Jeroboam's hand withers, 1-5, and at the prayer of the prophet is restored, 6. The prophet departs from Beth-el, 7-10. An old prophet brings him back, 11-19. He is reproved by God, 20-22, slain by a lion, 23-25, buried by the old prophet, 26-30, who confirms his prophecy, 31, 32. Jeroboam's obstinacy, 33, 34.
1 And behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD to Beth-el. And Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. 2 And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD and said, "O altar, altar, thus says the LORD: 'Behold, a child shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name, and upon you he shall offer the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you, and men's bones shall be burnt upon you.'" 3 And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "This is the sign which the LORD has spoken: 'Behold, the altar shall be rent and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.'" 4 And it came to pass when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God who had cried against the altar in Beth-el, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, "Lay hold upon him." And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up so that he could not draw it to him again. 5 The altar also was rent and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the LORD. 6 And the king answered and said to the man of God, "Entreat now the face of the LORD your God and pray for me so that my hand may be restored to me again." And the man of God implored the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him again and became as it was before. 7 And the king said to the man of God, "Come home with me and refresh yourself, and I will give you a reward." 8 And the man of God said to the king, "If you will give me half of your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place, 9 For thus it was charged me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn back by the same way that you came.'" 10 So he went another way and did not return by the way that he came to Beth-el.
11 Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el. And his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el. The words which he had spoken to the king, they also told them to their father. 12 And their father said to them, "Which way did he go?" For his sons had seen which way the man of God went who came from Judah. 13 And he said to his sons, "Saddle the donkey for me." So they saddled the donkey for him and he rode upon it. 14 And he went after the man of God and found him sitting under an oak. And he said to him, "Are you the man of God who came from Judah?" And he said, "I am." 15 Then he said to him, "Come home with me and eat bread." 16 And he said, "I may not return with you, nor go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, 17 For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, 'You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn back to go by the way that you came.'" 18 He said to him, "I am also a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, 'Bring him back with you into your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.'" But he lied to him. 19 So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.
20 And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came to the prophet who brought him back. 21 And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, saying, "Thus says the LORD: 'Because you have disobeyed the mouth of the LORD and have not kept the commandment which the LORD your God commanded you, 22 But have returned and have eaten bread and drank water in the place of which the LORD said to you, "Eat no bread and drink no water," your carcass shall not come to the sepulcher of your fathers.'" 23 And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread and after he had drank, that he saddled the donkey for him, namely, for the prophet whom he had brought back. 24 And when he had gone, a lion met him by the way and slew him. And his carcass was cast in the way, and the donkey stood by it. The lion also stood by the carcass. 25 And behold, men passed by and saw the carcass cast in the way and the lion standing by the carcass. And they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
26 And 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 word of the LORD. Therefore, the LORD has delivered him to the lion which has torn him and slain him, according to the word of the LORD which he spoke to him." 27 And he spoke to his sons, saying, "Saddle the donkey for me." And they saddled it for him. 28 And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the donkey and the lion standing by the carcass. The lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the donkey. 29 And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, laid it upon the donkey, and brought it back. And the old prophet came to the city to mourn and bury him. 30 And he laid his carcass in his own grave. And they mourned over him, saying, "Alas, my brother!" 31 And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke to his sons, saying, "When I am dead, bury me in the sepulcher in which the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones. 32 For the saying which he cried by the word of the LORD against the altar in Beth-el and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria shall surely come to pass."
33 After this thing Jeroboam did not return from his evil way, but again made of the lowest of the people priests of the high places. Whoever wanted, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. 34 And this thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off and to destroy it from the face of the earth.
Matthew Henry Commentary - 1st Kings, Chapter 13[➚]
[v.2] - "Josiah by name, and upon you he shall offer the priests of the high places who burn incense upon you" - Reference, 2nd Kings 23:15-16