1 Kings 13:20

THE MESSAGE

There 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."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
While they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back,

Hebrew Names Version
It happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who brought him back;

King James Version
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back:

English Standard Version
And as they sat at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back.

New Century Version
While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke his word to the old prophet.

New English Translation
While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet

Amplified Bible
Now it happened as they were sitting at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back.

New American Standard Bible
Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back;

Geneva Bible (1587)
And as they sate at the table, the worde of the Lorde came vnto the Prophet, that brought him againe.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who had brought him back;

Contemporary English Version
During the meal the Lord gave the old prophet

Complete Jewish Bible
As they were sitting at the table, the word of Adonai came to the prophet who had brought him back;

Darby Translation
And it came to pass as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came to the prophet that brought him back;

Easy-to-Read Version
While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke to the old prophet,

George Lamsa Translation
And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who brought him back;

Good News Translation
As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the old prophet,

Lexham English Bible
Now it happened that they were sitting at the table, and the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back.

Literal Translation
And it happened as they were sitting at the table, and a Word of Jehovah came to the prophet who brought him back;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And whan they sat at the table, the worde of the LORDE came to the prophet that had broughte him agayne,

American Standard Version
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back;

Bible in Basic English
But while they were seated at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had taken him back;

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And it fortuned, that as they sat at the table, the word of the Lorde came vnto the prophet that brought him againe:

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe as they sate at the table, that the word of the Lord came vnto the prophet that brought him backe:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And it came to pass while they were sitting at the table, that the word of the Lord came to the prophet that brought him back;

English Revised Version
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back:

Berean Standard Bible
While they were sitting at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne he sat at the table, the word of the Lord was maad to the prophete that brouyte hym ayen;

Young's Literal Translation
And it cometh to pass -- they are sitting at the table -- and a word of Jehovah is unto the prophet who brought him back,

Update Bible Version
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet that brought him back;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet that brought him back:

World English Bible
It happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of Yahweh came to the prophet who brought him back;

New King James Version
Now it happened, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back;

New Living Translation
Then while they were sitting at the table, a command from the Lord came to the old prophet.

New Life Bible
As they were sitting down at the table, the word of the Lord came to the man who spoke for God who had brought him back.

New Revised Standard
As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet who had brought him back;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And so it was, as, they, were sitting at the table, yea, so it was, that the word of Yahweh came unto the prophet who had brought him back;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And as they sat at table, the word of the Lord came to the prophet that brought him back:

Revised Standard Version
And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now it came about, as they were sitting down at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back;

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

the word of the Lord: "A great clamour," says Dr. Kennicott, "has been raised against this part of history, on account of God's denouncing sentence on the true prophet by the mouth of the false prophet; but if we examine with attention the original words here, they will be found to signify either he who brought him back, or, whom he had brought back; for the very same words, asher heshivo, occur again, 1 Kings 13:23, where they are now translated, whom he had brought back; and where they cannot be translated otherwise. This being the case, we are at liberty to consider the words of the Lord as delivered to the true prophet, thus brought back; and then the sentence is pronounced by God himself, calling to him out of heaven, as in Genesis 22:11. And that this doom was thus pronounced by God, not by the false prophet, we are assured in 1 Kings 13:26. The Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, according to the word of the Lord, which He spake unto him.' Josephus - and also the Arabic asserts, that the sentence was declared by God to the true prophet." Numbers 23:5, Numbers 23:16, Numbers 24:4, Numbers 24:16-24, Matthew 7:22, John 11:51, 1 Corinthians 13:2

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 13:11 - an old prophet 1 Kings 14:6 - for I am Jeremiah 1:2 - the word

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, as they sat at the table,.... The old prophet, with his sons, and the man of God; the Arabic version adds, "and did eat", there being a pause in the Hebrew text, as if something was wanting, and to be understood and supplied:

that the word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back; that is, to the old prophet, who was the means of bringing back the man of God; the word did not come to him who had transgressed the command of the Lord, but to him who was the occasion of it; though Abarbinel is of opinion that the word came to the latter, and so some versions, both ancient and modern, render the clause, "to the prophet whom he had brought back" f and which is countenanced by what is said, 1 Kings 13:26,

according to the word of the Lord which he spoke unto him: but the former sense best agrees with what follows.

f Syr. Ar. Junius & Tremellius.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 13:20. The word of the Lord came unto the prophet that brought him back — "A great clamour," says Dr. Kennicott, "has been raised against this part of the history, on account of God's denouncing sentence on the true prophet by the mouth of the false prophet: but if we examine with attention the original words here, they will be found to signify either he who brought him back; or, whom he had brought back; for the very same words, אשר השיבו asher heshibo, occur again in 1 Kings 13:23, where they are now translated, whom he had brought back; and where they cannot be translated otherwise. This being the case, we are at liberty to consider the word of the Lord as delivered to the true prophet thus brought back; and then the sentence is pronounced by GOD himself, calling to him out of heaven, as in Genesis 22:11. And that this doom was thus pronounced by God, not by the false prophet, we are assured in 1 Kings 13:26: 'The Lord hath delivered him unto the lion, according to the word of the Lord which HE spake unto him.' Josephus expressly asserts that the sentence was declared by God to the true prophet." The Arabic asserts the same.