguise oneself.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וַיָּב֖וֹא  and  went 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בַּמִּלְחָמָֽה  into  battle 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִלְחָמָה  
Sense: battle, war.