Lectionary Calendar
Wednesday, May 14th, 2025
the Fourth Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

1 Kings 13:16

"Sorry, I can't do that," the holy man said. "I can neither go back with you nor eat with you in this country. I'm under strict orders from God : ‘Don't eat a crumb; don't drink a drop; and don't come back the way you came.'"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Falsehood;   Judgments;   Minister, Christian;   Temptation;   Scofield Reference Index - Miracles;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Diet of the Jews, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Iddo;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bethel;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Jadon;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Bethel ;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Kingdom of Israel;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Old Prophet, the;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But he answered, “I cannot go back with you or accompany you; I will not eat food or drink water with you in this place.
Hebrew Names Version
He said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:
King James Version
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
English Standard Version
And he said, "I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place,
New Century Version
"I can't go home with you," the man of God answered. "I can't eat or drink with you in this place.
New English Translation
But he replied, "I can't go back with you or eat and drink with you in this place.
Amplified Bible
He said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
New American Standard Bible
But he said, "I cannot return with you, nor come with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But he answered, I may not returne with thee, nor go in with thee, neither wil I eate bread nor drinke water with thee in this place.
Legacy Standard Bible
And he said, "I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
Contemporary English Version
"I can't go back with you," the prophet replied, "and I can't eat or drink anything with you.
Complete Jewish Bible
He replied, "I cannot return with you or partake of your hospitality, nor will I eat food or drink water with you in this place;
Darby Translation
And he said, I cannot return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place.
Easy-to-Read Version
But the man of God said, "I cannot go home with you. I cannot eat or drink anything in this place.
George Lamsa Translation
And he answered. I cannot return with you nor go to your house; neither will I eat bread with you, nor drink water in this place;
Good News Translation
But the prophet from Judah answered, "I can't go home with you or accept your hospitality. And I won't eat or drink anything with you here,
Lexham English Bible
Then he said, "I am not able to return with you or to go with you. I will not eat food nor will I drink water with you in this place.
Literal Translation
And he said, I am not able to go back with you, and to go in with you, nor may I eat bread or drink water with you in this place;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde: I maye not turne backe with the, and come with the. Nether wyll I eate bred, ner drynke water with the in this place:
American Standard Version
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
Bible in Basic English
But he said, I may not go back with you or go into your house; and I will not take food or a drink of water with you in this place;
Bishop's Bible (1568)
He aunswered: I may not returne with thee, to go in with thee: neither wyl I eate bread, or drinke water with thee in this place.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And he said: 'I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place.
King James Version (1611)
And he said, I may not returne with thee, nor goe in with thee: neither will I eat bread, nor drinke water with thee in this place.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And he said, I shall not by any means be able to return with thee, neither will I eat bread, neither will I drink water in this place.
English Revised Version
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
Berean Standard Bible
But the man replied, "I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide, Y may not turne ayen, nether come with thee, nether Y schal ete breed, nether Y schal drynke water in this place;
Young's Literal Translation
And he saith, `I am not able to turn back with thee, and to go in with thee, nor do I eat bread or drink with thee water in this place,
Update Bible Version
And he said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
World English Bible
He said, I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place:
New King James Version
And he said, "I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.
New Living Translation
"No, I cannot," he replied. "I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place.
New Life Bible
And he said, "I cannot return with you or go with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
New Revised Standard
But he said, "I cannot return with you, or go in with you; nor will I eat food or drink water with you in this place;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And he said - I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee, - neither will I eat bread or drink water with thee, in this place;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But he said: I must not return, nor go with thee, neither will I eat bread, or drink water in this place:
Revised Standard Version
And he said, "I may not return with you, or go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place;
New American Standard Bible (1995)
He said, "I cannot return with you, nor go with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.

Contextual Overview

11 There was an old prophet who lived in Bethel. His sons came and told him the story of what the holy man had done that day in Bethel, told him everything that had happened and what the holy man had said to the king. 12 Their father said, "Which way did he go?" His sons pointed out the road that the holy man from Judah had taken. 13He told his sons, "Saddle my donkey." When they had saddled it, he got on and rode after the holy man. He found him sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, "Are you the holy man who came from Judah?" "Yes, I am," he said. 15 "Well, come home with me and have a meal." 16"Sorry, I can't do that," the holy man said. "I can neither go back with you nor eat with you in this country. I'm under strict orders from God : ‘Don't eat a crumb; don't drink a drop; and don't come back the way you came.'" 18But he said, "I am also a prophet, just like you. And an angel came to me with a message from God : ‘Bring him home with you, and give him a good meal!'" But the man was lying. So the holy man went home with him and they had a meal together. 20There they were, sitting at the table together, when the word of God came to the prophet who had brought him back. He confronted the holy man who had come from Judah: " God 's word to you: You disobeyed God 's command; you didn't keep the strict orders your God gave you; you came back and sat down to a good meal in the very place God told you, ‘Don't eat a crumb; don't drink a drop.' For that you're going to die far from home and not be buried in your ancestral tomb."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

1 Kings 13:8, 1 Kings 13:9, Genesis 3:1-3, Numbers 22:13, Numbers 22:19, Matthew 4:10, Matthew 16:23

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 18:4 - bread and water

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
So Abram left Egypt and went back to the Negev, he and his wife and everything he owned, and Lot still with him. By now Abram was very rich, loaded with cattle and silver and gold.
Genesis 13:3
He moved on from the Negev, camping along the way, to Bethel, the place he had first set up his tent between Bethel and Ai and built his first altar. Abram prayed there to God .
Genesis 13:14
After Lot separated from him, God said to Abram, "Open your eyes, look around. Look north, south, east, and west. Everything you see, the whole land spread out before you, I will give to you and your children forever. I'll make your descendants like dust—counting your descendants will be as impossible as counting the dust of the Earth. So—on your feet, get moving! Walk through the country, its length and breadth; I'm giving it all to you."
Genesis 13:18
Abram moved his tent. He went and settled by the Oaks of Mamre in Hebron. There he built an altar to God .
Genesis 15:5
Then he took him outside and said, "Look at the sky. Count the stars. Can you do it? Count your descendants! You're going to have a big family, Abram!"
Genesis 17:20
"And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I'll also bless him; I'll make sure he has plenty of children—a huge family. He'll father twelve princes; I'll make him a great nation. But I'll establish my covenant with Isaac whom Sarah will give you about this time next year."
Genesis 28:3
"And may The Strong God bless you and give you many, many children, a congregation of peoples; and pass on the blessing of Abraham to you and your descendants so that you will get this land in which you live, this land God gave Abraham."
Genesis 35:11
God continued, I am The Strong God. Have children! Flourish! A nation—a whole company of nations!— will come from you. Kings will come from your loins; the land I gave Abraham and Isaac I now give to you, and pass it on to your descendants.
Genesis 46:3
God said, "I am the God of your father. Don't be afraid of going down to Egypt. I'm going to make you a great nation there. I'll go with you down to Egypt; I'll also bring you back here. And when you die, Joseph will be with you; with his own hand he'll close your eyes."
1 Kings 4:20
Judah and Israel were densely populated—like sand on an ocean beach! All their needs were met; they ate and drank and were happy. Solomon was sovereign over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates in the east to the country of the Philistines in the west, all the way to the border of Egypt. They brought tribute and were vassals of Solomon all his life.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee,.... Into the city, and into his house in it, being such an idolatrous place, and especially being forbidden of God:

neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place; he was resolute and determined to abide by the commandment of the Lord, though there is reason to believe that he was now both hungry and thirsty.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile