1 Kings 13 Chapter Introduction

Structure and Formatting

This chapter continues the story of how the kingdom of David and Solomon was split into two kingdoms, Israel in the north and Judah in the south. It focuses on how Yahweh sent a “man of God” from Judah to the altar at Bethel in Israel to tell Jeroboam that because he had made calf idols, Yahweh would destroy his royal dynasty. 1. A man of God warns Jeroboam (13:1–10) 2. An older prophet deceives the man into disobeying Yahweh, and a lion kills him (13:11–24) 3. The older prophet buries the man and asks to be buried with him when he dies (13:25–32) 4. Jeroboam ignores the man’s warning (13:33–34)

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

Why did the older prophet in Bethel deceive the man of God into disobeying Yahweh?

There are several aspects of the story that this chapter tells that are puzzling to readers and interpreters of the Bible. Why did the old prophet want the man of God from Judah to come to his home for a meal? When the man of God refused, why did the prophet lie to him to get him to come? And how could Yahweh have then spoken a true prophecy through a man who had just spoken a false prophecy? The answers to these questions are uncertain, but here are some possibilities.The older prophet may have wanted the man of God from Judah to come to his house for a meal for one of a number of reasons, or perhaps from a mixture of motives. These may have included curiosity, jealousy, a misguided attempt at hospitality, a desire to test the man’s genuineness, or a desire to associate with someone who had just powerfully demonstrated God’s authority. When the man of God refused, the old prophet lied, pretending that he had gotten a new message from an angel. He did this possibly out of envy, confusion, or the wish to test the man of God. Nevertheless, Yahweh then spoke a true prophecy through the deceitful old prophet in order to deliver a message of judgment to the disobedient man of God. This demonstrated that God’s power and purpose are not dependent on the character of the messenger. It also underscored the seriousness of obeying God’s commands above all else.While these are all possibilities, the story remains puzzling. Since the author does not answer specifically the questions that it raises, we suggest that you do not try to do that in your translation. Translate the story as it has come down to us in the Bible, and allow readers and interpreters to work at understanding it themselves.

Why did the older prophet ask to be buried in the same grave as the man of God?

In [13:31](../13/31.md), the older prophet tells his sons, “When I die, then you shall bury me in the grave in which the man of God is buried.” Asking to be buried in the same grave as the man of God was a symbolic action by which the old prophet expressed his confidence that what the man had predicted would certainly happen (as he says in the next verse). Specifically, the man of God had said that human bones would be burned on the altar at Bethel ([13:2](../13/02.md)). The old prophet was hoping that when someone collected human bones from graves in the area to burn on the altar, he would spare the bones of the prophet who had predicted this action and any other bones that were also in his grave. As the story continues, the account in [2 Kings 23:16–18](../2ki/23/16.md) shows that this is just what happened. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could explain the significance of this action in the text or in a footnote.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

“Bread” meaning “food” and “water” meaning “a drink”

In several places in verses 8–23, characters use one kind of food, bread, to mean food in general, and they use one kind of drink, water, to mean drinks in general. If it would be helpful in your language, in all of these instances, you could use an equivalent expression from your culture, or you could state the meaning plainly. (See: figs-synecdoche)