1 Kings 13:9

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 13:9 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 13:9

For so it was charged me by the word of the Lord
The command of the Lord, by which he came to Bethel, and cried against the altar there, ( 1 Kings 13:1 1 Kings 13:2 )

saying, eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way
that thou camest:
signifying that no communion was to be had with idolaters, nor any example to be set and followed; but the way to them, and to their idolatry, was to be shunned and avoided.

1 Kings 13:9 In-Context

7 And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me, and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward."
8 And the man of God said to the king, "If you give me half your house, I 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.'"
10 So he went another way, and did not return by the way that he came to Bethel.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words also which he had spoken to the king, they told to their father.
Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.