1 Kings 13:3
in 1 Kings 13That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which Jehovah hath spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
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.
⋯
This verse in 1 Kings 13
Commentary
5 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
He 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 2Ki 19:29; Isa 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.”
This site's exposition
he gave a sign the same day
The sign given the same day is smaller than the prophecy it backs, an altar rent and its ashes spilled now, to certify a word that will not close for three hundred years. Barnes calls this pattern of an immediate sign proving a remote one rare before this point in the history, though it recurs later at 2 Ki 19:29 and Isa 7:14. A hearer who cannot wait three centuries for Josiah gets something to see before he leaves the ground.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign which the Lord hath spoken,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
That moment the king's arm became stiff and motionless, and the altar split asunder, so that the fire and ashes fell on the floor. Overawed by the effects of his impiety, Jeroboam besought the prophet's prayer. His request was acceded to, and the hand was restored to its healthy state.
And he gave a sign - A miracle to prove that the prophecy should be fulfilled in its season.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
Altar, altar. [The one] in Beis Eil and [the one] in Dan. 2 Alternatively, it is common to use repetition when summoning, i.e., “Avrohom, Avrohom [Bereishis:1],” etc.—Radak
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
17 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְנָתַן֩ | venatan | and he gave | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| בַּיּ֨וֹם | baiyom | on the day | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| הַה֤וּא | hahu' | <the> that | H1931 → | 1879 times |
| מוֹפֵת֙ | mofet | a sign | H4159 → | 36 times |
| לֵאמֹ֔ר | lemor | <to> saying | H559 → | 5305 times |
| זֶ֣ה | zeh | this | H2088 → | 1180 times |
| הַמּוֹפֵ֔ת | hamofet | [is] the sign | H4159 → | 36 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֖ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| דִּבֶּ֣ר | diber | he has spoken | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| יְהוָ֑ה | yahweh | Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| הִנֵּ֤ה | hineh | here! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙ | hamizbeach | the altar | H4196 → | 401 times |
| נִקְרָ֔ע | nikra' | [is] about to be torn apart | H7167 → | 63 times |
| וְנִשְׁפַּ֖ךְ | venishpakh | and it will be poured out | H8210 → | 114 times |
| הַדֶּ֥שֶׁן | hadeshen | the fatty ash | H1880 → | |
| אֲשֶׁר־ | ʾasher- | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| עָלָֽיו׃ | ʾalav | [is] on it | H5921 → | 5755 times |
וְנָתַן֩and he gave
venatanH5414 →2011 times
בַּיּ֨וֹםon the day
baiyomH3117 →2304 times
הַה֤וּא<the> that
hahu'H1931 →1879 times
מוֹפֵת֙a sign
mofetH4159 →36 times
לֵאמֹ֔ר<to> saying
lemorH559 →5305 times
זֶ֣הthis
zehH2088 →1180 times
הַמּוֹפֵ֔ת[is] the sign
hamofetH4159 →36 times
אֲשֶׁ֖רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
דִּבֶּ֣רhe has spoken
diberH1696 →1141 times
יְהוָ֑הYahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
הִנֵּ֤הhere!
hinehH2009 →843 times
הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙the altar
hamizbeachH4196 →401 times
נִקְרָ֔ע[is] about to be torn apart
nikra'H7167 →63 times
וְנִשְׁפַּ֖ךְand it will be poured out
venishpakhH8210 →114 times
הַדֶּ֥שֶׁןthe fatty ash
hadeshenH1880 →
אֲשֶׁר־which
ʾasher-H834 →5497 times
עָלָֽיו׃[is] on it
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Corinthians 1:22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
it leads to
- Mark 8:11
Then the Pharisees came and began to argue with Jesus, testing Him by demanding from Him a sign from heaven.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Matthew 16:1–4
Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.
- John 2:18
On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”
- Acts 17:18–21
Some Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also began to debate with him. Some of them asked, “What is this babbler trying to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating foreign gods.” They said this…
- Luke 11:16
And others tested Him by demanding a sign from heaven.
- Mark 8:11
Through
Judges 6:17Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
it leads to
- Psalms 86:17
Show me a sign of Your goodness, that my enemies may see and be ashamed; for You, O LORD, have helped me and comforted me.
- Exodus 33:13
Now if indeed I have found favor in Your sight, please let me know Your ways, that I may know You and find favor in Your sight. Remember that this nation is Your people.”
- Isaiah 7:11
“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
- Psalms 86:17
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.