Who were the 400 Nevi'im?
'Rashi': They were true Nevi'im 1 ; Achav gathered for Yehoshafat what he requested. This is proven (verse 21) ? "I will be a Ru'ach of Sheker in all of his Nevi'im?", and it says here "v'Yiten Elokim b'Yad ha'Melech." Enticement does not apply to false Nevi'im. They prophesize whatever they make up in their hearts! Also, Yehoshafat said "ha'Ein Po Navi la'Shem Od" (verse 6) - I have a tradition that two Nevi'im do not prophesize with the same words. Here, all say the same words 2 (Sanhedrin 89a)!
Malbim (here and in Melachim I, 22:6): They were the Nevi'im of the Asherah; Eliyahu did not kill them (Melachim I, 18:19, 40).
Nevi'ei Hashem hid from Izevel, who ordered to kill them! Perhaps her command ceased after the episode on Har ha'Karmel, and rain came; then she sought to kill only Eliyahu. We find that Michah regularly came in front of Achav! (PF)
I.e. even if normally they are Nevi'ei Emes, now they are not saying Devar Hashem. (PF) The other Meforshim explain that he recognized that they are false Nevi'im. Refer to Melachim I, 22:7:1:1.
Here it says "Arba Me'os." In Melachim I, 22:6 it says "k'Arba Me'os"!
Malbim: Here it explains that there were exactly 400 1 .
If so, why does it say there "k'Arba Me'os"? (PF)
Here it says "ha'Nelech." In Melachim I, 22:6 it says "ha'Elech"!
Malbim: He asked about both of them 1 (also if Yehoshafat should go).
He did not explain why there it says ha'Elech, and also here, it says "Im Echdal"! Perhaps these show that primarily he asked about himself; he said ha'Nelech only for the honor of Yehoshafat. (PF)
Why does it say here "v'Yiten Elokim", and in Melachim I, 22:6 it says v'Yiten Hashem" (Shem Aleph ? Dalet)?
Malbim (Melachim I, 22:6): Whenever Sefer Melachim refers to Hashem, it uses Shem Havayah (spelled Yud Kei?) All other names refer to other powers 1 . Also in Divrei ha'Yamim, Elohim is other gods and powers. This is why they said only "Ale", and did not "Ale Ramos Gil'ad", for Nevu'ah via magic is not clear; they did not see to where he will go.
Where do we find that Shem Aleph ? Dalet refers to other powers? Yehoshafat asked (verse 5) about Devar Hashem (Shem Havayah). And Chazal said how Yehoshafat inferred that they are not Nevi'ei Hashem based on a tradition (refer to 18:5:1:1). According to Malbim, they explicitly discussed other powers! (PF)
