New Living Translation
1 Kings 13:4
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.
1 Kings 13:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth–el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him.
- New International Version (NIV)When King Jeroboam heard what the man of God cried out against the altar at Bethel, he stretched out his hand from the altar and said, “Seize him!” But the hand he stretched out toward the man shriveled up, so that he could not pull it back.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar at Bethel, Jeroboam stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, "Seize him." And his hand, which he stretched out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to himself.
- New King James Version (NKJV)So it came to pass when King Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, who cried out against the altar in Bethel, that he stretched out his hand from the altar, saying, “Arrest him!” Then his hand, which he stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not pull it back to himself.
Context of 1 Kings 13:4
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.” 3That 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.” When 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. 6The king cried out to the man of God, “Please ask the Lord your God to restore my hand again!” So the man of God prayed to the Lord, and the king’s hand was restored and he could move it again.
Read all of 1 Kings 131 Kings 13:4 word by word
וַיְהִי֩ כִשְׁמֹ֨עַ הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ אֶת־דְּבַ֣ר אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֨ר קָרָ֤א עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ בְּבֵֽית־אֵ֔ל וַיִּשְׁלַ֨ח יָרָבְעָ֧ם אֶת־יָד֛וֹ מֵעַ֥ל הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לֵאמֹ֣ר׀ תִּפְשֻׂ֑הוּ וַתִּיבַ֤שׁ יָדוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר שָׁלַ֣ח עָלָ֔יו וְלֹ֥א יָכֹ֖ל לַהֲשִׁיבָ֥הּ אֵלָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And it came to pass, when kingמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4428
- Jeroboamיָֽרָבְעָםyârob‛âm · JeroboamH3379
- heardשָׁמַעshâma‛ · to hear: hearH8085
- the sayingדָּבָרdâbâr · wordH1697
- of the manאִישׁ'îysh · manH376
- of Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- which had criedקָרָאqârâ' · to call: call outH7121
- against the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- in Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
- that he put forthשָׁלַחshâlach · to send: reachH7971
- his handיָדyâd · handH3027
- sayingאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Lay holdתָּפַשׂtâphaώ · to captureH8610
- against him, dried upיָבֵשׁyâbêsh · to witherH3001
- so that he couldיָכֹלyâkôl yâkôl · be ableH3201
- not pull it in againשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
Cross-references for 1 Kings 13:4
- 2 Chronicles 16:10Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying this that he threw him into prison and put him in stocks. At that time Asa also began to oppress some of his people.
- 2 Chronicles 18:25“Arrest him!” the king of Israel ordered. “Take him back to Amon, the governor of the city, and to my son Joash.
- 2 Chronicles 25:15This made the Lord very angry, and he sent a prophet to ask, “Why do you turn to gods who could not even save their own people from you?”
- Psalms 105:15“Do not touch my chosen people, and do not hurt my prophets.”
- Jeremiah 20:2So he arrested Jeremiah the prophet and had him whipped and put in stocks at the Benjamin Gate of the Lord’s Temple.
- Jeremiah 26:8But when Jeremiah had finished his message, saying everything the Lord had told him to say, the priests and prophets and all the people at the Temple mobbed him. “Kill him!” they shouted.
- Jeremiah 38:4So these officials went to the king and said, “Sir, this man must die! That kind of talk will undermine the morale of the few fighting men we have left, as well as that of all the people. This man is a traitor!”
- Amos 7:10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable.
- Matthew 25:40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’
- Matthew 26:57Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered.
- Mark 14:44The traitor, Judas, had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.”
- John 13:20I tell you the truth, anyone who welcomes my messenger is welcoming me, and anyone who welcomes me is welcoming the Father who sent me.”
- Acts 6:12This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.
- Genesis 19:11Then they blinded all the men, young and old, who were at the door of the house, so they gave up trying to get inside.
- 2 Kings 6:18As the Aramean army advanced toward him, Elisha prayed, “O Lord, please make them blind.” So the Lord struck them with blindness as Elisha had asked.
- Jeremiah 20:4For this is what the Lord says: ‘I will send terror upon you and all your friends, and you will watch as they are slaughtered by the swords of the enemy. I will hand the people of Judah over to the king of Babylon. He will take them captive to Babylon or run them through with the sword.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 13:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Lay hold on him - No doubt, stretching out his own hand at the same time, through rage, pride, and haste, to execute his own orders. And his hand dried up - The whole arm became suddenly rigid; the nerves no longer communicated their influence, and the muscles ceased to obey the dictates of the will.Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4-5Jeroboam's shoulder and arm became paralyzed, and the prophecy about the altar came true. This showed God's power and his unhappiness with Jeroboam's false religion.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 13:4
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries