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Behold, a man of God came out of Judah by the LORD’s word to Bethel; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense.
Verse 1. A man. Some suppose his name was Addo. 2 Chronicles 9:29. But this is quite uncertain.—Incense, or victims. Calmet.
He cried against the altar by the LORD’s word, and said, “Altar! Altar! The LORD says: ‘Behold, a son will be born to David’s house, Josiah by name. On you he will sacrifice the priests of the high places who burn incense on you, and they will burn men’s bones on you.’”
Verse 2. Altar, in which the prodigy was to take place, for the instruction of all. Menochius.—Name: 340 ( Calmet.) or 350 years after. Salien.—This prediction proves the truth of the religion; for, though the author of this book might have seen it verified, yet he would undoubtedly insert the very words of the prophet, which were known to all the people. 4 Kings 23:15. In this passage we do not read that Josias destroyed the priests. But verse 19 and 20, it is clearly insinuated. Calmet.—Who now. He will reduce their bones to ashes upon this altar; or, those who shall imitate these priests, shall be there burnt alive. Bible.
He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”
Verse 3. Sign. This would take place immediately, to convince the king that what he had said would be accomplished. So Moses and Achaz were treated. Exodus 3:2. 12. Isaiah 7:14. 16. Calmet.
When the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam put out his hand from the altar, saying, “Seize him!” His hand, which he put out against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back again to himself.
The altar was also split apart, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the LORD’s word.
The king answered the man of God, “Now intercede for the favor of the LORD your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.” The man of God interceded with the LORD, and the king’s hand was restored to him, and became as it was before.
Verse 6. Thy God. He does not say my, being conscious that he had abandoned his service. Menochius.—Before. We may be surprised that God thus heals a man, whose heart was not changed, verse 33. E.—But miracles do not always work a conversion. Pharao, Saul, and Achaz beheld the in vain: only one of the ten lepers returned to give thanks. Lu. 17:17. This miracle rendered Jeroboam still more inexcusable. Calmet.
The king said to the man of God, “Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward.”
The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
Verse 8. With thee. He considers the king as one excommunicated, the he must thus be induced to repent. Salien.
for so was it commanded me by the LORD’s word, saying, ‘You shall eat no bread, drink no water, and don’t return by the way that you came.’”
So he went another way, and didn’t return by the way that he came to Bethel.
Verse 10. Bethel, which was defiled. 1 Kennicott. 21:5. God would thus caution us to keep at the greatest distance ( Tirinus.) possible from evil company, ( Bible.) and from whatever may lead to sin. Menochius.—Besides the literal sense, Sanchez believes that the prophet was thus admonished to comply exactly with his injunctions, and to leave nothing unfinished; as God says, by the way that he came, he shall return, (Isaiah 37:34) to denote that Sennacherib’s attempts should be frustrated. Calmet.
Now an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.
Verse 11. Bethel, originally ( Bible.) from Samaria. 4 Kennicott. 23:18. Menochius.—Josias would have burnt his bones, like those of the false prophets, if they had not be blended with those of the man of God. Calmet.
Their father said to them, “Which way did he go?” Now his sons had seen which way the man of God went, who came from Judah.
He said to his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” So they saddled the donkey for him; and he rode on it.
He went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak. He said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” He said, “I am.”
Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.”
He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
For it was said to me by the LORD’s word, ‘You shall eat no bread or drink water there, and don’t turn again to go by the way that you came.’”
He said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the LORD’s word, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’” He lied to him.
Verse 18. An angel spoke to me, and so forth This old man of Bethel was indeed a prophet, but he sinned in thus deceiving the man of God; the more, because he pretended a revelation for what he did; ( Challoner. Worthington.) though he did it with a good intention, and supposed that the prophet had only been forbidden to eat with Jeroboam and his followers. Theod. q. 42.—This lie might cause him to be styled, “a false prophet,” by Josephus. Abulensis thinks he was a wicked man, like Balaam; and many suppose that he was the chief instrument in deluding the king. Josep. Saint Gregory and so forth—After the man of God had been torn to pieces, he might easily persuade the people that he was only an impostor, and that the pretended miracles were merely the effects of natural causes. It is not certain that this man was inspired by God, verse 20.—Deceived. Hebrew “he lied unto him, ( Calmet.) and thus caused him to transgress. Worthington.
So he went back with him, ate bread in his house, and drank water.
As they sat at the table, the LORD’s word came to the prophet who brought him back;
Verse 20. Table. After this the Masorets place a piska, or circle, to denote some omission, which the Syriac version alone supplies; “and did eat.” Kenn.—Back. Some translate, “whom he had brought back.” Junius, Syr. and so forth—This would destroy the principal proof of those who esteem the man of Bethel to have been a true prophet. Calmet.—Prot. agree with us; and the context seems to assert, that God addressed his servant by another’s mouth. Bible.
and he cried out to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, “The LORD says, ‘Because you have been disobedient to the LORD’s word, and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you,
but came back, and have eaten bread and drank water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread, and drink no water,” your body will not come to the tomb of your fathers.’”
Verse 22. Fathers. This was a great punishment for the Hebrews. Genesis 49:29.
After he had eaten bread and after he drank, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back.
Verse 23. For. Some Latin MSS. read propheta, as if the prophet saddled his own ass. But he probably came on foot, and the man of Bethel lent him one. Calmet.
When he had gone, a lion met him by the way and killed him. His body was thrown on the path, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the body.
Verse 24. Killed him. Thus the Lord often punishes his servants here, that he may spare them hereafter. For the generality of divines[theologians] are of opinion, that the sin of this prophet, considered with all its circumstances, was not mortal. Challoner.—He had received a positive order, and ought to have tried spirits, whether they were from God. 1 John 4:1. Galatians 6:18. Every prophecy which contradicts the word of God, comes from an evil principle. Calmet.—The prophet might suppose, however, that some cause had intervened, which authorized him to eat with this his brother, (verse 30.) whom he probably revered as a true prophet. Many of God’s commands are conditional. Bible.—Serenus observes, that God often inflicts death for the smallest faults. Cassian vii. 26. Saint Gregory Dial. iv. 24.—Saint Augustine (cura, chapter 7.) doubts not of the prophet’s salvation.—Body, without even hurting the ass, ver. 28. Bible.—God protected the relics of his servant, by stationing the lion for a guard. Procop. Menochius.—How impenetrable are the counsels of God! He suffers Jeroboam, and the prophet who had seduced his servant, to live; while he punishes the latter for a fault which he had committed undesignedly. But he thus purified him from guilt, ( Calmet.) while he reserved Jeroboam for more lasting torments in another world. Bible.—Nothing could prove more forcibly the existence of future rewards and punishments. Calmet.—Not only the deceiver, but he also who is deceived, so as to transgress God’s orders, must be punished. Worthington.
Behold, men passed by and saw the body thrown on the path, and the lion standing by the body; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet lived.
When the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, “It is the man of God who was disobedient to the LORD’s word. Therefore the LORD has delivered him to the lion, which has mauled him and slain him, according to the LORD’s word which he spoke to him.”
He said to his sons, saying, “Saddle the donkey for me,” and they saddled it.
He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body nor mauled the donkey.
The prophet took up the body of the man of God, and laid it on the donkey, and brought it back. He came to the city of the old prophet to mourn, and to bury him.
He laid his body in his own grave; and they mourned over him, saying, “Alas, my brother!”
Verse 30. Brother. Such titles were customary. Jeremiah 22:18. Menochius.
After he had buried him, he spoke to his sons, saying, “When I am dead, bury me in the tomb in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones.
Verse 31. Bones. Septuagint add, “that my bones may be saved along with his.” The conduct and faith of this man would lead us to conclude that he had done wrong, without any malicious design, verse 18. Bible.
For the saying which he cried by the LORD’s word against the altar in Bethel, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, will surely happen.”
Verse 32. Samaria. The city was built by Amri, fifty years after the death of Jeroboam. Calmet. 16:24. But the sacred writer speaks of places by the names which they bore in his time. Calmet.—If this man was a prophet, he might easily mention Samaria, which would give its name to the kingdom of Israel. There was also probably a village of this name long before, on the mountain Samir, where one of the judges was buried. Judges 10:2. Bible.
After this thing, Jeroboam didn’t turn from his evil way, but again made priests of the high places from among all the people. Whoever wanted to, he consecrated him, that there might be priests of the high places.
Verse 33. Way. Every thing promotes the salvation of the just, while the wicked pervert the most gracious designs of Providence to their own ruin. The king concluded that the prediction deserved no regard, verse 18. Calmet.—Meanest. Calmet. 12:31. Thus he wished to eradicate all sense of religion. Bible.—His, suam, “own.” Any person who brought the oil and the necessary victims, might assume the office of priest. See Exodus 28:41. Bible.
This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from off the surface of the earth.
Verse 34. Earth. Hebrew “to destroy it from the face of the earth.” The Vulg. insinuates that it had taken place before the author wrote. In the third year of Asa, 22 years after this revolt, Bansa slew the whole family. Calmet. 15:29.