1 Raja-raja 3:26

3:26 The real mother ¹  spoke up to the king, for her motherly instincts were aroused. ²  She said, “My master, give her the living child! Whatever you do, don’t kill him!” ³  But the other woman said, “Neither one of us will have him! Let them cut him in two!”

1 Raja-raja 20:31

20:31 His advisers ⁴  said to him, “Look, we have heard that the kings of the Israelite dynasty are kind. ⁵  Allow us to put sackcloth around our waists and ropes on our heads ⁶  and surrender ⁷  to the king of Israel. Maybe he will spare our lives.”

1 Raja-raja 22:15

22:15 When he came before the king, the king asked him, “Micaiah, should we attack Ramoth Gilead or not?” He answered him, “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” ⁸ 

[3:26]  ¹ tn Heb “the woman whose son was alive.”

[3:26]  ² tn Heb “for her compassions grew warm for her son.”

[3:26]  ³ tn The infinitive absolute before the negated jussive emphasizes the main verb.

[20:31]  ⁴ tn Or “servants.”

[20:31]  ⁵ tn Or “merciful.” The word used here often means “devoted” or “loyal.” Perhaps the idea is that the Israelite kings are willing to make treaties with other kings.

[20:31]  ⁶ sn Sackcloth was worn as a sign of sorrow and repentance. The precise significance of the ropes on the head is uncertain, but it probably was a sign of submission. These actions were comparable to raising a white flag on the battlefield or throwing in the towel in a boxing match.

[20:31]  ⁷ tn Heb “go out.”

[22:15]  ⁸ sn “Attack! You will succeed; the Lord will hand it over to the king.” One does not expect Micaiah, having just vowed to speak only what the Lord tells him, to agree with the other prophets and give the king an inaccurate prophecy. Micaiah’s actions became understandable later, when it is revealed that the Lord desires to deceive the king and lead him to his demise. The Lord even dispatches a lying spirit to deceive Ahab’s prophets. Micaiah can lie to the king because he realizes this lie is from the Lord. It is important to note that in v. 14 Micaiah only vows to speak the word of the Lord; he does not necessarily say he will tell the truth. In this case the Lord’s word itself is deceptive. Only when the king adjures him to tell the truth (v. 16), does Micaiah do so.