TRV
Translation
King James Version
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 one of the priests of the high places.
KJV (with Strong's)
After H310 this thing H1697 Jeroboam H3379 returned H7725 not from his evil H7451 way H1870, but made H6213 again H7725 of the lowest H7098 of the people H5971 priests H3548 of the high places H1116: whosoever would H2655, he consecrated H4390 H3027 him, and he became one of the priests H3548 of the high places H1116.
Complete Jewish Bible
After this, Yarov'am did not turn back from his evil way but continued appointing cohanim for the high places from among all the people; he consecrated anyone who wanted to be a cohen of the high places.
Berean Standard Bible
Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.
American Standard Version
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
World English Bible Messianic
After this thing Jeroboam didn’t return from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Howbeit after this, Ieroboam conuerted not from his wicked way, but turned againe, and made of the lowest of the people Priests of the hie places. Who would, might consecrate him selfe, and be of the Priestes of the hie places.
Young's Literal Translation
After this thing Jeroboam hath not turned from his evil way, and turneth back, and maketh of the extremities of the people priests of high places; he who is desirous he consecrateth his hand, and he is of the priests of the high places.
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Commentary on 1 Kings 13 verses 23–34
23 ¶ And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
24 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.
25 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.
26 And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said, It is 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.
27 And he spake to his sons, saying, Saddle me the ass. And they saddled him.
28 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.
29 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.
30 And he laid his carcase in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, Alas, my brother!
31 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 is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:
32 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 are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.
33 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 one of the priests of the high places.
34 And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
Here is, I. The death of the deceived disobedient prophet. The old prophet that had deluded him, as if he would make him some amends for the wrong he had done him or help to prevent the mischief threatened him, furnished him with an ass to ride home on; but by the way a lion set upon him, and killed him, Kg1 13:23, Kg1 13:24. He did but return back to refresh himself when he was hungry, and behold he must die for it; see Sa1 14:43. But we must consider, 1. That his offence was great, and it would by no means justify him that he was drawn into it by a lie; he could not be so certain of the countermand sent by another as he was of the command given to himself, nor had he any ground to think that the command would be recalled, when the reason of it remained in force, which was that he might testify his detestation of the wickedness of that place. He had great reason to suspect the honesty of this old prophet, who did not himself bear his testimony, nor did God think fit to make use of him as a witness against the idolatry of the city he lived in. However, he should have taken time to beg direction from God, and not have complied so soon. Did he think this old prophet's house safer to eat in than other houses at Beth-el, when God had forbidden him to eat in any? That was to refine upon the command, and make himself wiser than God. Did he think to excuse himself that he was hungry? Had he never read that man lives not by bread alone? 2. That his death was for the glory of God; for by this it appeared, (1.) That nothing is more provoking to him than disobedience to an express command, though in a small matter, which makes his proceedings against our first parents, for eating the forbidden fruit, the easier to be accounted for. (2.) That God is displeased at the sins of his own people, and no man shall be protected in disobedience by the sanctity of his profession, the dignity of his office, his nearness to God, or any good services he has done for him. Perhaps God by this intended, in a way of righteous judgment, to harden Jeroboam's heart, since he was not reformed by the withering of his hand; for he would be apt to make a bad use of it, and to say that the prophet was well enough served for meddling with his altar, he had better have staid at home; any, he would say that Providence had punished him for his insolence, and the lion had done that which his withered hand might not do. However, by this God intended to warn all those whom he employs strictly to observe their orders, at their peril.
II. The wonderful preservation of his dead body, which was a token of God's mercy remembered in the midst of wrath. The lion that gently strangled him, or tore him, did not devour his dead body, nor so much as tear the ass, Kg1 13:24, Kg1 13:25, Kg1 13:26. Nay, what was more, he did not set upon the travellers that passed by and saw it, nor upon the old prophet (who had reason enough to fear it) when he came to take up the corpse. His commission was to kill the prophet; hitherto he should go, but no further. Thus God showed that, though he was angry with him, his anger was turned away, and the punishment went no further than death.
III. The care which the old prophet took of his burial. When he heard of this unusual accident, he concluded it was the man of God, who was disobedient to his Master (and whose fault was that?), therefore the Lord has delivered him to the lion, Kg1 13:26. It would well have become him to ask why the lion was not sent against him and his house, rather than against the good man whom he had cheated. He took up the corpse, Kg1 13:29. If there by any truth in the vulgar opinion, surely the corpse bled afresh when he touched it, for he was in effect the murderer, and it was but a poor reparation for the injury to inter the dead body. Perhaps when he cheated him into his ruin he intended to laugh at him; yet now his conscience so far relents that he weeps over him, and, like Joab at Abner's funeral, is compelled to be a mourner for him whom he had been the death of. They said, Alas! my brother, Kg1 13:30. The case was indeed very lamentable that so good a man, a prophet so faithful, and so bold in God's cause, should, for one offence, die as a criminal, while an old lying prophet lives at ease and an idolatrous prince in pomp and power. Thy way, O God! is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters. We cannot judge of men by their sufferings, nor of sins by their present punishments; with some the flesh is destroyed that the spirit may be saved, while with others the flesh is pampered that the soul may ripen for hell.
IV. The charge which the old prophet gave his sons concerning his own burial, that they should be sure to bury him in the same grave where the man of God was buried (Kg1 13:3): "Lay my bones beside his bones, close by them, as near as may be, so that my dust may mingle with his." Though he was a lying prophet, yet he desired to die the death of a true prophet. "Gather not my soul with the sinners of Beth-el, but with the man of God." The reason he gives is because what he cried against the altar of Beth-el, that men's bones should be burnt upon it, shall surely come to pass, Kg1 13:32. Thus, 1. He ratifies the prediction, that out of the mouth of two witnesses (and one of them such a one as St. Paul quotes, Tit 1:12, one of themselves, even a prophet of their own) the word might be established, if possible to convince and reclaim Jeroboam. 2. He does honour to the deceased prophet, as one whose word would not fall to the ground, though he did. Ministers die, die prematurely it may be; but the word of the Lord endures for ever, and does not die with them. 3. He consults his own interest. It was foretold that men's bones should be burnt upon Jeroboam's altar: "Lay mine (says he) close to his, and then they will not be disturbed;" and it was, accordingly, their security, as we find, Kg2 23:18. Sleeping and waking, living and dying, it is safe being in good company. No mention is made here of the inscription on the prophet's tomb; but it is spoken of Kg2 23:17, where Josiah asks, What title is that? and is told, It is the sepulchre of the man of God that came from Judah, who proclaimed these things which thou hast done; so that the epitaph upon the prophet's grave preserved the remembrance of his prophecy, and was a standing testimony against the idolatries of Beth-el, which it would not have been so remarkably if he had died and been buried elsewhere. The cities of Israel are here called cities of Samaria, though that name was not yet known; for, however the old prophet spoke, the inspired historian wrote in the language of his own time.
V. The obstinacy of Jeroboam in his idolatry (Kg1 13:33): He returned not from his evil way; some hand was found that durst repair the altar God had rent, and then Jeroboam offered sacrifice on it again, and the more boldly because the prophet who disturbed him before was in his grave (Rev 11:10) and because the prophecy was for a great while to come. Various methods had been used to reclaim him, but neither threats nor signs, neither judgments nor mercies, wrought upon him, so strangely was he wedded to his calves. He did not reform, no, not his priesthood, but whoever would, he filled his hand, and made him priest, though ever so illiterate or immoral, and of what tribe soever; and this became sin, that is, a snare first, and then a ruin, to Jeroboam's house, to cut if off, Kg1 13:34. Note, The diminution, disquiet, and desolation of families, are the fruit of sin; he promised himself that the calves would secure the crown to his family, but it proved they lost it, and sunk his family. Those betray themselves that think by any sin to support themselves.
Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 23–34. Public domain.
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Apostolic ConstitutionsAD 380
Apostolic Constitutions (Book VIII), Section 5, XLVI
For you know undoubtedly that those that are by us named bishops, and presbyters, and deacons, were made by prayer, and by the laying on of hands; and that by the difference of their names is showed the difference of their employments. For not every one that will is ordained, as the case was in that spurious and counterfeit priesthood of the calves under Jeroboam; [1 Kings 13:33] but he only who is called of God. For if there were no rule or distinction of orders, it would suffice to perform all the offices under one name. But being taught by the Lord the series of things, we distributed the functions of the high-priesthood to the bishops, those of the priesthood to the presbyters, and the ministration under them both to the deacons; that the divine worship might be performed in purity. For it is not lawful for a deacon to offer the sacrifice, or to baptize, or to give either the greater or the lesser blessing. Nor may a presbyter perform ordination; for it is not agreeable to holiness to have this order perverted. For "God is not the God of confusion," [1 Corinthians 14:33] that the subordinate persons should tyrannically assume to themselves the functions belonging to their superiors, forming a new scheme of laws to their own mischief, not knowing that "it is hard for them to kick against the pricks;" [Acts 26:14] for such as these do not fight against us, or against the bishops, but against the universal Bishop and the High Priest of the Father, Jesus Christ our Lord. High priests, priests, and Levites were ordained by Moses, the most beloved of God.
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
1 Kings 13:33 delivers a somber verdict on King Jeroboam's unyielding rebellion against God, even after experiencing profound divine intervention and explicit warnings. Despite witnessing the miraculous destruction of his idolatrous altar and the healing of his own withered hand, Jeroboam stubbornly refused to abandon his "evil way," doubling down on his self-devised religious system by appointing unqualified individuals from all social strata as priests for his illegitimate high places, thereby cementing a legacy of spiritual apostasy for the northern kingdom.
CONTEXT
Literary Context: This verse serves as a concluding summary statement following the dramatic events of 1 Kings 13. The chapter details a direct confrontation between God's prophet from Judah and Jeroboam's idolatrous worship at Bethel. The man of God prophesied against the altar, which immediately split, and Jeroboam's hand withered as he attempted to seize the prophet. God's power was undeniably displayed, leading to the altar's destruction and Jeroboam's miraculous healing. The subsequent narrative, involving the old prophet of Bethel and the man of God's disobedience, further underscores the gravity of divine commands and the severe consequences of straying from them. Verse 33, therefore, is not merely a statement of fact but a damning indictment of Jeroboam's hardened heart, revealing that even such powerful, personal encounters with God's judgment and grace failed to prompt repentance or a change in his foundational "evil way." It sets the stage for the subsequent divine judgment pronounced against Jeroboam's house in 1 Kings 14, where the prophet Ahijah delivers a severe prophecy of destruction against Jeroboam's dynasty due to his persistent sin.
Historical & Cultural Context: The historical backdrop is the recent division of the united kingdom of Israel into two distinct entities: the northern kingdom (Israel) under Jeroboam and the southern kingdom (Judah) under Rehoboam. Jeroboam's primary motivation for establishing alternative worship centers at Bethel and Dan, complete with golden calves, was politically driven. He feared that if his people continued to go to Jerusalem to worship at the Temple, their allegiance would shift back to the Davidic dynasty in Judah, leading to his overthrow (1 Kings 12:26-27). To legitimize his new religious system and consolidate power, Jeroboam needed a priesthood that was loyal to him, not to the Levitical order divinely appointed to serve at the Temple in Jerusalem. The "high places" were traditional sites of worship, often associated with Canaanite idolatry, which Israel was commanded to destroy (Deuteronomy 12:2-4). By appointing "the lowest of the people" as priests, Jeroboam deliberately circumvented the divinely ordained Levitical priesthood, which was reserved for the descendants of Aaron (Numbers 3:10). This act was a profound act of rebellion against God's covenantal law and a foundational corruption of Israelite worship, setting a dangerous precedent for future kings of Israel.
Key Themes: 1 Kings 13:33 powerfully underscores several critical themes. Firstly, it highlights the danger of stubborn disobedience and a hardened heart. Despite direct divine intervention and clear warnings, Jeroboam refused to repent, demonstrating a profound spiritual blindness and an unwillingness to submit to God's authority. His actions directly contradicted God's law regarding proper worship and priesthood, setting a precedent of rebellion that would plague the northern kingdom. Secondly, the verse exposes the profound corruption of religious leadership. By appointing "the lowest of the people" and "whosoever would" as priests, Jeroboam debased the sacred office, prioritizing political expediency and personal will over divine ordination and holiness. This move was a deliberate and calculated act to consolidate his power, demonstrating a complete disregard for the qualifications and sacred duties of a priest as outlined in the Mosaic Law, particularly in Leviticus 21. Finally, the verse serves as a crucial point illustrating the consequences of apostasy. Jeroboam's persistent sin established a pattern of religious corruption and idolatry for the northern kingdom that would ultimately lead to its spiritual decline and eventual downfall, as prophesied by Ahijah the prophet in 1 Kings 14:15-16, culminating in the Assyrian exile.
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
The text of 1 Kings 13:33 employs several powerful literary devices to underscore Jeroboam's profound spiritual failure. Irony is prominent, as Jeroboam, having just experienced a miraculous display of God's power and mercy (his hand healed, the altar destroyed), responds not with repentance but with a deepening of his rebellion. The divine warning, intended to turn him, instead highlights his stubbornness. There is a strong sense of Foreshadowing, as Jeroboam's persistent "evil way" and the institutionalization of illegitimate worship foreshadow the spiritual decay and eventual judgment that will befall the northern kingdom of Israel, leading to its eventual downfall. The Repetition of the phrase "priests of the high places" (or similar phrasing throughout 1 Kings) emphasizes the pervasive nature of Jeroboam's religious corruption and its lasting, destructive impact on the nation. The sharp contrast between God's clear command and Jeroboam's defiant action creates a powerful Antithesis, underscoring the profound spiritual conflict at the heart of the narrative and the king's deliberate choice of human will over divine authority.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
1 Kings 13:33 profoundly illustrates the perilous nature of unrepentant rebellion against divine authority, particularly in matters of worship and spiritual leadership. Jeroboam's actions reveal a fundamental misunderstanding of God's sovereignty and holiness, opting instead for a religion of convenience and political expediency. His disregard for the divinely ordained priesthood and the sacred place of worship (Jerusalem) demonstrates a human-centered approach to faith that inevitably leads to apostasy. This verse serves as a stark reminder that true worship must be on God's terms, not our own, and that spiritual leadership requires divine appointment and adherence to God's revealed will, not merely human ambition or availability. The consequences of such compromise are far-reaching, impacting not only the individual but an entire nation, leading them further away from the living God and into spiritual ruin.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Jeroboam's story in 1 Kings 13:33 is a powerful, timeless warning for all believers. It challenges us to examine our own hearts: when confronted with God's truth, whether through His Word, providential circumstances, or the conviction of the Holy Spirit, do we truly repent and turn from our "evil way," or do we, like Jeroboam, harden our hearts and persist in self-devised paths? The temptation to compromise faith for convenience, to prioritize personal comfort or societal acceptance over divine commands, is ever-present. This verse also speaks to the critical importance of discerning true spiritual authority and leadership. We must be wary of those who, "whosoever would," appoint themselves or are appointed by human will rather than divine calling, leading others astray from God's established order and truth. Our worship must be pure, directed by God's Word, and led by those genuinely called and qualified by Him, rather than being shaped by human preference or political agenda. The long-term spiritual health of individuals and communities depends on unwavering adherence to God's revealed will.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
Why was Jeroboam's appointment of priests considered so wrong by God?
Answer: Jeroboam's actions were a direct and egregious violation of God's covenantal law and the established order for worship in Israel. First, God had specifically ordained the Levitical priesthood, reserving the sacred office for the descendants of Aaron from the tribe of Levi (Numbers 3:10). By appointing "the lowest of the people"—anyone who was willing, regardless of tribal lineage or qualification—Jeroboam usurped divine authority and showed utter contempt for God's clear commands. Second, his motivation was purely political, driven by fear that his people would return to Jerusalem to worship and thus shift allegiance back to the Davidic dynasty (1 Kings 12:26-27). This made his religious innovations a means to an end, rather than genuine devotion. Finally, his establishment of alternative worship centers at Bethel and Dan, complete with golden calves, constituted idolatry and led the entire northern kingdom into widespread apostasy, directly contravening the first two commandments (Exodus 20:3-5). This deliberate perversion of worship was a foundational sin that plagued the northern kingdom for generations.
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Jeroboam's tragic story in 1 Kings 13:33 highlights humanity's persistent rebellion and the inadequacy of self-appointed religious systems, pointing powerfully to the ultimate fulfillment found in Jesus Christ. Jeroboam sought to establish his own priesthood and means of access to God, but it was illegitimate, corrupt, and ultimately led to spiritual ruin for the northern kingdom. In stark contrast, Jesus is the divinely appointed, perfect High Priest, "not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life" (Hebrews 7:16). Unlike Jeroboam's unqualified priests, Jesus is "holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens" (Hebrews 7:26). He entered the true heavenly sanctuary, not a man-made high place, and offered Himself as the one perfect sacrifice for sins, making a way for all who believe to draw near to God with confidence (Hebrews 9:11-14). Jeroboam's "evil way" led to separation from God, but Christ's "way" is the truth and the life, the only path to the Father (John 14:6). In Christ, the need for humanly devised religious systems and unqualified mediators is abolished, as He perfectly fulfills the law and establishes a new covenant, inviting all to enter into a genuine relationship with God through His finished work (Hebrews 8:6-13), becoming the perfect and eternal mediator between God and humanity (1 Timothy 2:5).