1 Kings 13:3

1 Kings 13:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
• New International Version (NIV)That same day the man of God gave a sign: “This is the sign the Lord has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"
• New King James Version (NKJV)And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”

Context of 1 Kings 13:3

1At the Lord’s command, a man of God from Judah went to Bethel, arriving there just as Jeroboam was approaching the altar to burn incense. 2Then at the Lord’s command, he shouted, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says: A child named Josiah will be born into the dynasty of David. On you he will sacrifice the priests from the pagan shrines who come here to burn incense, and human bones will be burned on you.” That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.” 4When King Jeroboam heard the man of God speaking against the altar at Bethel, he pointed at him and shouted, “Seize that man!” But instantly the king’s hand became paralyzed in that position, and he couldn’t pull it back. 5At the same time a wide crack appeared in the altar, and the ashes poured out, just as the man of God had predicted in his message from the Lord.

1 Kings 13:3 word by word

וְנָתַן֩ בַּיּ֨וֹם הַה֤וּא מוֹפֵת֙ לֵאמֹ֔ר זֶ֣ה הַמּוֹפֵ֔ת אֲשֶׁ֖ר דִּבֶּ֣ר יְהוָ֑ה הִנֵּ֤ה הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ נִקְרָ֔ע וְנִשְׁפַּ֖ךְ הַדֶּ֥שֶׁן אֲשֶׁר־עָלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And he gaveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
• a signמוֹפֵתmôphêth môphêth · wonderH4159
• the same dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
• sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
• which the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
• hath spokenדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• Behold, the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
• shall be rentקָרַעqâra‛ · to tearH7167
• and the ashesדֶּ֫שֶׁןdeshen · ashesH1880
• upon it shall be poured outשָׁפַךְshâphak · to pour: pourH8210

Cross-references for 1 Kings 13:3

• Exodus 4:3“Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.
• Exodus 7:10So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did what the Lord had commanded them. Aaron threw down his staff before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent!
• Deuteronomy 13:1“Suppose there are prophets among you or those who dream dreams about the future, and they promise you signs or miracles,
• 1 Samuel 2:34And to prove that what I have said will come true, I will cause your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, to die on the same day!
• 2 Kings 20:8Meanwhile, Hezekiah had said to Isaiah, “What sign will the Lord give to prove that he will heal me and that I will go to the Temple of the Lord three days from now?”
• Isaiah 7:11“Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”
• Isaiah 38:6and I will rescue you and this city from the king of Assyria. Yes, I will defend this city.
• Jeremiah 44:29“‘And this is the proof I give you,’ says the Lord, ‘that all I have threatened will happen to you and that I will punish you here.’
• Matthew 12:38One day some teachers of religious law and Pharisees came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign to prove your authority.”
• John 2:18But the Jewish leaders demanded, “What are you doing? If God gave you authority to do this, show us a miraculous sign to prove it.”
• 1 Corinthians 1:22It is foolish to the Jews, who ask for signs from heaven. And it is foolish to the Greeks, who seek human wisdom.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 13:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And he gave a sign - A miracle to prove that the prophecy should be fulfilled in its season.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3He gave a sign - A sign of this kind - an immediate prophecy to prove the divine character of a remote prophecy - had scarcely been given before this. In the later history, however, such signs are not unfrequent (compare 2 Kings 19:29; Isaiah 7:14-16). The ashes … shall be poured out - i. e., “The half-burnt remains of the offerings shall be ignominiously spilled upon the ground.”Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3According to Levitical rules, ashes from sacrifices at the designated altar had to be taken to a clean place (Leviticus 1:16; 6:10–11). Jeroboam’s altar split apart, causing its ashes to pour out, making the altar and its sacrifices unclean.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 13:3

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Beth-El
• Calf
• Forgiveness
• Intercession
• Jeroboam
• Josiah
• Judgments
• Miracles
• Reproof
• Rulers
• Sign
• Symbols and Similitudes

In the dictionaries

• Cast
• Jeroboam
• Bethel
• Chronicles, Books of
• Iddo
• Jadon
• Old Prophet, the
• Prophecy; Prophets
• Law of Moses

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