TRV
Translation
King James Version
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,
KJV (with Strong's)
And he cried H7121 unto the man H376 of God H430 that came H935 from Judah H3063, saying H559, Thus saith H559 the LORD H3068, Forasmuch as H3282 thou hast disobeyed H4784 the mouth H6310 of the LORD H3068, and hast not kept H8104 the commandment H4687 which the LORD H3068 thy God H430 commanded H6680 thee,
Complete Jewish Bible
and he cried to the man of God who had come from Y'hudah, "Here is what ADONAI says: 'Since you rebelled against the word of ADONAI and didn't obey the mitzvah ADONAI your God gave you,
Berean Standard Bible
and the prophet cried out to the man of God who had come from Judah, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have defied the word of the LORD and have not kept the commandment that the LORD your God gave you,
American Standard Version
and he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus saith Jehovah, Forasmuch as thou hast been disobedient unto the mouth of Jehovah, and hast not kept the commandment which Jehovah thy God commanded thee,
World English Bible Messianic
and he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the mouth of the LORD, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you,
Geneva Bible (1599)
And hee cried vnto the man of God that came from Iudah, saying, Thus sayeth the Lord, Because thou hast disobeyed the mouth of the Lord, and hast not kept the commandement which the Lord thy God commanded thee,
Young's Literal Translation
and 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,
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In the KJVVerse 9,206 of 31,102
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Commentary on 1 Kings 13 verses 11–22
11 ¶ 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.
12 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.
13 And he said unto his sons, Saddle me the ass. So they saddled him the ass: and he rode thereon,
14 And went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak: and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am.
15 Then he said unto him, Come home with me, and eat bread.
16 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:
17 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.
18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; 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. But he lied unto him.
19 So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.
20 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:
21 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,
22 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, and drink no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers.
The man of God had honestly and resolutely refused the king's invitation, though he promised him a reward; yet he was over-persuaded by an old prophet to come back with him, and dine in Beth-el, contrary to the command given him. Here we find how dearly his dinner cost him. Observe with wonder,
I. The old prophet's wickedness. I cannot but call him a false prophet and a bad man, it being much easier to believe that from one of such a bad character should be extorted a confirmation of what the man of God said (as we find, Kg1 13:32) than that a true prophet, and a good man, should tell such a deliberate lie as he did, and father it upon God. A good tree could never bring forth such corrupt fruit. Perhaps he was trained up among the sons of the prophets, in one of Samuel's colleges not far off, whence he retained the name of a prophet, but, growing worldly and profane, the spirit of prophecy had departed from him. If he had been a good prophet he would have reproved Jeroboam's idolatry, and not have suffered his sons to attend his altars, as, it should seem, they did. Now, 1. Whether he had any good design in fetching back the man of God is not certain. One may hope that he did it in compassion to him, concluding he wanted refreshment, and out of a desire to be better acquainted with him and more fully to understand his errand than he could from the report of his sons; yet his sons having told him all that passed, and particularly that the prophet was forbidden to eat or drink there, which he had openly told Jeroboam, I suppose it was done with a bad design, to draw him into a snare, and so to expose him; for false prophets have ever been the worst enemies to the true prophets, usually aiming to destroy them, but sometimes, as here, to debauch them and draw them from their duty. Thus they gave the Nazarites wine to drink (Amo 2:12), that they might glory in their fall. But, 2. It is certain that he took a very bad method to bring him back. When the man of God had told him, "I may not, and therefore I will not, return to eat bread with thee" (his resolutions concurring with the divine command, Kg1 13:16, Kg1 13:17), he wickedly pretended that he had an order from heaven to fetch him back. He imposed upon him by asserting his quondam character as a prophet: I am a prophet also as thou art; he pretended he had a vision of an angel that sent him on this errand. But it was all a lie; it was a banter upon prophecy, and profane in the highest degree. When this old prophet is spoken of (Kg2 23:18) he is called the prophet that came out of Samaria, whereas there was no such place as Samaria till long after, Kg1 16:24. Therefore I take it he is so called there, though he was of Beth-el, because he was like those who were afterwards the prophets of Samaria, who caused God's people Israel to err, Jer 23:13.
II. The good prophet's weakness, in suffering himself to be thus imposed upon: He went back with him, Kg1 13:19. He that had resolution enough to refuse the invitation of the king, who promised him a reward, could not resist the insinuations of one that pretended to be a prophet. God's people are more in danger of being drawn from their duty by the plausible pretences of divinity and sanctity than by external inducements; we have therefore need to beware of false prophets, and not believe every spirit.
III. The proceedings of divine justice hereupon; and here we may well wonder that the wicked prophet, who told the lie and did the mischief, went unpunished, while the holy man of God, that was drawn by him into sin, was suddenly and severely punished for it. What shall we make of this! The judgments of God are unfathomable. The deceived and the deceiver are his, and he giveth not account of any of his matters. Certainly there must be a judgment to come, when these things will be called over again, and when those that sinned most and suffered least, in this world, will receive according to their works. 1. The message delivered to the man of God was strange. His crime is recited, Kg1 13:21, Kg1 13:22. It was, in one word, disobedience to an express command. Judgment is given upon it: Thy carcase shall not come to the sepulchre of thy fathers, that is, "Thou shalt never reach thy own house, but shalt be a carcase quickly, nor shall thy dead body be brought to the place of thy fathers' sepulchres, to be interred." 2. Yet it was more strange that the old prophet himself should be the messenger. Of this we can give no account but that God would have it so, as he spoke to Balaam by his ass and read Saul his doom by the devil in Samuel's likeness. We may think God designed hereby, (1.) To startle the lying prophet, and make him sensible of his sin. The message could not but affect him the more when he himself had the delivering of it, and had so strong an impression made upon his spirit by it that he cried out, as one in an agony, Kg1 13:21. He had reason to think, if he must die for his disobedience in a small matter who sinned by surprise, of how much sorer punishment he should be thought worthy who had belied an angel of God and cheated a man of God by a deliberate forgery. If this were done to the green tree, what shall be done to the dry? Perhaps it had a good effect upon him. Those who preach God's wrath to others have hard hearts indeed if they fear it not themselves. (2.) To put the greater mortification upon the prophet that was deceived, and to show what those must expect who hearken to the great deceiver. Those that yield to him as a tempter will be terrified by him as a tormentor; whom he now fawns upon he will afterwards fly upon, and whom he now draws into sin he will do what he can to drive to despair.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 11–22. Public domain.
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Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
This verse records the solemn pronouncement of divine judgment delivered by the old prophet of Bethel against the unnamed man of God from Judah. Having been deceived by the old prophet into disobeying a direct command from the LORD, the man of God now hears his fate declared: he has "disobeyed the mouth of the LORD" and failed to keep the specific commandment given to him. This pivotal moment underscores the absolute gravity of divine commands and the severe consequences of even seemingly minor deviations from God's explicit instructions.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The narrative of 1 Kings 13:21 employs several potent literary devices. Irony is profoundly present, as the very prophet who orchestrated the man of God's disobedience is now compelled by God to pronounce the judgment against him. This highlights God's sovereign control, using even compromised individuals to fulfill His righteous purposes. There is also clear foreshadowing in this verse; the declaration of disobedience and the specific nature of the judgment (implied by the severity of the charge) immediately precede the tragic death of the man of God by a lion, which serves as the physical manifestation of God's word. Furthermore, the narrative employs contrast between the man of God's initial faithfulness and powerful prophetic ministry and his ultimate failure due to a single act of disobedience. This stark contrast serves to underscore the absolute seriousness of God's commands and the high standard of obedience expected, especially from those in positions of spiritual authority.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Kings 13:21 stands as a stark testament to the unwavering nature of God's commands and the absolute seriousness with which He regards obedience. The man of God's initial success and divine anointing did not exempt him from the consequences of direct disobedience. This incident serves as a powerful warning that even those who perform great works for God must remain vigilant in their personal walk of obedience. It underscores the principle that God's word, once clearly given, cannot be overridden by subsequent, contradictory claims, even if they appear to be from a divine source. True spiritual discernment demands testing all messages against the established truth of God's revelation.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
The tragic account of the man of God from Judah offers profound and sobering lessons for believers today. It compels us to examine the integrity of our own obedience to God's clear Word. In a world saturated with competing voices and claims, this narrative reminds us that our ultimate authority must always be the explicit commands of the LORD, as revealed in Scripture. We are called to cultivate a deep spiritual discernment, testing every spirit and every message against the unchanging truth of God's revelation, rather than relying on subjective feelings, external pressures, or even the seemingly spiritual pronouncements of others that contradict what God has already clearly spoken. The story challenges us to consider that even a single act of disobedience, particularly to a clear command, can have devastating consequences, not only for ourselves but potentially for our witness and ministry. It calls us to a life of unwavering faithfulness, understanding that our walk with God is defined by our willingness to humbly and consistently obey His voice above all others.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was the man of God punished so severely for what seemed like a simple act of eating and drinking, especially since he was deceived?
Answer: The severity of the punishment highlights the absolute gravity of disobeying a direct, explicit command from the LORD, especially for a prophet who was a direct messenger of God. The issue was not merely eating and drinking, but a direct breach of God's "mouth" and "commandment" (1 Kings 13:21). While he was deceived by the old prophet (1 Kings 13:18), the ultimate responsibility for obedience rested with the man of God. He had received a clear, unambiguous word from God himself, and he failed to test the old prophet's contradictory message against that original divine instruction. This underscores the principle that God holds His servants to a high standard of faithfulness to His revealed will, and that even deception does not fully absolve one from the consequences of disobedience to a known command.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
The tragic narrative of the man of God from Judah, marked by his fatal disobedience, finds its ultimate contrast and fulfillment in the perfect obedience of Jesus Christ. Where the man of God failed to keep the commandment from the "mouth of the LORD," Jesus perfectly embodied the Word of God, declaring, "I always do what pleases him" (John 8:29). Unlike the man of God who succumbed to temptation, Jesus resisted every allure, even in the wilderness, by quoting and upholding the very Word of God (Matthew 4:1-11). The judgment pronounced in 1 Kings 13:21 points to the universal consequence of sin, which is death (Romans 6:23), a fate the man of God experienced. However, Jesus, the true Lamb of God, willingly took upon Himself the judgment for humanity's disobedience, dying on the cross to fulfill the righteous requirements of God's law and to offer salvation to all who believe (Romans 5:19; 2 Corinthians 5:21). Thus, the story of the disobedient prophet serves as a somber backdrop, illuminating the unparalleled and life-giving obedience of Christ, through whom we find forgiveness and the power to obey God's voice.