1 Kings 13:2

1 Kings 13:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men’s bones shall be burnt upon thee.
• New International Version (NIV)By the word of the Lord he cried out against the altar: “Altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: ‘A son named Josiah will be born to the house of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who make offerings here, and human bones will be burned on you.’ ”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And the man cried against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the Lord: 'Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and he shall sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who make offerings on you, and human bones shall be burned on you.'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord, and said, “O altar, altar! Thus says the Lord: ‘Behold, a child, Josiah by name, shall be born to the house of David; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and men’s bones shall be burned on you.’ ”

Context of 1 Kings 13:2

1Now behold, a man of God came from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord, while Jeroboam was standing at the altar to burn incense. And he cried out against the altar by the word of the Lord and said, “Altar, altar, this is what the Lord says: ‘Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and on you he shall sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and human bones shall burn on you.’” 3Then he gave a sign on the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn to pieces and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’” 4Now when the king heard the statement of the man of God which he cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” But his hand which he had stretched out toward him dried up, and he could not draw it back to himself.

1 Kings 13:2 word by word

וַיִּקְרָ֤א עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ בִּדְבַ֣ר יְהוָ֔ה וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ מִזְבֵּ֣חַ מִזְבֵּ֔חַ כֹּ֖ה אָמַ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הִנֵּֽה־בֵ֞ן נוֹלָ֤ד לְבֵית־דָּוִד֙ יֹאשִׁיָּ֣הוּ שְׁמ֔וֹ וְזָבַ֣ח עָלֶ֗יךָ אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֤י הַבָּמוֹת֙ הַמַּקְטִרִ֣ים עָלֶ֔יךָ וְעַצְמ֥וֹת אָדָ֖ם יִשְׂרְפ֥וּ עָלֶֽיךָ׃Read the interlinear

• he criedקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call toH7121
• againstעַל‛al · uponH5921
• the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• by the wordדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
• of the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• thisכֹּהkôh · thusH3541
• Beholdהִנֵּהhinnêh · beholdH2009
• a sonבֵּןbên · son: childH1121
• shall be bornיָלַדyâlad · to begetH3205
• to the houseבַּ֫יִתbayith · house: householdH1004
• of Davidדָּוִדdâvid dâvîyd · DavidH1732
• Josiahיֹאשִׁיָּ֫הוּyô'shîyâh yô'shîyâhû · JosiahH2977
• by nameשֵׁםshêm · nameH8034
• and on you he shall sacrificeזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
• the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
• of the highבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
• who burnקָטַרqâţar · to offer: burnH6999
• on you, and humanאָדָם'âdâm · manH120
• bonesעֶ֫צֶם‛etsem · boneH6106
• shall burnשָׂרַףώâraph · to burnH8313

Cross-references for 1 Kings 13:2

• Deuteronomy 32:1“Listen, you heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth!
• Isaiah 1:2Listen, heavens, and hear, earth; For the Lord has spoken: “Sons I have raised and brought up, But they have revolted against Me.
• Isaiah 58:1“Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their wrongdoing, And to the house of Jacob their sins.
• Jeremiah 22:29O land, land, land, Hear the word of the Lord!
• Ezekiel 36:1“Now you, son of man, prophesy to the mountains of Israel and say, ‘You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord.
• Ezekiel 38:4So I will turn you around and put hooks into your jaws, and I will bring you out, and all your army, horses and horsemen, all of them magnificently dressed, a great contingent with shield and buckler, all of them wielding swords;
• Luke 19:40Jesus replied, “I tell you, if these stop speaking, the stones will cry out!”
• 2 Kings 22:1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem; and his mother’s name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
• 2 Kings 23:15Furthermore, the altar that was at Bethel and the high place which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who misled Israel into sin, had made, even that altar and the high place he tore down. Then he burned the high place, ground the remains to dust, and burned the Asherah.
• 2 Chronicles 34:1Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned for thirty-one years in Jerusalem.
• Isaiah 42:9Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they sprout I proclaim them to you.”
• Isaiah 44:26Confirming the word of His servant And carrying out the purpose of His messengers. It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’ And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’ And I will raise her ruins again.
• Isaiah 46:10Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things which have not been done, Saying, ‘My plan will be established, And I will accomplish all My good pleasure’;
• Isaiah 48:5Therefore I declared them to you long ago, Before they took place I proclaimed them to you, So that you would not say, ‘My idol has done them, And my carved image and my cast metal image have commanded them.’

Commentaries on 1 Kings 13:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2He cried against the altar - He denounced the destruction of this idolatrous system. A child shall be born - Josiah by name - This is one of the most remarkable and most singular prophecies in the Old Testament. It here most circumstantially foretells a fact which took place three hundred and forty years after the prediction; a fact which was attested by the two nations. The Jews, in whose behalf this prophecy was delivered, would guard it most sacredly…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2A child shall be born … Josiah by name - Divine predictions so seldom descend to such particularity as this, that doubts are entertained, even by orthodox theologians, with respect to the actual mention of Josiah‘s name by a prophet living in the time of Jeroboam. Only one other instance that can be considered parallel occurs in the whole of Scripture - the mention of Cyrus by Isaiah. Of course no one who believes in the divine foreknowledge can doubt…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 1-10The story of the unnamed man of God who spoke against Jeroboam’s false altar at Bethel shows the authority of God’s word. This prophecy even gave a personal name connected with an event that would happen much later (2 Kings 23:15–20). Other examples are Isaiah’s prophecy of Cyrus as a future ruler (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1) and Micah’s prophecy that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). Prophecies like these give assurance that God is in control…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2-92-9. he cried against the altar--which is put for the whole system of worship organized in Israel. Behold, a child shall be born ... Josiah by name--This is one of the most remarkable prophecies recorded in the Scriptures; and, in its clearness, circumstantial minuteness, and exact prediction of an event that took place three hundred sixty years later, it stands in striking contrast to the obscure and ambiguous oracles of the heathen. Being publicly…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 13:2

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Beth-El
• Calf
• Intercession
• Jeroboam
• Josiah
• Judgments
• Prophecy
• Reproof
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• David
• Josiah
• house of David
• house, household, house of Israel, house of David
• Cast
• Jeroboam
• Bethel
• Chronicles, Books of
• Cremation
• High Place

Commentaries on 1 Kings 13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings