1 Kings 20:36

36 Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

1 Kings 20:36 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 20:36

Then said he unto him, because thou hast not obeyed the voice
of the Lord
In not smiting him; which, if he was a prophet, he must know how great an evil it was to disregard or disobey what was said by a prophet in his name; he must be inexcusable:

behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee.
And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew
him;
which may seem severe, yet being an act of disobedience to the command of God, by a prophet of his, was punishable with death.

1 Kings 20:36 In-Context

34 Ben-hadad said to him, “I will restore the cities my father took from your father; you may set up your own marketplaces in Damascus, as my father did in Samaria.” “By this treaty I release you,” Ahab replied. So he made a treaty with him and sent him away.

35 Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.

36 Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.

37 Then the prophet found another man and said, “Strike me, please!” So the man struck him and wounded him,

38 and the prophet went and waited on the road for the king, disguising himself with a bandage over his eyes.