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1 Kings Chapter
Thirteen
New King James Version (NKJV)
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, 1 Kings 13:1, who
would have entertained him at his house, but he refused the offer, and
departed, 1 Kings 13:8, 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, 1 Kings 13:11 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, 1 Kings 13:20, 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, 1 Kings 13:25 and
the chapter is closed with observing the continuance of Jeroboam in his
idolatry, 1 Kings 13:33.
1 Kings 13:1 And
behold, a man of God went from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, and Jeroboam
stood by the altar to burn incense.
YLT
1And lo, a man of God hath
come from Judah, by the word of Jehovah, unto Beth-El, and Jeroboam is standing
by the altar -- to make perfume;
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah,.... Whom
JosephusF24Ut supra. (Antiqu. l. 8. c. 8. sect. 3.) calls Jadon,
perhaps the same with Iddo, who is by the Jewish writersF25Seder
Olam Rabba, c. 20. Shalshalet Hakabala, fol. 11. 1. Jarch & Kimchi in loc.
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 TertullianF26De Jejuniis, c. 16. 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.
1 Kings 13:2 2 Then he cried out against
the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar,
altar! Thus says the Lord:
‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on
you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you,
and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’”
YLT
2and he calleth against the
altar, by the word of Jehovah, and saith, `Altar! altar! thus said Jehovah, Lo,
a son is born to the house of David -- Josiah his name -- and he hath
sacrificed on thee the priests of the high places who are making perfume on
thee, and bones of man are burnt on thee.'
And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord,.... By his
order and command:
and said, O altar, altar; addressing himself not
to Jeroboam, but the altar, thereby reproving his stupidity, the altar being as
ready to hear as he; and because that was what moved the indignation of the
Lord; and the word is repeated, to show the vehemency of the prophet's spirit,
and his zeal against it; though the Jews commonly say it respects both altars,
that at Dan, as well as this at Bethel:
thus saith the Lord, a child shall be born unto the house of
David, Josiah by name; who was not born until three hundred years after this, according
to the Jewish writersF1Pirke Eliezer, c. 17. : but it is generally
reckoned to be more, even three hundred and fifty or three hundred and sixty
years; this is a clear proof of the prescience, predetermination, and
providence of God with respect to future events, contingent ones, such as
depend upon the will of men; for what more so than giving a name to a child?
upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn
incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee; all which was
fulfilled by Josiah, 2 Kings 23:15, it
may be read, "the bones of a man", which the Jews understand of
Jeroboam; but may only signify that, instead of the bones of beasts, which were
burnt on it, the bones of men should be burnt, and even of the priests
themselves; a glaring proof this of the truth of prophecy, and of divine
revelation.
1 Kings 13:3 3 And he gave a sign the
same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken:
Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”
YLT
3And he hath given on that
day a sign, saying, `This [is] the sign that Jehovah hath spoken, Lo, the altar
is rent, and the ashes poured forth that [are] on it.'
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign which the
Lord hath spoken,.... As a confirmation of the truth of what the prophet had said,
and for the proof of his being a true prophet of the Lord:
behold, the altar shall be rent; of itself, by an
invisible hand, by the power of God:
and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out; signifying it
should be entirely demolished, not only shaken but destroyed, so as not to be
capable of retaining the ashes on it; this was an emblem of the utter abolition
of idolatry here in future times.
1 Kings 13:4 4 So it came to pass when
King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the
altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest
him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could
not pull it back to himself.
YLT
4And it cometh to pass, at
the king's hearing the word of the man of God that he calleth against the altar
in Beth-El, that Jeroboam putteth forth his hand from off the altar, saying,
`Catch him;' and his hand is dried up that he hath put forth against him, and
he is not able to bring it back unto him,
And it came to pass, when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the
man of God, who had cried against the altar in Bethel,.... He was
highly provoked: so that he put forth his hand from the altar; on which he was
burning incense:
saying, lay hold on him; he put forth his hand,
and either shook it at the prophet, threatening what he would do to him; or as
beckoning to the people to seize him, and which he also expressed:
and his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he
could not pull it in again to him; he could not move it one
way nor another, but it remained in the same position, the nerves and muscles
being shrunk; which was a further confirmation of the prophet's mission from
God, being one of those concerning whom he says, "do my prophets no
harm", and a fresh token of the certain performance of what he had said.
1 Kings 13:5 5 The altar also was split
apart, 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.
YLT
5and the altar is rent, and
the ashes poured forth from the altar, according to the sign that the man of
God had given by the word of Jehovah.
The altar also was rent,.... Split into two parts
perhaps, and one fell one way, and the other another;
and the ashes poured out from the altar; the ashes of
the burnt offering, these were spilled on the ground; all which was done
without any outward force, or any visible means thereof:
according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word
of the Lord; by his direction and order.
1 Kings 13:6 6 Then the king answered and
said to the man of God, “Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and
pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” So the man of God entreated
the Lord,
and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as before.
YLT
6And the king answereth and
saith unto the man of God, `Appease, I pray thee, the face of Jehovah thy God,
and pray for me, and my hand doth come back unto me;' and the man of God
appeaseth the face of Jehovah, and the hand of the king cometh back unto him,
and it is as at the beginning.
And the king answered and said unto the man of God,.... In
another tone than when he bid the people lay hold on him; not in a haughty, but
humble manner; not as threatening, but supplicating:
entreat now the face of the Lord thy God; he does not
say "my God", for he had apostatized from him, and served other gods,
but "thy" God, whose prophet he was, and who had an interest in him,
as clearly appeared by what he had said and done by him;
and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again; not that the
anger of God might be turned away from him, and he enjoy the divine favour, and
have an application of pardoning grace made to him, only to have this outward
mercy, this temporal favour restored to him, the use of his hand:
and the man of God besought the Lord; not rendering
evil for evil; but being of a forgiving spirit, though the king had stretched
out his hand against him, he lifted up his hands to heaven for him:
and the king's hand was restored again, and became as it was
before; which was another instance of divine power, and a further proof
of the prophet's divine mission; from whence it might be concluded, that what
he had prophesied of would be fulfilled, and was an instance also of divine
goodness to the king, which should have led him to repentance, but did not.
1 Kings 13:7 7 Then the king said to the
man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a
reward.”
YLT
7And the king speaketh unto
the man of God, `Come in with me to the house, and refresh thyself, and I give
to thee a gift.'
And the king said unto the man of God, come home with me, and
refresh thyself,.... By eating a meal with him, after such a journey he had
taken, and delivered his prophecies, and put up his prayers for the king:
and I will give thee a reward; for his prayers, by
means of which his hand was restored to him; but takes no notice of the Lord,
the author of this miraculous cure, nor expresses the least degree of
thankfulness and gratitude to him.
1 Kings 13:8 8 But the man of God said to
the king, “If you were to give me half your house, I would not go in with you;
nor would I eat bread nor drink water in this place.
YLT
8And the man of God saith
unto the king, `If thou dost give to me the half of thine house, I do not go in
with thee, nor do I eat bread, nor do I drink water, in this place;
And the man of God said unto the king,.... In answer
to his civility to him, to assure him it was not out of contempt to him, or ill
will to him, or slight of his favour, but in obedience to the will of God:
if thou wilt give half of thine house; of the riches
in it, and even of his kingdom:
I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink
water in this place; this idolatrous place; the reason follows.
1 Kings 13:9 9 For so it was commanded me
by the word of the Lord,
saying, ‘You shall not eat bread, nor drink water, nor return by the same way
you came.’”
YLT
9for so He commanded me by
the word of Jehovah, saying, Thou dost not eat bread nor drink water, nor turn
back in the way that thou hast come.'
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.
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 13:10 10 So he went another way and
did not return by the way he came to Bethel.
YLT
10And he goeth on in another
way, and hath not turned back in the way in which he came in unto Beth-El.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came
to Bethel. Neither ate nor drank with the king, though that is not
expressed; nor did he go back the same way he came; but in each particular
observed the divine command, and was obedient to it.
1 Kings 13:11 11 Now an old prophet dwelt
in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had
done that day in Bethel; they also told their father the words which he had
spoken to the king.
YLT
11And a certain aged prophet
is dwelling in Beth-El, and his son cometh and recounteth to him all the deed
that the man of God hath done to-day in Beth-El, the words that he hath spoken
unto the king, -- yea, they recount them to their father.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel,.... The
Targum is, a false prophet, so JosephusF2Antiqu. l. 8. c. 9. sect.
1. ; it is hard to say what he was, a good man or a bad man; if a good man, he
was guilty of many things which are not in his favour, as dwelling in such an
idolatrous place suffering his sons to attend idolatrous worship, and telling
the man of God a premeditated lie; and yet there are several things which seem
contrary to his being a bad man, and of an ill character, since he is called an
old prophet, did not attend idolatrous worship, showed great respect to the man
of God, had the word of God sent unto him concerning him, believed that what he
had prophesied should come to pass, buried the man of God in his own grave, and
desired his sons to bury him with him. In some copies his name is said to be
Micah, as Kimchi observes, and other Jewish writersF3T. Bab.
Sanhedrin, fol. 104. 1. say the same; though some take him to be Amaziah the
priest of Bethel, and others Gersom the son of MosesF4Shalshalet
Hakabala, ut supra. (fol. 11. 1.) Shirhalbirim Rabba, fol. 10. 2. , but without
any foundation; though he now dwelt at Bethel, he was originally of Samaria, 2 Kings 23:18,
and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God
had done that day in Bethel; that the altar was rent, and the ashes
poured out, as he had said, and that Jeroboam's hand withered, and was restored
upon his prayer to God:
the words which he had spoken unto the king; that one
should be born of the family of David, Josiah by name, that should offer the
idolatrous priests, and burn the bones of men upon that altar, and that that
should be rent, and its ashes poured forth, which was done:
them they told also their father; gave him a particular
account of his actions and words.
1 Kings 13:12 12 And their father said to
them, “Which way did he go?” For his sons had seen[a] which way
the man of God went who came from Judah.
YLT
12And their father saith unto
them, `Where [is] this -- the way he hath gone?' and his sons see the way that
the man of God hath gone who came from Judah.
And their father said unto them, what way went he?.... Having a
strong inclination to see him, and converse with him:
for his sons had seen what way the man of God went which came from
Judah; they took notice of it; and, as the Targum, they showed it to
their father.
1 Kings 13:13 13 Then he said to his sons,
“Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on
it,
YLT
13And he saith unto his sons,
`Saddle for me the ass,' and they saddle for him the ass, and he rideth on it,
And he said unto his sons, saddle me the ass,.... Which he
used to ride on; intimating he had a mind to ride after him, and overtake him,
as he might reasonably think he might, since the man of God was on foot:
so they saddled him the ass, and he rode thereon; after the man
of God, taking the way his sons directed.
1 Kings 13:14 14 and went after the man of
God, and found him sitting under an oak. Then he said to him, “Are you
the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.”
YLT
14and goeth after the man of
God, and findeth him sitting under the oak, and saith unto him, `Art thou the
man of God who hast come from Judah?' and he saith, `I [am].'
And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak,.... To
shelter him from the heat, and being faint, hungry, and thirsty; so the
ancients of old made use of oaks for a covering, before houses were inventedF5Suidas
in voce δενδρυαζειν. ; thus
Abraham pitched his tent in the plain, or under the oak, of Mamre, Genesis 13:18.
and he said unto him, art thou the man of God that camest from
Judah? which he might guess at from his habit, and from the description
his sons had given of him:
and he said, I am; owned himself to be the person he inquired
after.
1 Kings 13:15 15 Then he said to him, “Come
home with me and eat bread.”
YLT
15And he saith unto him,
`Come with me to the house, and eat bread.'
Then said he unto him, come home with me, and eat bread. In which
invitation no doubt he was hearty, and might have no ill design in it, only to
have some conversation with him, as being a good man, and a prophet of the
Lord, especially upon the subject of his prophecies at Bethel.
1 Kings 13:16 16 And he said, “I cannot
return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water
with you in this place.
YLT
16And he saith, `I am not
able to turn back with thee, and to go in with thee, nor do I eat bread or
drink with thee water in this place,
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee,.... Into the
city, and into his house in it, being such an idolatrous place, and especially
being forbidden of God:
neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place; he was
resolute and determined to abide by the commandment of the Lord, though there
is reason to believe that he was now both hungry and thirsty.
1 Kings 13:17 17 For I have been told by
the word of the Lord,
‘You shall not eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by going the way you
came.’”
YLT
17for a word [is] unto me by
the word of Jehovah, Thou dost not eat bread nor drink there water, thou dost
not turn back to go in the way in which thou camest.'
For it was said to me by the word of the Lord,.... By the
angel that was sent to him, who gave him his message and instructions; which he
was persuaded came from the Lord himself, and therefore looked upon himself
under obligation to regard them as such:
thou shall eat no bread, &c. the same that he
observed to the king, 1 Kings 13:9.
1 Kings 13:18 18 He said to him, “I too am
a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord, saying,
‘Bring him back with you to your house, that he may eat bread and drink
water.’” (He was lying to him.)
YLT
18And he saith to him, `I
also [am] a prophet like thee, and a messenger spake unto me by the word of
Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee unto thy house, and he doth eat bread
and drink water;' -- he hath lied to him.
And he said unto him,.... That is, the old
prophet said to the man of God:
I am a prophet also as thou art; meaning, that he was a
prophet of the true God, and not of any idol deity; that he not only believed
in him, and was a worshipper of him, but had revelations from him, and of the
same things this man of God had, and that he believed that what he had
prophesied of would certainly come to pass:
and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord; was sent and
dispatched by the order of the Lord with the following message:
saying, bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat
bread and drink water; and so be refreshed, and be fit to proceed on in his journey:
but he lied unto him; no messenger
nor message being sent to him by the Lord, but was wholly a device and
stratagem of his own to persuade the man of God to return with him, that he
might have his company and conversation.
1 Kings 13:19 19 So he went back with him,
and ate bread in his house, and drank water.
YLT
19And he turneth back with
him, and eateth bread in his house, and drinketh water.
So he went back with him,.... In which he sinned;
for as he had most certainly the command of God not to eat and drink in that
place, he ought to have had the countermand from the Lord, and not trusted to
another person. There are some things indeed which may be said in his favour,
and be an apology for him, as that this man was an ancient prophet of the Lord,
as he appeared to him; and that though he was forbid to eat and drink with
idolaters, yet he thought he might with a prophet of the Lord, and especially
as he affirmed he had the direction of an angel of the Lord for it; nor could
he conceive that the prophet had any interest to serve by it, but rather it
might be chargeable and burdensome to him; and he might think the Lord, out of
compassion on him, had countermanded his former orders, and the circumstances
he was in might the more incline him to listen to these plausible pretences;
but, after all, he ought to have taken no directions but from the Lord himself;
in this he failed:
and did eat bread in his house, and drink water; contrary to
the express command of God.
1 Kings 13:20 20 Now it happened, as they
sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet who
had brought him back;
YLT
20And it cometh to pass -- they
are sitting at the table -- and a word of Jehovah is unto the prophet who
brought him back,
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table,.... The old
prophet, with his sons, and the man of God; the Arabic version adds, "and
did eat", there being a pause in the Hebrew text, as if something was
wanting, and to be understood and supplied:
that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him
back; that is, to the old prophet, who was the means of bringing back
the man of God; the word did not come to him who had transgressed the command
of the Lord, but to him who was the occasion of it; though Abarbinel is of
opinion that the word came to the latter, and so some versions, both ancient
and modern, render the clause, "to the prophet whom he had brought
back"F6Syr. Ar. Junius & Tremellius. and which is
countenanced by what is said, 1 Kings 13:26,
according to the word of the Lord which he spoke unto him: but the
former sense best agrees with what follows.
1 Kings 13:21 21 and he cried out to the
man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Because you
have disobeyed the word of the Lord, and have not kept the
commandment which the Lord
your God commanded you,
YLT
21and he calleth unto the man
of God who came from Judah, saying, `Thus said Jehovah, Because that thou hast
provoked the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the command that Jehovah thy
God charged thee,
And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah,.... His mind
being greatly affected with the word brought to him, partly on his own account,
who, by a lie his conscience must accuse him of, had been the means of seducing
the man of God, and partly on his account, who was threatened with death for
complying with him:
saying, thus saith the Lord; being obliged to
deliver, in the name of the Lord, what was said unto him:
forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord; the order
that came out of his mouth, as follows:
and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded
thee; not to eat nor drink in Bethel.
1 Kings 13:22 22 but you came back, ate
bread, and drank water in the place of which the Lord said to you,
“Eat no bread and drink no water,” your corpse shall not come to the tomb of
your fathers.’”
YLT
22and turnest back and dost
eat bread and drink water in the place of which He said unto thee, Thou dost
not eat bread nor drink water -- thy carcase cometh not in unto the
burying-place of thy fathers.'
But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the
place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, eat no bread, nor drink no water,.... Which
command he observed when first there, though invited by the king; and yet,
after he had got out of the place, was prevailed upon to return and transgress
the command:
thy carcass shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers; signifying
that he should die before he came to the land of Judah, and he should be buried
in another place, and which was verified.
1 Kings 13:23 23 So it was, after he had
eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, the
prophet whom he had brought back.
YLT
23And it cometh to pass,
after his eating bread, and after his drinking, that he saddleth for him the
ass, for the prophet whom he had brought back,
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had
drunk,.... That is, had finished the meal; for he had begun to eat and
drink before the word came, which came while they were eating and drinking; and
it seems this did not hinder their proceeding to make an end of their meal,
which one would have thought would have spoiled their appetite:
that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet
whom he had brought back; he ordered his sons to get it ready for him, that he might not
walk on foot as he had; though it does not appear that either he or any of his
servants accompanied him, but the contrary.
1 Kings 13:24 24 When he was gone, a lion
met him on the road and killed him. And his corpse was thrown on the road, and
the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the corpse.
YLT
24and he goeth, and a lion
findeth him in the way, and putteth him to death, and his carcase is cast in
the way, and the ass is standing near it, and the lion is standing near the
carcase.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him,.... Perhaps
not far from Bethel; and this lion might come out of the same wood the she
bears did, that devoured the children that mocked the prophet, as Bishop
Patrick conjectures, 2 Kings 2:23.
and his carcass was cast in the way; in the high road, where
it seems the lion seized him, and he fell:
and the ass stood by it; disregarded and unhurt
by the lion, though the prophet was pulled off of the back of him:
the lion also stood by the carcass: not offering to tear it
in pieces and devour it, but rather, as if he was the guard of it, to keep off
all others from meddling with it; these circumstances are very surprising, and
show the thing to be of God; for when the lion had done what he had a
commission to do, which was to kill the prophet, he was to do no more.
1 Kings 13:25 25 And there, men passed by
and saw the corpse thrown on the road, and the lion standing by the corpse.
Then they went and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
YLT
25And lo, men are passing by,
and see the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing near the carcase,
and they come and speak [of it] in the city in which the old prophet is
dwelling.
And, behold, men passed by,.... Travellers on the
road; nor did the lion offer to seize on them, nor desert the carcass upon
their approach:
and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the
carcass; as before described:
and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt; which was
Bethel, by which means he came to have knowledge of it.
1 Kings 13:26 26 Now when the prophet who
had brought him back from the way heard it, he said, “It is the
man of God who was disobedient to the word of the Lord. Therefore the
Lord has delivered
him to the lion, which has torn him and killed him, according to the word of
the Lord
which He spoke to him.”
YLT
26And the prophet who brought
him back out of the way heareth and saith, `It [is] the man of God who provoked
the mouth of Jehovah, and Jehovah giveth him to the lion, and it destroyeth
him, and putteth him to death, according to the word of Jehovah that he spake
to him.'
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard
thereof,.... The old prophet, that had deceived him, by telling him a
lie:
he said, it is the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word
of the Lord; but not a syllable does he say of his own sin in deceiving him;
though one would think his own conscience must smite him for it:
therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath
torn him, and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto
him; and that by himself, 1 Kings 13:21.
1 Kings 13:27 27 And he spoke to his sons,
saying, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled it.
YLT
27And he speaketh unto his
sons saying, `Saddle for me the ass,' and they saddle [it].
And he spoke to his sons, saying, saddle me the ass,.... For it
seems he had more than one, for he had sent away the man of God with one
before: and they saddled him; the ass he commonly rode on.
1 Kings 13:28 28 Then he went and found his
corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse.
The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey.
YLT
28And he goeth and findeth
his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion are standing near the
carcase -- the lion hath not eaten the carcase nor destroyed the ass.
And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and
the lion standing by the carcass,.... As before described:
the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass; both which
were very marvellous; as also that the ass should stand so quietly, and without
fear, by the carcass along with the lion and not run away; but here both stayed
till the prophet came to take care of the carcass, which shows the singular
providence of God in this affair; and that though he chastised the man of God
with a temporal judgment for his offence, yet he was dear to him, and even his
carcass precious in his sight.
1 Kings 13:29 29 And the prophet took up
the corpse of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. So
the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him.
YLT
29And the prophet taketh up
the carcase of the man of God, and placeth it on the ass, and bringeth it back,
and the old prophet cometh in unto the city to mourn and to bury him,
And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God,.... The lion
perhaps made off as soon as he came, or, if he stayed, the prophet was not
afraid of him, seeing he did not attempt to devour the carcass, nor touch the
ass, nor do any hurt to those that passed by:
and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; to his own
city:
and the old prophet came to the city to mourn, and to bury him; to perform
the funeral rites, according to the custom of the place.
1 Kings 13:30 30 Then he laid the corpse in
his own tomb; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
YLT
30and he placeth his carcase
in his own grave, and they mourn for him, `Oh, my brother!'
And he laid his carcass in his own grave,.... Which he
had prepared for himself; for, as he came from Samaria, it could not be the
sepulchre of his fathers; and this was showing all the respect, and doing all
the honour to him, he well could:
and they mourned over him; the prophet and his
sons: saying,
alas, my brother; which was an usual form of lamentation at
funerals in later times, see Jeremiah 22:18.
1 Kings 13:31 31 So it was, after he had
buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, then bury me in
the tomb where the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.
YLT
31And it cometh to pass,
after his burying him, that he speaketh unto his sons, saying, `At my death --
ye have buried me in the burying-place in which the man of God is buried; near
his bones place my bones;
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his
sons, saying,.... He gave them the following charge:
when I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of
God is buried; as it was his own, it might be reasonably thought they would
bury him in it without such a charge; but, lest they should not, he gives it:
lay my bones beside his bones; his view in this was,
that when Josiah came to burn the bones of the priests, he would spare the
bones of this man of God; and so his, lying by them, and mingled with them,
would be spared also, and so it proved, 2 Kings 23:18.
1 Kings 13:32 32 For the saying which he
cried out by the word of the Lord against the altar in
Bethel, and against all the shrines[b] on the
high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely come to
pass.”
YLT
32for the word certainly
cometh to pass that he called by the word of Jehovah concerning the altar which
[is] Beth-El, and concerning all the houses of the high places that [are] in
cities of Samaria.'
For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the
altar in Bethel,.... That the priests should be offered on it, and men's bones be
burnt upon it; for as for its being rent, and the ashes of it poured out, that
had been done already:
and against all the houses of the high places which are in
Samaria, shall surely come to pass: by which it appears that
there were temples, and high places, and altars built in other parts of the
kingdom besides Dan and Bethel, of the destruction of which the man of God
prophesied, though not before mentioned; all which the old prophet gave credit
to, and firmly believed would be accomplished. The kingdom of Israel, in later
times, had the name of Samaria, from the chief city of it, Isaiah 7:9, here
spoken of by anticipation, for as yet it was not in being, see 1 Kings 16:24 and
either it has its name here by way of prophecy, or else given by the writer of
this book, as what it went by in his time.
1 Kings 13:33 33 After this event Jeroboam
did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of
people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one
of the priests of the high places.
YLT
33After this thing Jeroboam
hath not turned from his evil way, and turneth back, and maketh of the
extremities of the people priests of high places; he who is desirous he
consecrateth his hand, and he is of the priests of the high places.
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way,.... From the
idolatrous practices he had started, and was establishing; though he had seen
his altar rent, and the ashes poured out as the man of God predicted, his own
hand withered, and that restored again upon the prayer of the prophet; and
though he had heard of the death he died for his disobedience to the command of
God, and the several marvellous things that attended it; these were so far from
reforming him, that he seemed to be the more hardened thereby:
but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high
places: and officiated there, and indeed those of the tribe of Levi
would not serve there, and therefore were expelled their cities; see 2 Chronicles 11:14.
1 Kings 13:34 34 And this thing was the sin
of the house of Jeroboam, so as to exterminate and destroy it from the
face of the earth.
YLT
34And in this thing is the
sin of the house of Jeroboam, even to cut [it] off, and to destroy [it] from
off the face of the ground.
And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam,.... All the
above things were sins in themselves, as building high places, and putting
priests in them, whoever would; but the sense is, that these were the causes of
punishment, or of evil things being inflicted on Jeroboam's family; sin is put
for the punishment of sin, as it often is:
even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the
earth; so that it become utterly extinct; and the next thing we hear of
is the sickness and death of his son.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)