1 Kings 13:1-9

A Man of God Confronts Jeroboam

1 And behold, ¹a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar ²to make offerings.

2 ³And the man cried against the altar by the word of the LORD and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, ⁴Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'"

3 And he gave ⁵a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"

4 And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him." And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.

5 The altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

6 And the king said to the man of God, ⁶"Entreat now the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me." And the man of God entreated the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him and became as it was before.

7 And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and ⁷I will give you a reward."

8 And the man of God said to the king, ⁸"If you give me half your house, ⁹I will not go in with you. And I will not eat bread or drink water in this place,

9 for so was it commanded me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'You shall neither eat bread nor drink water nor return by the way that you came.'"

1 Kings 13:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 13

In this chapter is an account of a man of God being sent to exclaim against Jeroboam's altar, and threaten its destruction, of which he gave a sign, which was accomplished, and with it the withering of the king's hand, which was healed upon the prophet's prayer for him, 1Ki 13:1-7, who would have entertained him at his house, but he refused the offer, and departed, 1Ki 13:8-10, but an old prophet in Bethel hearing of him, rode after him, and fetched him back to eat bread with him, through a lie he told him, 1Ki 13:11-19 upon which the word came to the old prophet, threatening the man of God with death for disobeying his command, and which was accordingly executed by a lion that met him in the way, and slew him, 1Ki 13:20-24, of which the old prophet being informed, went and took up his carcass, and buried it in his own sepulchre, where he charged his sons to bury him also when dead, believing that all the man of God had said would be fulfilled, 1Ki 13:25-30 and the chapter is closed with observing the continuance of Jeroboam in his idolatry, 1Ki 13:33,34.

Cross References

• 1. 2 Kings 23:17
• 2. 1 Kings 12:33
• 3. ver. 32
• 4. 2 Kings 23:15, 16
• 5. See Judges 6:17
• 6. Exodus 8:8; Exodus 9:28; Exodus 10:17; Numbers 21:7; Acts 8:24
• 7. [1 Samuel 9:7; 2 Kings 5:15]
• 8. Numbers 22:18; Numbers 24:13
• 9. ver. 16, 17