1 Kings 13:25-34

25 And behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the road, and the lion standing beside the body; so they came and told it in the city where 1the old prophet lived.
26 Now when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard it, he said, "It is the man of God, who disobeyed the command of the LORD; therefore the LORD has given him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke to him."
27 Then he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." And they saddled it.
28 He went and found his body thrown on the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor torn the donkey.
29 So the prophet took up the body of the man of God and laid it on the donkey and brought it back, and he came to the city of the old prophet to mourn and to bury him.
30 He laid his body in his own grave, and they mourned over him, saying, "2Alas, my brother!"
31 After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I die, bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried; 3lay my bones beside his bones.
32 "4For the thing shall surely come to pass which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel and 5against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of 6Samaria."
33 After this event Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but 7again he made priests of the high places from among all the people; 8any who would, he ordained *, to be priests of the high places.
34 9This event became sin to the house of Jeroboam, 10even to blot it out and destroy it from off the face of the earth.

1 Kings 13:25-34 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 10

  • 1. 1 Kings 13:11
  • 2. Jeremiah 22:18
  • 3. Ruth 1:17; 2 Kings 23:17, 18
  • 4. 1 Kings 13:2
  • 5. Leviticus 26:30; 1 Kings 12:31
  • 6. 1 Kings 16:24; John 4:5; Acts 8:14
  • 7. 1 Kings 12:31, 32
  • 8. Judges 17:5
  • 9. 1 Kings 12:30; 2 Kings 17:21
  • 10. 1 Kings 14:10; 1 Kings 15:29, 30

Footnotes 4

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