1 Kings 13:7-17

7 And the king spake to the man of God, (and said,) Come thou home with me, that thou eat, and I shall give gifts to thee.

8 And the man of God said to the king, Though thou shalt give to me the half part of thine house, I shall not come with thee, neither I shall eat bread, neither I shall drink water in this place.

9 for so it was commanded to me by the word of the Lord, commanding, Thou shalt not eat bread, neither thou shalt drink water, neither thou shalt turn again by the way by which thou camest.

10 Therefore he went by another way, and turned not again by the way, by which he came into Bethel.

11 Forsooth an eld prophet dwelled then in Bethel, to whom his sons came, and told to him all the works which the man of God had done in that day in Bethel; and they [also] told to their father the words which he spake to the king.

12 And the father of them said to them, By what way went he? His sons showed to him the way, by which the man of God went, that came from Judah (who came from Judah).

13 And he said to his sons, Saddle ye an ass to me. And when they had saddled the ass, he went up, (And he said to his sons, Saddle ye up a donkey for me. And when they had saddled up the donkey, he rode on it,)

14 and went after the man of God, and found him sitting under a terebinth. And he said to the man of God, Whether thou art the man of God, that camest from Judah? He answered, I am.

15 And he said to him, Come thou with me home, that thou eat bread. (And he said to him, Come thou home with me, so that thou can eat some bread.)

16 And he said, I may not turn again (I cannot return), neither come with thee, neither I shall eat bread, neither I shall drink water in this place;

17 for the Lord spake to me in the word of the Lord (for the Lord spoke to me by the word of the Lord), and said, Thou shalt not eat bread, and thou shalt not drink water there, neither thou shalt turn again by the way by which thou wentest thither.

1 Kings 13:7-17 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.