1 Kings 13:3 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.
1 Kings 13:3 nkjv
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out."
1 Kings 13:3 niv
That same day the man of God gave a sign: "This is the sign the LORD has declared: The altar will be split apart and the ashes on it will be poured out."
1 Kings 13:3 esv
And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign that the LORD has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are on it shall be poured out.'"
1 Kings 13:3 nlt
That 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."
1 Kings 13 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prophetic Signs & Authority | ||
| Exo 4:8 | "If they will not believe you... or heed the first sign..." | Signs confirm a prophet's divine sending. |
| Deut 13:1-5 | "If a prophet... gives you a sign... saying, 'Let us follow other gods'..." | Testing a prophet's authenticity by the sign. |
| Isa 7:14 | "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin..." | God gives signs to confirm His word. |
| Isa 38:7-8 | "This is the sign to you from the Lord... that the Lord will heal you..." | Hezekiah's sign for healing confirmation. |
| Acts 2:22 | "Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works..." | Jesus' signs affirmed His divine authority. |
| 2 Cor 12:12 | "The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost..." | Signs validating apostleship. |
| Judgment on Idolatry & False Worship | ||
| Exo 34:13 | "You shall break down their altars and break their pillars..." | God commands destruction of pagan altars. |
| Deut 7:25 | "You shall burn the carved images of their gods with fire." | Prohibition against idols and their altars. |
| Judg 6:25-27 | "Tear down the altar of Baal that your father has and cut down..." | Gideon commanded to destroy idolatrous altars. |
| Hos 8:5-6 | "Your calf is cast off... for from Israel comes this too; a craftsman made it..." | Condemnation of calf worship in Samaria. |
| Hos 10:8 | "The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed..." | Judgment specifically on Bethel's idolatry. |
| Isa 42:17 | "They are turned back and utterly put to shame, who trust in carved images." | Shame for those trusting in idols. |
| Jer 2:27-28 | "Where are your gods that you made for yourselves? Let them arise..." | Futility and destruction of idols. |
| Fulfillment & God's Enduring Word | ||
| 2 Ki 23:15-20 | "Moreover, the altar at Bethel, the high place erected by Jeroboam...he pulled down..." | Exact fulfillment by Josiah centuries later. |
| 1 Ki 12:26-33 | (Context of Jeroboam establishing the altars) | Original sin of Jeroboam's false altars. |
| 1 Ki 14:7-11 | "I cut Israel away from the house of David and made you king...but you have done evil..." | God's condemnation of Jeroboam's apostasy. |
| Jer 1:10 | "See, I have set you this day over nations... to pluck up and to break down..." | God empowers prophets to execute judgment. |
| Isa 55:11 | "So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return..." | God's word always accomplishes its purpose. |
| Ezek 12:25 | "For I the Lord will speak, and the word that I speak will be performed..." | God's word is faithful and swift in fulfillment. |
| Matt 5:18 | "For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota..." | The enduring nature and fulfillment of God's Word. |
| Rev 11:3, 6 | (The two witnesses perform signs and plagues) | Prophetic authority accompanied by signs. |
| Heb 4:12 | "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword..." | The power and effectiveness of God's word. |
1 Kings 13 verses
1 Kings 13 3 Meaning
1 Kings 13:3 details the immediate, physical sign that the man of God provided to validate his prophecy against Jeroboam's altar at Bethel. This verse highlights the swift, supernatural judgment of God: the altar, central to Jeroboam's unauthorized worship, would be split open, and the ashes from its idolatrous sacrifices would be scattered. This served as undeniable evidence of God's authority, condemnation of false worship, and confirmation that the prophecy against Jeroboam's apostasy originated directly from the Lord.
1 Kings 13 3 Context
Chapter 13 of 1 Kings immediately follows Jeroboam's establishment of unauthorized worship centers at Bethel and Dan, complete with golden calves and a non-Levitical priesthood (1 Ki 12:26-33). This move was a deliberate religious and political innovation designed to prevent the northern tribes from returning to Jerusalem for worship, thus solidifying his kingdom. In this context, God dispatches an unnamed man of God from Judah to confront King Jeroboam at the very altar in Bethel as he burns incense. The prophet's message is a direct condemnation of the altar and foretells its future destruction and desecration by a king named Josiah. Verse 3 serves as the immediate, irrefutable sign that validates this prophetic word. This entire narrative underscores the profound division between the Northern and Southern Kingdoms and God's unwavering stance against Jeroboam's spiritual rebellion and idolatry.
1 Kings 13 3 Word analysis
And he gave a sign: The 'he' refers to the man of God, acting as God's emissary. "Sign" (Hebrew: מוֹפֵת, mopheth) denotes a wonder, token, or miracle that authenticates a prophet's divine message, proving it's from God, not from human initiative. It implies immediate, tangible evidence.
the same day: This phrase emphasizes the immediacy and speed of God's confirmation. There was no delay, providing instant verification of the prophetic word. It leaves no room for doubt or questioning the timing or origin.
saying, 'This is the sign that the Lord has spoken: This declaration clarifies that the forthcoming event is precisely the predicted sign, directly attributed to God's verbal command. The man of God serves as a mouthpiece; the authority resides entirely with Yahweh, not the prophet himself. This refutes any claim of the sign being mere coincidence or a human feat.
Behold: (Hebrew: הִנֵּה, hinneh) An emphatic interjection or exclamation, meaning "Look!" or "Indeed!" It draws immediate and urgent attention to what is about to follow, emphasizing the significance and dramatic nature of the event.
the altar shall be torn down: "The altar" specifically refers to Jeroboam's altar at Bethel, the symbol of his religious rebellion and idolatry. "Torn down" (Hebrew: נִבְקַע, nivqa') comes from the root בָּקַע (baqa'), meaning "to cleave," "split open," or "burst apart." This suggests a violent, supernatural rending, not a gradual crumbling, indicating divine intervention and destruction.
and the ashes: (Hebrew: דָּשֶׁן, deshen) These were the rich, fatty ashes and residue of animal sacrifices. In a cultic context, the ashes represented the consumption and outcome of the offerings. Here, they are from illegitimate, idolatrous sacrifices.
that are on it: Indicates the altar was in active use and defiled with ongoing forbidden rituals. The ashes represented the accumulated desecration.
shall be poured out: (Hebrew: נִשְׁפַּךְ, nishpakh) From the root שָׁפַךְ (shapakh), meaning "to pour," "spill," or "shed." The act of pouring out the sacred ashes from an altar constitutes an act of public desecration and defilement, stripping the altar of its (false) holiness and showing contempt for the offerings made there.
Words-group analysis:
- "And he gave a sign...that the Lord has spoken": This emphasizes the prophet's role as a divine messenger. The sign itself is not his own power but God's tangible manifestation to affirm His own spoken word, thus establishing the divine legitimacy and inescapable nature of the prophecy against Jeroboam.
- "Behold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes...shall be poured out": This phrase succinctly and graphically describes the twin aspects of the altar's humiliation: its physical destruction and the desecration of its offerings. This is a comprehensive act of divine judgment against Jeroboam's false religion, targeting both its physical symbol and the purported efficacy of its rituals.
1 Kings 13 3 Bonus section
- The immediate physical damage to the altar foreshadowed not only its future complete destruction but also the impending collapse of Jeroboam's dynasty, directly tied to his religious rebellion. God's judgment starts with the instrument of sin.
- The selection of Bethel, a place rich with biblical history (Abraham building an altar, Jacob's dream), for this public judgment, added significant irony and reinforced the message of covenant defilement. It turned a place of holy encounter into a site of public desecration.
- This instantaneous sign also served as a mercy, offering Jeroboam and the people present an immediate opportunity for repentance before further, more devastating judgment. Their subsequent lack of full repentance emphasizes the hardness of their hearts.
1 Kings 13 3 Commentary
1 Kings 13:3 provides immediate divine authentication for the prophetic word, validating the man of God's message of judgment against Jeroboam's apostasy. The physical splitting of the altar and scattering of its defiled ashes were not mere coincidences but an instant, visible miracle testifying to God's sovereign contempt for Jeroboam's idolatry. This rapid fulfillment served to remove any doubt about the message's divine origin and the true God's absolute authority over false worship. It highlighted God's specific judgment on Bethel, which was meant to be the "House of God" but had become a center of rebellion. This initial, swift action serves as a prelude to the future, more complete fulfillment hundreds of years later by King Josiah (2 Ki 23:15-20), powerfully demonstrating God's long memory and unfailing precision in fulfilling His Word.