Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah (also known as Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah), was a false prophet who served under King Ahab of Israel. He is best known for his confrontation with the prophet Micaiah, son of Imlah, where he falsely prophesied victory in the war against Ramoth Gilead. He struck Micaiah on the cheek and challenged his prophetic authority.
Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah, made iron horns and falsely prophesied that King Ahab would defeat the Arameans at Ramoth Gilead. He acted as the leader among the four hundred prophets who gave King Ahab a false message of victory.
11Zedekiah son of Kenaanah had made iron horns for himself, and he declared, "This is what the LORD says: With these you will gore the Arameans until they are destroyed."
Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah, was among the four hundred prophets who unanimously urged King Ahab and King Jehoshaphat to march against Ramoth Gilead, promising them victory from the Lord.
6So the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and asked them, "Shall I go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I hold back?" They answered, "Go up, and the Lord will give it into the king's hand."
10Now the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat king of Judah were sitting on their thrones, robed in their royal garments, at the threshing floor by the entrance of the gate of Samaria, and all the prophets were prophesying before them.
When the prophet Micaiah, son of Imlah, prophesied that Ahab would fall in battle, Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah, struck Micaiah on the cheek and challenged his prophetic authority by asking how the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him.
24Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah came up to Micaiah and struck him on the cheek and demanded, "Which way did the spirit of the LORD go when he left me to speak to you?"
Micaiah told Zedekiah that he would see the truth on the day he had to flee and hide in an innermost room. This was a prophecy that Zedekiah's false message would be exposed.
The same event involving Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah, and his confrontation with Micaiah is also recorded in 2 Chronicles, confirming the importance of this account in Israel's history.
10Zedekiah son of Chenaanah had made himself horns of iron, and he declared, "Thus says the LORD: With these you shall gore the Arameans until they are destroyed."
23Then Zedekiah son of Chenaanah came up and struck Micaiah on the cheek, saying, "Which way did the Spirit of the LORD go when he left me to speak to you?"
King Ahab's death in the battle at Ramoth Gilead confirmed that Micaiah had spoken truly and that Zedekiah, son of Kenaanah, was a false prophet who led the king to destruction.
34But someone drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the sections of his armor. The king said to his charioteer, "Turn around and get me out of the fighting, for I am wounded."
35The battle grew fierce that day, and the king was propped up in his chariot facing the Arameans. That evening he died, and the blood from his wound ran onto the floor of the chariot.