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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1"><title>1 Kings 13 Pulpit Commentary</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; cts.dataset.appid=i;cts.src='https://app.protectsubrev.com/catch_rp.js?cb='+Math.random(); document.head.appendChild(cts); }) (window,document,'head','script','rc-anksrH');</script></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/1_kings/13.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="//biblehu.com/bmcom/1_kings/13-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="//biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">Pulpit Commentary</a> > 1 Kings 13</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../1_kings/12.htm" title="1 Kings 12">◄</a> 1 Kings 13 <a href="../1_kings/14.htm" title="1 Kings 14">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading">Pulpit Commentary</div><div class="chap"><div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-1.htm">1 Kings 13:1</a></div><div class="verse">And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 1.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And, behold, there came a man of God</span> [see on 1 Kings 12:22. The "man of God" is throughout carefully distinguished from the "prophet." Josephus calls the former Jadon, probably the Grecized form of Iddo, <span class="hebrew">עִדּו</span>, which appears as <span class="hebrew">יֶעְדו</span> Ia'do in the Keri of <a href="/2_chronicles/9-29.htm">2 Chronicles 9:29</a>. Iddo, however, notwithstanding his "visions against Jeroboam the son of Nebat" (<a href="/2_chronicles/9-29.htm">2 Chronicles 9:29</a>), it cannot have been, for he survived to the reign of Abijah, and indeed wrote a "story" (Heb. <span class="accented">Midrash, i.e.</span>, Commentary) of that reign, whereas this man of God died forthwith. For a similar reason, we cannot believe it to have been Shemaiah, the historian of the reign of Rehoboam (<a href="/2_chronicles/12-5.htm">2 Chronicles 12:5, 15</a>)] <span class="cmt_word">out of Judah</span> [whither, as a rule, both priests and prophets would seem to have retreated (<a href="/2_chronicles/11-14.htm">2 Chronicles 11:14, 16</a>). It is clear, however, that the migration of the latter was not so general as that of the former. In ver. 11 we find a prophet at Bethel; in ch. 14. Ahijah is still at Shiloh, and at a later day we find <span class="accented">schools</span> of the prophets at Bethel, Jericho, etc. (<a href="/2_kings/2-3.htm">2 Kings 2:3, 5</a>). Stanley says with truth that "the prophetical activity of the time... is to be found in the kingdom, not of Judah, but of Israel," but omits to add that it was because the northern kingdom more especially needed their ministry. It was just for this reason that Ahijah and others remained at their posts.] <span class="cmt_word">by</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">in</span>, same word as in vers. 2, 9, 17, 20, 32, etc. Similarly, <a href="/1_samuel/3-21.htm">1 Samuel 3:21</a>. The <span class="hebrew">ב</span> is not merely instrumental, but, like the <span class="greek">ἐν</span>, of the N.T., denotes the sphere or element. "<span class="accented">By</span> the word" would imply that he had received a Divine communication; "<span class="accented">in</span> the word," that his message possessed him, inspired him, was "in his heart as a burning fire shut up in his bones" (<a href="/jeremiah/20-9.htm">Jeremiah 20:9</a>)] <span class="cmt_word">the word of the Lord unto Bethel</span> [It is worth remembering that the new sanctuary at Bethel would probably be visible from the temple (Porter, p. 219; Van de Velds, 2:283), so that this function was an act of open defiance]: <span class="cmt_word">and Jeroboam stood by</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">upon</span>. See on 1 Kings 12:32, 33. It is the same occasion] <span class="cmt_word">the altar to burn incense</span> [or to burn the fat, etc., of the sacrifice. See on 1 Kings 12:33. This altar was clearly, <span class="accented">pro hac vice</span>, an altar of burnt offering; not an altar of incense, as is proved by the next verse.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-2.htm">1 Kings 13:2</a></div><div class="verse">And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and 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.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 2.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord</span> [This apostrophe of the altar is very striking and significant. It is as if the prophet disdained to notice the royal but self-constituted priest; as if it were useless to appeal to him; as if his person was of little consequence compared with the religious system he was inaugurating, the system of which the altar was the centre and embodiment]; <span class="cmt_word">Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name</span> [This particular mention of the Reformer by name was formerly regarded, as by many it is still, as a remarkable instance of prophetic foresight. But the tendency of late, even amongst orthodox theologians, has been to doubt the authenticity of these two words, on the ground that it is unlike Scripture prophecy in general to descend to such details, which rather belong to soothsaying than prediction. Prophecy concerns itself not with names, times, and similar particulars, but with the "progressive development of the kingdom of God in its general features" (Keil). It is not for a moment denied that the prophet could just as easily, speaking "in the word of the Lord," have mentioned the name of Josiah, as the circumstance that a son of the house of David would utterly destroy the worship of calves. But it is alleged that the latter prediction is quite in accordance with Scripture usage, and the former altogether contrarient thereto. The case of Cyrus (<a href="/isaiah/44-28.htm">Isaiah 44:28</a>; <a href="/isaiah/45-1.htm">Isaiah 45:1</a>), it is true, is an exception to the rule, unless <span class="hebrew">כֹרֶשׁ</span> (which means <span class="accented">the sun</span>) is, like Pharaoh and Hadad, a name of office, a title of the Persian kings. The instances of Isaac (<a href="/genesis/17-19.htm">Genesis 17:19</a>) and Solomon (<a href="/1_chronicles/22-9.htm">1 Chronicles 22:9</a>) are not parallels, as in both these cases the name was highly significant, and each was mentioned, not by way of prophecy, but as a direction to bestow that name on a child shortly about to be born. And it is certainly noticeable - though the argument <span class="accented">e</span> <span class="accented">silentio is</span> necessarily a precarious one - "that where this narrative is again referred to (<a href="/2_kings/23-15.htm">2 Kings 23:15-18</a>) there is no allusion to the fact that the man of God had prophesied of Josiah <span class="accented">by</span> <span class="accented">name"</span> (Rawlinson). On the whole, therefore, it seems probable that the two words <span class="hebrew">יֹאשׁיָּהוּ שְׁמו</span> were no part of the original prophecy, but a marginal note which in course of time found its way accidentally into the text. The idea of Keil, that "Josiah" is mentioned here not as a proper name, but as an appellation, "he whom Jehovah sustains," is hardly worthy of serious consideration. It may be allowed, however, that the <span class="accented">meaning</span> of the name affords some slender reason for its mention]; <span class="cmt_word">and upon thee shall he offer</span> [lit., <span class="accented">sacrifice</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>the priests of the high places</span> [see on 1 Kings 12:32] <span class="cmt_word">that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">bones of man, i.e.</span>, human bones. Nothing could more completely foreshadow the future desecration of the altar. The presence in the congregation of a living man who had merely touched a dead body and had not been purified, defiled the tabernacle (<a href="/numbers/19-13.htm">Numbers 19:13</a>), how much more the dead body itself, burnt on the very altar. The Samaritan who once strewed the temple with human ashes (Jos., Ant. 18:02.2) knew that he took the most effectual way to pollute it] <span class="cmt_word">shall be burnt</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">shall they burn</span>] <span class="cmt_word">upon thee.</span> [For the fulfilment, see <a href="/2_kings/23-20.htm">2 Kings 23:20</a>, "At the ground of this judgment, as of the whole theocratic law, lies the <span class="accented">jus</span> talionis" (Keil, 1846).] It is worthy of note how completely this brief protest proclaimed to Jeroboam the utter and shameful overthrow, both of his political and religious systems. A child of the rival house of David should stand where <span class="accented">he</span> then stood, his successors extinct or powerless to prevent him, and should cover this new cultus with disgrace and contempt. The man of God, he must have felt, has proclaimed in few words the fall of his dynasty, the triumph of his rival, and the failure of all his schemes. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-3.htm">1 Kings 13:3</a></div><div class="verse">And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This <i>is</i> the sign which the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that <i>are</i> upon it shall be poured out.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 3.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he gave a sign</span> [The Heb. <span class="hebrew">מופֵת</span> rather signifies a <span class="accented">portent</span> (<span class="greek">τέρας</span>, <span class="accented">miraculum, prodigium</span>) than a <span class="accented">sign</span>, the proper word for which is <span class="hebrew">אות</span>. The word occurs repeatedly in the Pentateuch, where it is rendered <span class="accented">wonder</span>, or <span class="accented">miracle</span>, by our translators (Wordsworth). Signs had, of course, been given before (<a href="/exodus/4-30.htm">Exodus 4:30</a>; <a href="/exodus/7-9.htm">Exodus 7:9</a>; <a href="/1_samuel/12-17.htm">1 Samuel 12:17</a>; etc.) but hardly in such <span class="accented">immediate</span> attestation of a special message. From this time forward such signs are not infrequent (<a href="/isaiah/7-14.htm">Isaiah 7:14</a>; <a href="/isaiah/38-8.htm">Isaiah 38:8</a>; <a href="/2_kings/19-29.htm">2 Kings 19:29</a>). They mark the decline of faith (<a href="/matthew/12-39.htm">Matthew 12:39</a>). As to the need at this crisis for some miraculous token, see Homiletics. The fitness of this particular sign is obvious] <span class="cmt_word">the same day, saying, This is the sign which</span> [Rather <span class="accented">that</span>; <span class="hebrew">דועק ְ אֲֶשר</span>. The A.V. rendering hardly makes sense. Nor does it agree, as Rawlinson seems to think, with the LXX., which reads <span class="greek">τοῦτο τὸ ῤῆμα ο{ ἐλάησε κύριος</span>, etc.] <span class="cmt_word">the Lord hath spoken</span> [<span class="accented">i.e.</span>, by me. "This is the proof that my message is from Him, and is no idle threat." Wordsworth sees in this sign "a proof vouchsafed by God Himself to the man of Judah, as well as to Jeroboam, that he was really sent by God," etc. But surely a man who came "in the word of the Lord," and cried, "Thus saith the Lord," wanted no proof that "he was doing God's bidding" (see <a href="/1_corinthians/14-22.htm">1 Corinthians 14:22</a>)]; <span class="cmt_word">Behold, the altar shall be rent and the ashes</span> [strictly, <span class="accented">fat ashes</span>. <span class="hebrew">דֶּשֶׁן</span>; properly, "fatness" (see <a href="/judges/9-9.htm">Judges 9:9</a>; <a href="/psalms/63-5.htm">Psalm 63:5</a>. <span class="greek">πιότης</span>, LXX.), is the fat of the sacrifice, which was burnt upon the altar, mixed with the ashes that consumed it] <span class="cmt_word">that are upon it shall be poured out.</span> [The sign, a partial destruction of the altar, and the scattering of the sacrifice, was admirably calculated to presage its ultimate and final and ignominious overthrow. The idea favoured by Stanley ("Jewish Ch." 2:280) that this prediction was fulfilled "if not before, at least" in the time of Amos, when the altar was destroyed by an earthquake shock (<a href="/amos/9-1.htm">Amos 9:1</a>; cf. 3:14), does not seem to take account of ver. 5.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-4.htm">1 Kings 13:4</a></div><div class="verse">And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 4.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And it came to pass when king Jeroboam</span> [The A.V. follows the LXX. The Heb. omits "Jeroboam"] <span class="cmt_word">heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand</span> [instinctively. His first thought was, not to wait and see whether the promised sign was given, but to seize and punish the man who had dared thus to denounce and thwart him. And we may imagine how extremely mortifying this interruption must have been to him. It threatened the complete frustration of his policy at the very moment when it seemed certain of suceess] <span class="cmt_word">from the altar</span> [the ledge or platform, <span class="accented">i.e.</span>, where he stood. He did not leave it, but shouted his commands to his servants], <span class="cmt_word">saying, Lay hold on him.</span> ["Arrest him," "let him not escape." One word in the Heb.] <span class="cmt_word">And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up</span> [Possibly the result of paralysis or tetanus (Ackermann in Bahr). It was like the "withered hand" of the New Testament (<a href="/matthew/12-10.htm">Matthew 12:10</a>, etc.) deprived of feeling and vital force, as the next words show]<span class="cmt_word">, so that he could not pull it in again to him.</span> [It was not only powerless to punish, it was punished. "Now stands the king of Israel, like some antique statue, in a posture of impotent endeavour" (Hall). This was a warning to the king, not so much against his unauthorized and schismatical rites, as against his attempt to avenge himself on the messenger of God (<a href="/psalms/105-14.htm">Psalm 105:14, 15</a>).] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-5.htm">1 Kings 13:5</a></div><div class="verse">The altar also was rent, 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.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 5.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">The altar also was rent</span> [by the same invisible power, and probably at the same moment], <span class="cmt_word">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.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-6.htm">1 Kings 13:6</a></div><div class="verse">And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought the LORD, and the king's hand was restored him again, and became as <i>it was</i> before.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 6.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And the king</span> [humbled and alarmed by the judgment he had experienced in his own person] <span class="cmt_word">answered and said unto the man of God, Intreat now</span> [The Heb. is very expressive - "<span class="accented">Smooth</span> or <span class="accented">stroke the face</span>." It is an expression which occurs several times. See especially <a href="/exodus/32-11.htm">Exodus 32:11</a>; <a href="/2_kings/13-4.htm">2 Kings 13:4</a>; <a href="/2_chronicles/33-12.htm">2 Chronicles 33:12</a>; <a href="/proverbs/19-6.htm">Proverbs 19:6</a>] <span class="cmt_word">of the Lord thy God</span> [<span class="accented">i.e.</span>, whose messenger thou art. "Jeroboam, conscience stricken, does not dare to call Jehovah his own God" (Wordsworth). This was probably the case, yet surely it is an inference not warranted by the text. The expression, "The Lord thy God," is of constant occurrence, especially when a "man of God" is addressed; cf. <a href="/1_kings/17-12.htm">1 Kings 17:12</a>; <a href="/1_kings/18-10.htm">1 Kings 18:10</a>], <span class="cmt_word">and pray for me</span> [This sudden change in his bearing shows how much Jeroboam was frightened. The sight, too, of the king humbly supplicating the prophet who a moment before had protested against the calf worship was calculated to make an impression on the minds of the people], <span class="cmt_word">that my hand may be restored me again. And the man of God besought</span> [lit., <span class="accented">stroked the face of</span>] <span class="cmt_word">the Lord, and the king's hand was restored him, and became as it was before.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-7.htm">1 Kings 13:7</a></div><div class="verse">And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 7.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself</span> [with food, ablutions, etc. (<a href="/genesis/18-4.htm">Genesis 18:4, 5</a>; <a href="/genesis/19-2.htm">Genesis 19:2</a>; <a href="/mark/7-3.htm">Mark 7:3</a>, etc.) We are hardly justified in seeing in these words (with Bahr and Keil) an attempt to "gain the prophet over to his side by friendliness," and to render his threat harmless in the eyes of the people. The king doubtless may have hoped that it would "blunt the edge of the prophet's denunciation of his schismatical altar" (Wordsworth); but this was not the object, or not the sole object, with which the invitation was given. Jeroboam could not possibly have done less, after the signal service the man of God had rendered him, than invite him to his palace. Eastern courtesy alone (<a href="/genesis/18-4.htm">Genesis 18:4</a>; <a href="/genesis/19-2.htm">Genesis 19:2</a>; <a href="/genesis/43-24.htm">Genesis 43:24</a>, etc.) would require him to offer hospitality to his benefactor. And he could scarcely hope that any hospitalities would either neutralize the impression which the recent miracles had made, or win over to his side one who had a direct commission from the Most High to oppose him. With more reason, Wordsworth cites <a href="/1_samuel/15-30.htm">1 Samuel 15:30</a>, "Honour me now, I pray thee, before the elders of my people." A feeling of gratitude may have <span class="accented">prompted</span> the invitation, while the king at the same time was very sensible of the advantages which would accrue to himself if it were accepted], <span class="cmt_word">and I will give thee a reward</span>. [The services, especially of seers and prophets, were invariably requited in the East with presents, as are those of Judges, Kadis, Kaimakams, and other officers at the present day (see <a href="/1_kings/14-3.htm">1 Kings 14:3</a>; <a href="/genesis/24-53.htm">Genesis 24:53</a>; <a href="/genesis/33-11.htm">Genesis 33:11</a>; <a href="/genesis/43-11.htm">Genesis 43:11</a>; <a href="/numbers/22-17.htm">Numbers 22:17</a>; <a href="/judges/3-17.htm">Judges 3:17</a>; <a href="/judges/6-18.htm">Judges 6:18</a>; <a href="/judges/13-15.htm">Judges 13:15</a>; <a href="/1_samuel/9-7.htm">1 Samuel 9:7, 8</a>; <a href="/1_samuel/12-3.htm">1 Samuel 12:3</a>; <a href="/2_kings/5-5.htm">2 Kings 5:5, 15</a>; <a href="/2_kings/8-8.htm">2 Kings 8:8, 9</a>).] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-8.htm">1 Kings 13:8</a></div><div class="verse">And the man of God said unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place:</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 8.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And the man of God said</span> unto <span class="cmt_word">the</span> king, If thou wilt give me half thine <span class="cmt_word">house</span> [cf. <a href="/numbers/22-18.htm">Numbers 22:18</a>, of which, however, there is hardly a reminiscence. Obviously, half the contents or wealth of thy house], I will <span class="cmt_word">not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-9.htm">1 Kings 13:9</a></div><div class="verse">For so was it charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 9.</span> - For so was it charged [Heb. he, <span class="accented">sc</span>. the Lord, <span class="accented">charged me</span>] me by [Heb. <span class="accented">in</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>the word of the Lord, saying, Fat no bread, nor</span> drinkwater [Participation in food - the "eating salt" - is in the East a token of friendship and affinity; a sign of close communion and fellowship. The prophet's refusal to participate was consequently a practical and forcible disclaimer of all fellowship, a virtual excommunication, a public repudiation of the calf worshippers. Cf. <a href="/1_corinthians/5-11.htm">1 Corinthians 5:11</a>, "With such an one, no, not to eat." As Corn. a Lapide," <span class="accented">Ut ipso facto ostenderet, Bethelitas idololatras adeo esse detestabiles, et a Deo quasi excommunicates, ut nullum fidelium cum iis cibi vel potus communionem habere velit"</span>], nor turn again <span class="cmt_word">by the</span> same way that thou camest. [ the object of this command was not "simply to test the obedience of the prophet" (Rawlinson), nor yet that no one might "force him to a delay which was irreconcilable with his commission" (Keil), for that was practically executed, but to avoid as far as possible - what, indeed, happened in spite of these precautions - his being traced and followed. Because of this provision, the old prophet (ver. 10) was reduced to ask, "What way went he?" But the charge, we can hardly doubt,was also designed to serve another purpose, viz., to warn the prophet against doing what he did presently - against returning to Bethel. When he was followed, and when he was told of a revelation commanding his return, he should have remembered, among other things, that it had clearly been part of God's purpose, as evidenced by the explicit instructions given him, that he should not be followed. This alone should have led him to suspect this old prophet of deceit.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-10.htm">1 Kings 13:10</a></div><div class="verse">So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 10.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">So he went another way,</span> and <span class="cmt_word">returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.</span> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> CHAPTER 13:11-34. THE DISOBEDIENCE AND DEATH OF THE MAN OF GOD. - The seduction of the man of God, who has borne such fearless witness against Jeroboam's ecclesiastical policy, and his tragical end, are now narrated, partly because of the deep impression the story made at the time, but principally because these events were in themselves an eloquent testimony against the worship of the calves and the whole ecclesiastical policy of Jeroboam, and a solemn warning for all time against any, the slightest, departure from the commandments of God. The very unfaithfulness of this accredited messenger of the Most High, and the instant punishment it provoked, became part of the Divine protest against the new <span class="accented">regime</span>, against the unfaithfulness of Israel; whilst the remarkable manner in which these occurrences were recalled to the nation's memory in the reign of Josiah (<a href="/2_kings/23-17.htm">2 Kings 23:17, 18</a>) made it impossible for the historian of the theocracy to pass them over without notice. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-11.htm">1 Kings 13:11</a></div><div class="verse">Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 11.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Now there dwelt an old prophet</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">a certain</span> (lit. one) <span class="accented">old prophet</span>. For this use of <span class="hebrew">אֶחָד</span> ( = <span class="greek">τις</span>) cf. <a href="/1_kings/20-13.htm">1 Kings 20:13</a>; <a href="/1_kings/19-4.htm">1 Kings 19:4</a>] <span class="cmt_word">at Bethel</span> [It is at first somewhat surprising to find one of the prophetic order residing here, at the very seat and stronghold of the apostasy, especially after what we read in <a href="/2_chronicles/11-13.htm">2 Chronicles 11:13-16</a>, that the priests and Levites, and it would seem all devout worshippers of the Lord God of Israel, had left the country, and had gone over to Rehoboam. For we cannot suppose that a sense of duty had kept this prophet at his post (see note on ver. 1). The fact that he remained, not only in the kingdom, but at its ecclesiastical capital; that he stood by without protest when the schism was being effected, and that, though not present himself at the sacrifice, he permitted his sons to be there, is a sufficient index to his character. It is quite possible that strong political sympathies had warped his judgment, and that he had persuaded himself that the policy of Jeroboam was necessitated by the division of the kingdom, which he knew to be from the Lord, and which one of his own order had foretold. Or it may be that, despite his better judgment, he had gone with his tribe and the majority of the nation, and now felt it difficult to withdraw from a false position. Or, finally, he may have taken the side of Jeroboam because of the greater honours and rewards that prince had to bestow (see on ver. 18). There is a striking similarity between his position and action and that of Balaam]; <span class="cmt_word">and</span> <span class="cmt_word">his sons</span> [The Heb. has <span class="accented">son</span>; The LXX., Syr., and Vulg., <span class="accented">sons</span>. It is quite true that a "very slight change in the Hebrew text would bring it into accordance with the Septuagint here" (Rawlinson, similarly Ewald), but it would be against sound principles of textual criticism to make it. It is much more likely that the LXX. and other versions <span class="accented">have</span> been altered already, and that the plural has been introduced here because it is uniformly found in the later narrative. "<span class="accented">His</span> <span class="accented">son"</span> (<span class="hebrew">בִּנו</span>), as the <span class="accented">lectio</span> <span class="accented">ardua</span>, is therefore to he retained. The use of the singular indicates that one of them was at first the principal speaker. Perhaps one hastened home with the news before the rest. The sons of the prophet are not to be confounded with "the sons (<span class="accented">i.e.</span>, disciples) of the <span class="accented">prophets"</span> (<a href="/2_kings/2-3.htm">2 Kings 2:3, 4</a>, <span class="accented">passim</span>); not merely because "the latter would scarcely have witnessed the golden calf worship" (Bahr), but also because they would have been differently designated] <span class="cmt_word">came and told him all the works</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">work</span>] <span class="cmt_word">that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they</span> [observe the plural] <span class="cmt_word">told also to their father.</span> [It is quite clear that the virtual excommunication which the man of God had pronounced had made as great an impression as the signs which he had showed. The interdict was a matter which came home to the Bethelites, as an affront to the whole community.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-12.htm">1 Kings 13:12</a></div><div class="verse">And their father said unto them, What way went he? For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, which came from Judah.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 12.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And their father said unto them, What way went he?</span> [The question shows that the old prophet throughly understood the import of those "words," and that his first thought was that the interdict must be removed at any cost.] <span class="cmt_word">For his sons had seen</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">and his sons saw</span>, or <span class="accented">showed</span>. LXX. <span class="greek">δεικνύουσιν</span>. Similarly most of the versions. A very slight change in the vowel points <span class="hebrew">ויּרַאְוּ</span> for <span class="hebrew">ויּרִאוַּ</span> would give this sense] <span class="cmt_word">what way the man of God went which came from Judah.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-13.htm">1 Kings 13:13</a></div><div class="verse">And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 13.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass.</span> [This prompt and seemingly abrupt command - though we cannot be sure that all the conversation is here reported - shows his instant resolve to follow. These are the words of one who had made up his mind, <span class="accented">coute que coute</span>, to bring the man of God back.] <span class="cmt_word">So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-14.htm">1 Kings 13:14</a></div><div class="verse">And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, <i>Art</i> thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I <i>am</i>.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 14.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">the</span> oak; <span class="accented">i.e.</span>, the well-known oak. Possibly there was but one, or one of great size, in the neighbourhood - such trees are comparatively rare in Palestine. Possibly also this tree became well known from these events. It is singular that in another place (<a href="/genesis/35-8.htm">Genesis 35:8</a>) we read of "the oak" (<span class="hebrew">אַלּון</span>) of Bethel, whilst in <a href="/judges/4-5.htm">Judges 4:5</a> we read of the "palm tree" (<span class="hebrew">תֹּמֶר</span>) of Deborah, between Ramah and <span class="accented">Bethel</span>." And it is not at all improbable, seeing that in <a href="/1_samuel/10-3.htm">1 Samuel 10:3</a> we read of the terebinth (<span class="hebrew">אֵלון</span>) of <span class="accented">Tabor -</span> in the A.V. rendered "<span class="accented">plain</span> of Tabor" - which Ewald ("Hist. Israel," 3:21; 4:31) considers to be only a dialectic variation of <span class="accented">Deborah</span>, and remembering the great age to which these trees attain, that the same tree is referred to throughout. The word here used, it is true, is <span class="hebrew">אֵלָה</span> (which is generally supposed to indicate the terebinth, but is also "used of any large tree" (Gesenius), and which, therefore, may be used of the <span class="hebrew">אַלּון</span> of Bethel. Both names are derived from the same root (<span class="hebrew">אוּל</span> <span class="accented">fortis</span>. Cf. <a href="/amos/2-9.htm">Amos 2:9</a>), and both indicate varieties - <span class="accented">what</span> varieties it is not quite clear - of the oak. Some expositors have seen in this brief rest the beginning of <span class="accented">his</span> sin, and certainly it would seem against the <span class="accented">spirit</span> of his instructions to remain so near a place (see note on ver. 16) from which he was to vanish speedily, and, if possible, unperceived. In any case the action betrays his fatigue and exhaustion], <span class="cmt_word">and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-15.htm">1 Kings 13:15</a></div><div class="verse">Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 15.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">Then he said unto him, Come home with me</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">Come with me to the house</span>] and eat bread. The sting was in the tail of this invitation. If he would partake of food, he would thereby remove the ban and so neutralize one part of his mission.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-16.htm">1 Kings 13:16</a></div><div class="verse">And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 16.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he said, I may not</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">am not able</span> to] <span class="cmt_word">return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place.</span> [The translation "<span class="accented">in that place"</span> adopted by Wordsworth (after the Vulgate, <span class="accented">in loco isto</span>) does not agree with the Hebrew. And it is not required by the context. The tree was probably at no great distance from the town.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-17.htm">1 Kings 13:17</a></div><div class="verse">For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 17.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">For it was said to me</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">a</span> <span class="accented">word to me</span>] <span class="cmt_word">by</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">in</span>] <span class="cmt_word">the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread, nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-18.htm">1 Kings 13:18</a></div><div class="verse">He said unto him, I <i>am</i> a prophet also as thou <i>art</i>; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. <i>But</i> he lied unto him.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 18.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">He said unto him; I am a</span> <span class="cmt_word">prophet also as thou art; and an angel</span> (Bahr observes that "he does not venture to say that Jehovah spake to him, but says an angel did." Is it not more probable that the angel was mentioned, partly for the purpose of giving an air of circumstantiality and reality to his story, and partly to convey the idea of his having a superior authority for his message? A communication through a celestial messenger would seem to have been regarded as a higher form of revelation than a subjective communication to the mind of the prophet. Cf. <a href="/acts/7-53.htm">Acts 7:53</a>; <a href="/hebrews/2-2.htm">Hebrews 2:2</a>; <a href="/luke/1-13.htm">Luke 1:13, 29</a>; <a href="/acts/27-23.htm">Acts 27:23</a>, etc. Observe, the prophet speaks presently of "the word of Jehovah"] <span class="cmt_word">spake unto me by</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">in</span>; same expression as in ver. 17] <span class="cmt_word">the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house that he may eat</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">and</span> <span class="accented">he shall eat</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>bread and drink water. But he lied to him</span>. [These last words are inserted parenthetically; hence there is no "but" in the Heb. The true character and designs and motives of this "old prophet" have long been a <span class="accented">crux interpretum</span> (see Hall, Contempl., 2:151-3.) Some, including Josephus and most Jewish commentators, have supposed him to be altogether a false and lying prophet, such as are found plentifully later on in the history (<a href="/1_kings/22-6.htm">1 Kings 22:6</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/28-1.htm">Jeremiah 28:1</a>); but against this is the fact that he was undoubtedly the channel of a Divine communication (ver. 21). The real difficulty, no doubt, lies in the fact that one by whom the Spirit of God spake to man should have acted so base a part as he did. But it must be remembered <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="note_emph">(1)</span> that he did not know what a terrible judgment his lie would bring upon "the man of God;" <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="note_emph">(2)</span> that truth had not the place in the Jewish scheme which it has in Christian morals; <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="note_emph">(3)</span> that the gift of prophecy is compatible with much moral imperfection on the part of the prophet - the cases of Balaam and Caiaphas will occur to all - and <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="note_emph">(4)</span> that this man was constrained to prophesy almost in spite of himself; he was compelled, <span class="accented">i.e.</span>, to proclaim his own falseness, and to announce the punishment of the man he had himself deceived. It is also to be considered that this lying prophet, like those of <a href="/1_kings/22-22.htm">1 Kings 22:22</a>, accomplished the purpose of God, which was to make the man of God a <span class="accented">sign</span> to the men of that generation. Cf. <a href="/isaiah/20-3.htm">Isaiah 20:3</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/12-6.htm">Ezekiel 12:6</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/24-24.htm">Ezekiel 24:24</a>. In this latter consideration, indeed, lies the key to the history, The <span class="accented">object</span> the old prophet had in view it is not so difficult to divine. He hears that the prophet of Judah has refused the hospitality of King Jeroboam, and has put the city of Bethel and the new cultus under a virtual ban by refusing to eat bread in the place, or to hold any communication with the inhabitants, himself among the rest, although he has taken no part, even by his presence, in the ceremonial of the day. He naturally feels himself condemned and aggrieved by this conduct. A <span class="accented">prophet</span> would feel the interdict much more keenly than the people, and there can be little doubt that this man, who had been trying to serve two masters, was deeply mortified by the excommunication pronounced against him. He resolves, therefore, to rehabilitate himself in his own estimation and that of his neighbours, by bringing back the man of God to eat and to drink, and so in effect to remove the interdict, at any cost. If he succeeds, he win make the whole city, and especially the sovereign, whose policy has been so emphatically condemned, his debtor; while by accomplishing what the <span class="accented">king</span> had failed to effect, he will at once heal his wounded pride and secure a position of influence in the new kingdom. If it was the hope of temporal advancement had detained him at Bethel, he now sees, as he thinks, an easy way to its attainment; if it was an ardent sympathy with the new state of things, he sees before him an opportunity of expressing it in a most practical and serviceable way.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-19.htm">1 Kings 13:19</a></div><div class="verse">So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 19.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water</span> [cf. ver. 10]. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-20.htm">1 Kings 13:20</a></div><div class="verse">And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 20.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And it came to pass, as they sat at the table</span> [cf. <a href="/psalms/78-30.htm">Psalm 78:30</a>. He is taken in the act, "even in the blossoms of his sin"], <span class="cmt_word">that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-21.htm">1 Kings 13:21</a></div><div class="verse">And he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the LORD thy God commanded thee,</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 21.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And</span> <span class="cmt_word">he cried</span> [same word as in ver. 2. He who denounced the "sin of Jeroboam" is now denounced in turn] <span class="cmt_word">unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith the Lord, Forasmuch as thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandment which the Lord thy God commanded thee.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-22.htm">1 Kings 13:22</a></div><div class="verse">But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which <i>the LORD</i> did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 22.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">But camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk water in the place, of the which the Lord did say to thee, flat no bread, and drink no water; thy carcase</span> [rather <span class="accented">corpse</span>; "carcase" is now a term of disparagement, of which, however, there is no idea in the Hebrew] <span class="cmt_word">shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.</span> [The desire, common in a greater or less degree to all mankind, to rest after death amongst <span class="accented">kindred</span> dust, was especially strong in the Jew. It is evidenced by the common euphemism "he was gathered <span class="accented">unto his fathers</span>," and by the provisions of Abraham (<a href="/genesis/23-4.htm">Genesis 23:4</a>), Jacob (<a href="/genesis/47-29.htm">Genesis 47:29</a>; <a href="/genesis/49-29.htm">Genesis 49:29-31</a>), and Joseph (<a href="/genesis/50-25.htm">Genesis 50:25</a>). See also the words of Barzillai (<a href="/2_samuel/19-37.htm">2 Samuel 19:37</a>; and compare <a href="/2_samuel/2-32.htm">2 Samuel 2:32</a>). This denunciation did not necessarily imply a violent death (as Keil, <span class="accented">al</span>.) or even a speedy death, but it prepared the man of God for some untimely end.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-23.htm">1 Kings 13:23</a></div><div class="verse">And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, <i>to wit</i>, for the prophet whom he had brought back.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 23.</span> <span class="cmt_word">And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled</span> [<span class="accented">i.e.</span>, the prophet of Bethel; the "man of God" would seem to have come on foot. See below] <span class="cmt_word">for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.</span> This translation is inadmissible. For not only is the term "prophet" throughout this narrative restricted to the prophet of Bethel (the prophet of Judah being always spoken of as "the man of God,") but the expression here used <span class="hebrew">הַנָּבִיא א ה</span> is also twice used (vers. 20, 26) of the same prophet. He is characterized there, that is to say, as "the prophet which brought him back;" it is hardly likely, therefore, that the same words are here to be interpreted, "the prophet whom he brought back." The mistake has arisen from the proximity of <span class="hebrew">לו</span> ("for him") to <span class="hebrew">לַנָּבִיּא</span> ("to" or "for the prophet"). But the <span class="hebrew">לו</span>is here indicative of possession (the dative of the possessor), as in <a href="/1_samuel/14-16.htm">1 Samuel 14:16</a>, "the watchmen to," <span class="accented">i.e., of</span>, "Saul," and <a href="/1_samuel/16-18.htm">1 Samuel 16:18</a>, "a son to Jesse" (cf. <a href="/genesis/14-18.htm">Genesis 14:18</a> Heb.; 1 Kings 5:29 <span class="pc_st_rem">[</span>1 Kings 5:15<span class="pc_st_rem">]</span> Heb.; Ruth 2:3 Heb.) We must therefore render "He (the old prophet, but this is not absolutely certain; the "man of God" <span class="accented">may</span> be understood) saddled for him (the man of God) the ass of the prophet which brought him back." The man of God had been delayed by his return to Bethel, and the prophet, out of pity, lends or gives him his ass. Not merely, it is probable, for the sake of speeding him on his way, but that he might have some living thing with him on a journey which he had so much cause to dread. </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-24.htm">1 Kings 13:24</a></div><div class="verse">And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 24.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And when he was gone</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">and he went</span>]<span class="accented">,<span class="cmt_word"></span> a lion</span> (Lions were evidently numerous in Palestine in former days, though they are now extinct. This is proved by the names of places, such as <span class="accented">Laish, Lebaoth</span>, etc., and by the constant reference to them in Scripture. They had their lairs in the forests, one of which existed near Bethel (<a href="/2_kings/2-24.htm">2 Kings 2:24</a>), and especially in the thickets of the Jordan valley (<a href="/jeremiah/49-19.htm">Jeremiah 49:19</a>; <a href="/zechariah/11-3.htm">Zechariah 11:3</a>).] <span class="cmt_word">met</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">found</span>. The primary meaning of <span class="hebrew">מָצָא</span> is, no doubt, "found accidentally," "came upon" (<span class="greek">εῦρεν</span>, <span class="accented">invenit</span>), but it is often used of finding after a search (<a href="/1_samuel/9-4.htm">1 Samuel 9:4</a>, etc.), and it should be remembered that this is the word used in vers. 14, 28] <span class="cmt_word">him by</span> [<span class="accented">in, as</span> below] <span class="cmt_word">the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way</span> [road, highway, ver. 25], <span class="cmt_word">and the ass stood</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">standing</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>by</span> <span class="cmt_word">it, the lion also stood</span> [<span class="accented">standing</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>by the carcase</span>. [These particulars are mentioned to show that his death was no accident, or chance, but a visitation of God. There are probably but few persons who have not felt that this summary punishment was marked by extreme severity; the more so, as the prophet was cruelly deceived, and that by a brother prophet, who claimed to have received a subsequent revelation, and whom, consequently, it appeared to be a duty to obey. And when it is observed that the really guilty person, the prophet of Bethel, so far as appears, escaped all punishment, and by his lie secured for himself respect for his remains, we seem to have a case of positive hardship and injustice. As I have discussed the question at some length elsewhere (Homil. Quart., vol. 4. pp. 214-221), it must suffice to say here that the difficulty is at once removed if we remember that although the Jewish dispensation was one of temporal recompenses, yet all the same there is a judgment hereafter. No doubt the man of God was punished for his disobedience, for inexcusable disobedience it was. It is quite true that he was solemnly assured that an angel had appeared to revoke his commission, but for this he had only the word of a stranger, of one, too, with whom he had been commanded "not even to eat." He had "the word of the Lord;" that is to say, the voice of God, borne in upon his soul, forbidding his return, and the word of an irreligious stranger, who gave no "sign the same day" in proof of his mission, authorizing it. There can be no doubt which he ought to have followed, the more so as the command he had himself received was so remarkably explicit and decisive (ver. 9); so decisive that we can hardly suppose he would have deviated from it, had not the pains of hunger and thirst pleaded powerfully in favour of the pretended revelation of the Bethelite prophet. Indeed, it is hardly too much to say that he eagerly welcomed this cause for returning. It is impossible, therefore, to acquit him of disobedience. Nor is it difficult to see that the consequences of this disobedience were serious. It was not as if he had disregarded a mere <span class="accented">positive</span> obligation, the only object of which was to test his obedience (Rawlinson); he had acted in a way calculated to destroy the moral effect of his mission. He had been employed not only to testify publicly against the calf worship, but also to lay the city and the new sanctuary of Jeroboam under an interdict, and by his return that interdict lost much of its force. His eating and drinking, small matters in themselves, were full of significance. Indeed, he did in one way precisely what Jeroboam and his people were doing in another he forsook the plain commands of God for the ordinances of men; he listened to the tempter and ate the forbidden fruit; and so it came to pass flint, instead of witnessing against disobedience, he himself set them the example of disobedience. It is the story of the Fall over again; and therefore death, the punishment of the Fall, befell him. But before we say that his punishment was too severe, let us remember what, by the mercy of God, that primal punishment has become. It has been turned into a blessing. It has given us the incarnation, redemption, eternal life. We forget that death is not necessarily an evil - is in reality a blessing. One of the heathen has said that if we only knew what the future life was like, we should not be content to live. To this "man of God" it must surely have been gain to die. If the flesh was destroyed, it was that the spirit might be saved (<a href="/1_corinthians/5-5.htm">1 Corinthians 5:5</a>). Only because we forget that death is the gate of life do we complain of the severity of his doom. And as to the lying prophet who wrought all this mischief escaping retribution - which, by the way, he did not do, for assuredly he must have had a life-long remorse - it is overlooked that the day of retribution has not yet arrived. There is for him a judgment <span class="accented">to come</span>. It may he said that the Jew did not know of this - that the future life had not then been revealed. That is quite true, and for that very reason this visitation would make all the deeper impression on their minds. To this must be added that the man of God did not die merely or principally because of his sin, but "that the works of God might be made manifest in him." His death was necessary in order that his mission might not be altogether invalidated. His miserable end - as it must have seemed to them - would surely speak to the inhabitants of Bethel and to all Israel and Judah, for long years to come, as to the sure vengeance awaiting the disobedient, whether king, prophet, priest, or people. Though dead "he cried against the altar of Bethel." And the sacred narrative (vers. 26-32) affords us some ground for hoping that the "old prophet" became penitent for his sin. It is noteworthy that he joins his testimony to that of the man of God. Thus, this tragedy extorted even from <span class="accented">him</span> a warning against disobedience (ver. 26), and a confirmation of the prophecy against the altar of Bethel (ver. 32).] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-25.htm">1 Kings 13:25</a></div><div class="verse">And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told <i>it</i> in the city where the old prophet dwelt.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 25.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcase cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcase: and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.</span> [This was precisely what God had designed. By this means, the very disobedience and death of the man of God became a part of the protest against the new rites. "For if the partaking of food against the commandment of God, though the result not of indulgence, but of deceit, brought so great a punishment upon a righteous man, what sort of chastisements would befall those who had left God their Maker and were worshipping senseless images" (Theodoret.)] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-26.htm">1 Kings 13:26</a></div><div class="verse">And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard <i>thereof</i>, he said, It <i>is</i> the man of God, who was disobedient unto the word of the LORD: 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.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 26.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is the man of God, who was disobedient</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">rebelled</span>; same word as in ver. 21] <span class="cmt_word">unto</span> <span class="cmt_word">the word</span> [Heb. "<span class="accented">mouth</span>," as in ver. 21] <span class="cmt_word">of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn</span> [Heb. as marg., <span class="accented">broken</span>. The word "is very expressive, for the lion kills with one blow" (Thenius)] <span class="cmt_word">and slain him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-27.htm">1 Kings 13:27</a></div><div class="verse">And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled <i>him</i>.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 27.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-28.htm">1 Kings 13:28</a></div><div class="verse">And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 28.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase nor torn</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">broken</span>, as in ver. 26] <span class="cmt_word">the ass.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-29.htm">1 Kings 13:29</a></div><div class="verse">And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 29.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass</span> [<span class="accented">i.e.</span>, the one standing by], <span class="cmt_word">and brought it back: and the old prophet came</span> <span class="cmt_word">to the city, to mourn and to bury him.</span> [The mourning is specially mentioned, because in the East professional wailers were and are employed at funerals. The Jew, no less than the Greek and Roman, esteemed it a great misfortune and disgrace to be deprived of decent burial: <a href="/isaiah/14-19.htm">Isaiah 14:19</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/22-19.htm">Jeremiah 22:19</a>; and especially <a href="/2_kings/9-10.htm">2 Kings 9:10</a>.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-30.htm">1 Kings 13:30</a></div><div class="verse">And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, <i>saying</i>, Alas, my brother!</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 30.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And he laid his carcase in his own grave</span> [<a href="/matthew/27-60.htm">Matthew 27:60</a>. This was a mark of profound respect (<a href="/ruth/1-17.htm">Ruth 1:17</a>; <a href="/genesis/23-6.htm">Genesis 23:6</a>)]; <span class="cmt_word">and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother.</span> [A customary formula in lamentation (<a href="/jeremiah/22-18.htm">Jeremiah 22:18</a>). It hardly implies that "he was mourned and buried as a relative of the family" (Bahr). Seeing that the old prophet was responsible for his death, he could hardly have done less. "It is a cruel courtesy to kill a man and then help him to his grave" (Hall).] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-31.htm">1 Kings 13:31</a></div><div class="verse">And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God <i>is</i> buried; lay my bones beside his bones:</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 31.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in</span> <span class="cmt_word">the sepulchre</span> [Palestine, being of limestone formation, has a large number of caves. These, enlarged and adapted, were everywhere used for interments. ("The whole cliffs on its southern side [Hinnom] are honeycombed with tombs," Porter). In three sides of the cave vaults (<span class="accented">loculi</span>), each large enough to hold a body, were recessed in the rock, the entrance being closed by a slab of stone (see Conder, pp. 85, 96, 118, etc.) In the so called "tombs of the kings" and "prophets" we have such sepulchres on a large scale. A Paper on the Tombs of Palestine will be found in the Quarterly Statement of the Palestine Exploration Fund, p. 66 sqq. It appears from <a href="/2_kings/23-17.htm">2 Kings 23:17</a> that a pillar was erected to mark this prophet's resting place] <span class="cmt_word">wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones.</span> [That is to say, "Bury me in the cell next to his" (Rawlinson). But it is not absolutely certain that this arrangement (of <span class="accented">loculi</span>) obtained at this early period. The bodies may have been in much closer contact. See <a href="/2_kings/13-21.htm">2 Kings 13:21</a>. The LXX. adds here, "That my bones may be saved with his bones;" an obvious gloss, founded on <a href="/2_kings/23-18.htm">2 Kings 23:18</a>. This request throws some light on the yearning desire of the modern Jew to rest as near as possible to the bodies of the saints. See Porter, 1. p. 145.] </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-32.htm">1 Kings 13:32</a></div><div class="verse">For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which <i>are</i> in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 32.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">For the saying which he cried by the word of the Lord against the altar in Bethel., and against all the houses of the high places</span> [At that time there would seem to have been but two "high places." Keil sees "a prophetic element in these words." He thinks the old prophet foresaw that such sanctuaries would be multiplied. Rawlinson gathers, "from the mention of the <span class="accented">great</span> high place in <a href="/1_kings/3-4.htm">1 Kings 3:4</a>, that there were many lesser high places in the land," which, no doubt, was the case at the date of Solomon's accession. It is probable, however, that many of these, if not all, would be deserted when the temple was built. And it is most reasonable to suppose that in these, as in the following words, the historian has represented the prediction or affirmation of the old prophet in the language of his own time] <span class="cmt_word">which are in the cities of Samaria.</span> [Obviously, these exact words cannot have been used by the prophet of Bethel, for Samaria dates its existence and name from the reign of Omri (<a href="/1_kings/16-24.htm">1 Kings 16:24</a>). The compiler of the Kings probably found the term in the documents which he used, or possibly, as already suggested, translated the prophet's meaning into the language of a later day] <span class="cmt_word">shall surely come to pass.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-33.htm">1 Kings 13:33</a></div><div class="verse">After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became <i>one</i> of the priests of the high places.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 33.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">After this thing</span> [calculated though it was to make a deep impression and to furnish a solemn warning] <span class="cmt_word">Jeroboam turned not from his evil way.</span> "Some hand was found that durst repair the altar God had rent" (Matthew Henry). According to Josephus, the old prophet now explained away the miracles of the prophet of Judah, alleging that the altar had fallen because it was new and the king's hand had become powerless from fatigue (Ant., 8:09, § 1)], <span class="cmt_word">but made again</span> [Heb. "<span class="accented">returned</span> <span class="accented">and made</span>." The tautology is significant. He returned not from his sin, but returned to it] <span class="cmt_word">of the lowest</span> [see on 1 Kings 12:11] <span class="cmt_word">of</span> <span class="cmt_word">the people priests of the high places: whosoever would</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">pleased</span>]<span class="accented">, <span class="cmt_word"></span>he consecrated</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">filled his hand</span>. In the consecration of Aaron and his sons, and possibly of their successors also, the portions of the victim which were usually burned upon the altar, together with the right shoulder or leg, which was the priest's portion, and three cakes of unleavened Bread, were put into the hands of the candidates for the priesthood, and waved before the Lord before they were offered on the altar (<a href="/exodus/29-22.htm">Exodus 29:22-26</a>; <a href="/leviticus/8-25.htm">Leviticus 8:25-28</a>). To "fill the hand" consequently Became a synonym for consecration] <span class="cmt_word">him</span> [It would almost appear, from the extreme readiness with which Jeroboam ordained his priests, that few candidates offered themselves for the office. In one respect, however, he exacted more from the candidate than did the law. For whereas the latter required "one bullock and <span class="accented">two</span> rams" (<a href="/exodus/29-1.htm">Exodus 29:1</a>, etc.), he demanded one Bullock and <span class="accented">seven</span> rams as the offering on consecration (<a href="/2_chronicles/13-9.htm">2 Chronicles 13:9</a>], <span class="cmt_word">and he became one of the priests</span> [Heb. <span class="accented">and he became priests</span>, etc. So the Chaldee. LXX. <span class="greek">καὶ ἐγένετο ἱερεύς</span>] <span class="accented"><span class="cmt_word"></span>of the high places.</span> </div> <div class="versenum"><a href="/1_kings/13-34.htm">1 Kings 13:34</a></div><div class="verse">And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut <i>it</i> off, and to destroy <i>it</i> from off the face of the earth.</div><div class="comm"><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 34.</span> - <span class="cmt_word">And this thing</span> [Heb. "in this thing:" <span class="hebrew">בַּדָּבָר</span>. Cf. <a href="/1_chronicles/7-23.htm">1 Chronicles 7:23</a>; <a href="/1_chronicles/9-33.htm">1 Chronicles 9:33</a>] <span class="cmt_word">became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth</span> [<a href="/1_kings/15-29.htm">1 Kings 15:29</a>. The forfeiture of the crown would bring in its train, almost as a matter of course, the destruction of his family (<a href="/1_kings/14-10.htm">1 Kings 14:10-14</a>). And we are taught here that both events are to be regarded, under the dispensation of temporal rewards and punishments, as the recompenses of his impiety; of that daring schismatic policy which, in all its branches, betrayed a complete disregard of the terms of the covenant, and which was persevered in contemptuous defiance of the repeated warnings of God.] <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> <span class="p"><br /><br /></span> </div></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">The Pulpit Commentary, Electronic Database. 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