1 Kings 13 33

1 Kings 13:33 kjv

After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

1 Kings 13:33 nkjv

After this event Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but again he made priests from every class of people for the high places; whoever wished, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places.

1 Kings 13:33 niv

Even after this, Jeroboam did not change his evil ways, but once more appointed priests for the high places from all sorts of people. Anyone who wanted to become a priest he consecrated for the high places.

1 Kings 13:33 esv

After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests for the high places again from among all the people. Any who would, he ordained to be priests of the high places.

1 Kings 13:33 nlt

But even after this, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways. He continued to choose priests from the common people. He appointed anyone who wanted to become a priest for the pagan shrines.

1 Kings 13 verses

1 Kings 13 33 Meaning

After being directly confronted by God through a prophet, Jeroboam stubbornly refused to abandon his sinful religious innovations. Instead, he continued to appoint priests for his unauthorized worship centers on the high places from any and all individuals, regardless of their lineage or divine qualification, thereby fully establishing and entrenching a corrupted priesthood contrary to God's law.

1 Kings 13 33 Context

Following the division of the kingdom, Jeroboam, as the new king of the northern ten tribes of Israel, established two idolatrous worship centers at Bethel and Dan, installing golden calves to prevent his people from returning to Jerusalem for worship and thereby solidifying his political rule (1 Kgs 12:26-30). This was a direct violation of God's law. In 1 Kings chapter 13, a prophet (the "man of God") directly confronts Jeroboam at Bethel, condemning his altar and predicting its desecration. A miraculous sign occurs: the altar splits, and Jeroboam's hand, stretched out to seize the prophet, instantly withers. Though Jeroboam's hand is restored at the prophet's prayer, his repentance is clearly superficial and politically motivated, not genuinely turning back to the Lord. Verse 33 reveals that despite this profound supernatural encounter and divine warning, Jeroboam's heart remained unrepentant, solidifying his dangerous rebellion by persisting in his established system of false worship.

1 Kings 13 33 Word analysis

• After this thing (אַחַר הַדָּבָר הַזֶּה, akhar ha-davar ha-zeh): Directly connects Jeroboam's persistent disobedience to the recent prophetic encounter, the altar's splitting, and the miraculous restoration of his hand. It signifies that he learned nothing from God's explicit warning and judgment.
• Jeroboam did not turn (לֹא-שָׁב יָרָבְעָם, lo-shav yarov‘am): "Turn" (שׁוּב, shuv) here signifies repentance, a returning from a wrong path to God's ways. The phrase emphasizes Jeroboam's willful and unrepentant posture despite direct divine intervention and consequences. His action was a stubborn rejection of repentance.
• from his evil way (מִדַּרְכּוֹ הָרָעָה, mi-derekho ha-ra‘ah): His "evil way" (דֶּרֶךְ רָעָה, derek ra‘ah) primarily refers to his religious policy of setting up calves and false altars, appointing unauthorized priests, and changing God's appointed feast times (1 Kgs 12:28-32). It was an institutionalized wickedness, deeply entrenched and against divine command, rather than merely a personal moral lapse.
• but again made priests (וַיָּשָׁב וַיַּעַשׂ כֹּהֲנֵי, va-yashav va-ya'as kohanei): "Again made" highlights the repeated and persistent nature of his actions. This wasn't a momentary lapse but an ongoing, determined program of disobedience.
• of the lowest of the people (מִקְצוֹת הָעָם, mi-q'tzot ha-'am): Literally "from the ends/extremities of the people." This implies not from the specific tribe of Levi or those divinely consecrated, but from any willing individual. It signifies a degradation of the priestly office, suggesting a lack of qualification, honor, or legitimate divine calling. These were individuals chosen by man's will, not God's.
• for the high places (לַבָּמוֹת, la-bamot): These were elevated worship sites, which while used in early Israelite history before a central sanctuary, became illegitimate and often associated with idolatry after God commanded centralized worship in Jerusalem (Deut 12). Jeroboam's continued use of them for the golden calf worship cemented their status as centers of spiritual apostasy.
• whoever desired it (הֶחָפֵץ בּוֹ, hechafetz bo): Emphasizes human will, personal preference, and ambition as the sole qualification for priesthood, directly contrary to God's divine election and the specific requirements for the Levitical priesthood. It signals a move from divinely-appointed sacred duty to a voluntary human occupation.
• he consecrated him (יְמַלֵּא אֶת-יָדוֹ, y'malle et-yado): Literally, "filled his hand." This phrase is the standard Hebrew idiom for priestly ordination or consecration (e.g., Ex 28:41, Lev 8:33). By using this term for Jeroboam's illicit appointments, the text highlights that Jeroboam was presumptuously mimicking God's true ordination process, creating a blasphemous, illegitimate "priesthood."
• and he became one of the priests of the high places (וַיְהִי מִכֹּהֲנֵי הַבָּמוֹת, va-y'hi mi-kohanei ha-bamot): The result of Jeroboam's actions – an entire class of priests who served illegitimate worship sites, furthering the spiritual corruption of the northern kingdom.

1 Kings 13 33 Bonus section

• Jeroboam's Legacy: The phrase "the sin of Jeroboam" becomes a recurring motif throughout the books of Kings, repeatedly invoked as the standard for apostasy against which later Northern Kings are measured (e.g., 1 Kgs 15:34, 1 Kgs 16:2, 16:26, 22:52, 2 Kgs 3:3, 10:29, 13:2, 14:24, 15:9, 15:18, 15:24, 15:28, 17:21). This verse is pivotal in establishing that enduring wicked legacy.
• Contrast with True Priesthood: This verse powerfully contrasts Jeroboam's human-devised religious order with God's divinely appointed priesthood (Levitical, Aaronic lineage). The true priesthood was based on God's sovereign choice, strict lineage, careful consecration, and defined duties for the holy sanctuary, whereas Jeroboam's was based on political expediency and human desire.
• Warning Against Will-Worship: Jeroboam's actions exemplify "will-worship" or "self-made religion," where humanity determines the terms of their approach to God, rather than submitting to God's revealed will (cf. Col 2:23). This principle remains a timeless spiritual danger.

1 Kings 13 33 Commentary

1 Kings 13:33 tragically underlines Jeroboam's profound spiritual hardening. Despite a miraculous encounter where a prophet directly confronted his apostasy, an immediate divine judgment (withered hand), and an unmerited restoration, Jeroboam refused to repent. His persistence in "his evil way" demonstrates that his earlier response to the prophet was superficial and self-serving, rather than true contrition. He did not reform the core issues of his reign—the unauthorized places of worship (high places) and the corrupted, self-appointed priesthood. The choice of "the lowest of the people" implies not only a lack of qualification by birth (Levitical lineage) but potentially a recruitment of those eager for power or income, without spiritual fitness. By consecrating (literally "filling the hand" of) these unqualified individuals, Jeroboam was arrogating divine authority, establishing a counterfeit religious system directly opposed to God's clear instructions regarding His priesthood and worship. This systemic disobedience rooted deeply within the fabric of Israelite society and cemented Jeroboam's "sin" as the lasting spiritual blight for which the Northern Kingdom was ultimately judged. The verse serves as a powerful warning against rejecting divine correction and the dangers of allowing political expediency or personal will to override God's clear commands concerning worship.