Micaiah Prophesies Against Ahab: 18:1–19:3   Chapter 17 concentrated on the very positive aspects of Jehoshaphat’s reign, but the “northern shadow” now started to fall over the Judahite kingship when the king allied himself with Ahab by marriage. The alliance between the southern kings and their northern counterparts shapes the next series of royal narratives until the reign of King Joash (see §4.7).

This section deals mainly with Jehoshaphat’s joint military expedition with King Ahab of Israel against Ramoth Gilead (a city in the tribal area of Gad, which became a point of contention between Israel and Syria-Damascu…