1 Kings 13:1

1 Behold, there came a man of God out of Yehudah by the word of the LORD to Beit-El: and Yarov`am was standing by the altar to burn incense.

1 Kings 13:1 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 13:1

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah
Whom Josephus ^F24 calls Jadon, perhaps the same with Iddo, who is by the Jewish writers ^F25 generally thought to be this man of God, and which may seem to be countenanced by ( 2 Chronicles 9:29 ) but cannot be, because this man was quickly slain, whereas Iddo lived after Rehoboam, and wrote his acts, first and last, nay, after Ahijah his son, ( 2 Chronicles 13:22 ) and for the same reason Shemaiah cannot be the man of God, ( 1 Kings 12:22 ) , though Tertullian ^F26 calls him Sameas, and designs Shemaiah: but, whoever he was, he came

by the word of the Lord to Bethel:
that is, by his command:

and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense;
at the time he came, ( 1 Kings 12:33 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F24 Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 8. sect. 3.)
F25 Seder Olam Rabba, c. 20. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 1. Jarch & Kimchi in loc.
F26 De Jejuniis, c. 16.

1 Kings 13:1 In-Context

1 Behold, there came a man of God out of Yehudah by the word of the LORD to Beit-El: and Yarov`am was standing by the altar to burn incense.

2 He cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, altar, altar, thus says the LORD: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Yoshiyahu by name; and on you shall he sacrifice the Kohanim of the high places who burn incense on you, and men's bones shall they burn on you.

3 He gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be torn, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.

4 It happened, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beit-El, that Yarov`am put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. His hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to him.

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