Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 20:35

"And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him." — 1 Kings 20:35 (ASV)

A certain man —according to Josephus, Micaiah, the son of Imlah. This tradition, or conjecture, agrees well with the subsequent narrative in 1 Kings 22:0.

The sons of the prophets. —This phrase, constantly recurring in the history of Elijah and Elisha, first appears here. But what this phrase designates is apparently as old as the days of Samuel, who is evidently surrounded by “a company” of disciples (see 1 Samuel 10:5; 1 Samuel 10:10; 1 Samuel 19:20).

The prophetic office seems never to have been, like the priesthood or kingship, hereditary.

“Sonship,” therefore, no doubt means simply discipleship. It is probable that the schools of the sons of the prophets were places of higher religious education, including many who did not look for the prophetic vocation.

The well-known words of Amos (Amos 7:14), I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet’s son, clearly indicate that prophets were generally, though not invariably, called from their ranks.

Probably the institution had fallen into disuse and had been revived to seal and secure the prophetic victory over Baal-worship.

To Elijah, the “sons of the prophets” look up with awe and some terror; to Elisha, with affectionate respect and trust.