1 Kings 13:1-2

13:1 Just then¹ a prophet² from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel,³ as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 13:2 With the authority of the Lord⁴ he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’”⁵

1 Kings 13:17-18

13:17 For the Lord gave me strict orders,⁶ ‘Do not eat or drink⁷ there; do not go back the way you came.’” 13:18 The old prophet then said,⁸ “I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord’s authority,⁹ ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’”¹⁰ But he was lying to him.¹¹

¹tn Heb “Look.” The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.

²tn Heb “the man of God.”

³tn Heb “came by the word of the Lord to Bethel.”

⁴tn Heb “by the word of the Lord.”

⁵sn ‘Look…you.’ For the fulfillment of this prophecy see 2 Kgs 23:15-20.

⁶tn Heb “for a word to me by the word of the Lord.”

⁷tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”

⁸tn Heb “and he said to him.”

⁹tn Heb “by the word of the Lord.”

¹⁰tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”

¹¹tn Or “deceiving him.”

sn He was lying to him. The motives and actions of the old prophet are difficult to understand. The old man’s response to the prophet’s death (see vv. 26-32) suggests he did not trick him with malicious intent. The old prophet probably wanted the honor of entertaining such a celebrity, or perhaps simply desired some social interaction with a fellow prophet.