1 Kings 13:2

Contextual Overview

¹A man of God came, however, from Judah to Bethel by the word of the Lord while Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense. ¹ Behold, there came a man of God out of Yehudah by the word of the LORD to Beit-El: and Yarov`am was standing by the altar to burn incense. ¹ And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. ¹ And behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the word of the Lord to Bethel. Jeroboam was standing by the altar to make offerings. ¹ The Lord commanded a man of God from Judah to go to Bethel. When he arrived, Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer a sacrifice. ¹ Just then a prophet from Judah, sent by the Lord , arrived in Bethel, as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. ¹Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word (command) of the LORD, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar [which he had built] to burn incense. ¹ Now 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. ¹ And beholde, there came a man of God out of Iudah (by the commaundement of the Lorde) vnto Beth-el, and Ieroboam stoode by the altar to offer incense. ¹Now behold, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of Yahweh, while Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

O altar: Deuteronomy 32:1, Isaiah 1:2, Isaiah 58:1, Jeremiah 22:29, Ezekiel 36:1, Ezekiel 36:4, Ezekiel 38:4, Luke 19:40

Josiah by name: 2 Kings 22:1, 2 Kings 22:2, 2 Kings 23:15-18, 2 Chronicles 34:1, 2 Chronicles 34:4-7, Isaiah 42:9, Isaiah 44:26-28, Isaiah 46:10, Isaiah 48:5-7

offer: 2 Kings 23:15-17

Reciprocal: Leviticus 10:1 - put incense Leviticus 26:30 - I will destroy 1 Kings 13:32 - the saying 1 Kings 20:35 - in the word 2 Kings 2:2 - Bethel 2 Kings 17:23 - as he had said 2 Kings 17:27 - one of the priests 2 Kings 23:16 - burned 2 Kings 23:20 - he slew 2 Chronicles 34:5 - he Ecclesiastes 3:2 - time to be born Isaiah 7:2 - the house Jeremiah 8:1 - General Ezekiel 6:4 - and I Ezekiel 37:4 - Prophesy Hosea 10:8 - their altars Amos 3:14 - I will Matthew 1:10 - Josias

Cross-References

Genesis 13:1
Avram went up out of Mitzrayim: he, his wife, all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South.

Genesis 13:1
And Abram went up out of Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the south.

Genesis 13:1
Then Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that was with him. And Lot went with him to the Negev.

Genesis 13:1
So Abram, his wife, and Lot left Egypt, taking everything they owned, and traveled to southern Canaan.

Genesis 13:1
So Abram went up from Egypt into the Negev. He took his wife and all his possessions with him, as well as Lot.

Genesis 13:1
So Abram went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot [his nephew] with him, into the Negev (the South country of Judah).

Genesis 13:1
So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

Genesis 13:1
Then Abram went vp from Egypt, he, and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him toward the South.

Genesis 13:1
So Abram went up from Egypt to the Negev, he and his wife and all that belonged to him, and Lot with him.

Genesis 13:1
Abram and Sarai took everything they owned and went to the Southern Desert. Lot went with them.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord,.... By his order and command:

and said, O altar, altar; addressing himself not to Jeroboam, but the altar, thereby reproving his stupidity, the altar being as ready to hear as he; and because that was what moved the indignation of the Lord; and the word is repeated, to show the vehemency of the prophet's spirit, and his zeal against it; though the Jews commonly say it respects both altars, that at Dan, as well as this at Bethel:

thus saith the Lord, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; who was not born until three hundred years after this, according to the Jewish writers a: but it is generally reckoned to be more, even three hundred and fifty or three hundred and sixty years; this is a clear proof of the prescience, predetermination, and providence of God with respect to future events, contingent ones, such as depend upon the will of men; for what more so than giving a name to a child?

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; all which was fulfilled by Josiah, 2 Kings 23:15, it may be read, "the bones of a man", which the Jews understand of Jeroboam; but may only signify that, instead of the bones of beasts, which were burnt on it, the bones of men should be burnt, and even of the priests themselves; a glaring proof this of the truth of prophecy, and of divine revelation.

a Pirke Eliezer, c. 17.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

A 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 that God could, if He chose, cause events to be foretold minutely by his prophets; but certainly the general law of his Providence is, that He does not do so. If this law is to be at any time broken through, it will not be capriciously. Here it certainly does not appear what great effect was to be produced by the mention of Josiah’s name so long before his birth; and hence, a doubt arises whether we have in our present copies the true original text. The sense is complete without the words “Josiah by name;” and these words, if originally a marginal note, may easily have crept into the text by the mistake of a copyist. It is remarkable that, where this narrative is again referred to in Kings (marginal reference), there is no allusion to the fact that the man of God had prophesied of Josiah “by name.”

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 13:2. He 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; and it was the interest of the Israelites, against whom it was levelled, to impugn its authenticity and expose its falsehood, had this been possible. This prediction not only showed the knowledge of God, but his power. He gave, as it were, this warning to idolatry, that it might be on its guard, and defend itself against this Josiah whenever a person of that name should be found sitting on the throne of David; and no doubt it was on the alert, and took all prudent measures for its own defence; but all in vain, for Josiah, in the eighteenth year of his reign, literally accomplished this prophecy, as we may read, 2 Kings 23:15-20. And from this latter place we find that the prophecy had three permanent testimonials of its truth.

1. The house of Israel;

2. The house of Judah; and,

3. The tomb of the prophet who delivered this prophecy, who, being slain by a lion, was brought back and buried at Beth-el, the superscription on whose tomb remained till the day on which Josiah destroyed that altar, and burnt dead men's bones upon it.

See above, verses 16-18. 2 Kings 23:16-18