1 Kings 13:5-15

5 The altar broke apart, and the ashes spilled out from the altar, just like the sign that the man of God gave by the LORD's word.
6 The king said to the man of God, "Plead before the LORD your God and pray for me so that I can bend my hand back again." So the man of God pleaded before the LORD, and the king's hand returned to normal and was like it used to be.
7 The king spoke to the man of God: "Come with me to the palace and refresh yourself. Let me give you a gift."
8 The man of God said to the king, "Even if you gave me half your palace, I wouldn't go with you, nor would I eat food or drink water in this place.
9 This is what God commanded me by the LORD's word: Don't eat food! Don't drink water! Don't return by the way you came!"
10 So the man of God went by a different way. He didn't return by the way he came to Bethel.
11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him everything that the man of God had done that day at Bethel. They also told their father the words that he spoke to the king.
12 "Which way did he go?" their father asked them. His sons had seen the way the man of God went when he came from Judah.
13 The old prophet said to his sons, "Saddle my donkey." So they saddled his donkey, and he got on it.
14 He went after the man of God and found him sitting underneath a terebinth tree. He said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" "I am," he replied.
15 The old prophet then said to him, "Come home with me and eat some food."

1 Kings 13:5-15 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.

Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible