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 13:1–7, who would…

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah Whom Josephus [[22]] calls Jadon, perhaps the same with Iddo, who is by the Jewish writers [[23]] generally thought to be this man of God, and which may seem to be countenanced by but cannot be, because this man was quickly slain, whereas Iddo lived…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

For so it was charged me by the word of the Lord The command of the Lord, by which he came to Bethel, and cried against the altar there, (1 Kings 13:1, 1 Kings 13:2) saying, eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest: signifying that no communion was to be had…

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.

Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel The Targum is, a false prophet, so Josephus [[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…

And their father said unto them, what way went he? &c.] 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.

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…

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 invented [[4]]; thus Abraham pitched his tent in the plain, or under the oak, of Mamre,…

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.

And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee, &c.] 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…

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 the same that he observed…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him, &c.] 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, 2 Kings 2:24) and his carcass was cast…

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;…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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,…

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,…

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…

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…

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…