1 Kings 13:11 Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

◄ 1 Kings 13:11 ►

New International Version
Now there was a certain old prophet living in Bethel, whose sons came and told him all that the man of God had done there that day. They also told their father what he had said to the king.

New Living Translation
As it happened, there was an old prophet living in Bethel, and his sons came home and told him what the man of God had done in Bethel that day. They also told their father what the man had said to the king.

English Standard Version
Now an old prophet lived in Bethel. And his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told to their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

Berean Standard Bible
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

King James Bible
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they told also to their father.

New King James Version
Now an old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and 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.

New American Standard Bible
Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they reported to their father.

NASB 1995
Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.

NASB 1977
Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the deeds which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they related to their father.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now an old prophet was living in Bethel; and his sons came and recounted to him all the work which the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words which he had spoken to the king, these also they recounted to their father.

Amplified Bible
Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel; and his sons came and told him everything 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.

Christian Standard Bible
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel. His son came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel. His son came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. His sons also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

American Standard Version
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of 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 unto the king, them also they told unto their father.

Contemporary English Version
At that time an old prophet lived in Bethel, and one of his sons told him what the prophet from Judah had said and done.

English Revised Version
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of 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 unto the king, them also they told unto their father.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
An old prophet was living in Bethel. His sons told him everything the man of God did in Bethel that day and the exact words he had spoken to the king. When they told their father,

Good News Translation
At that time there was an old prophet living in Bethel. His sons came and told him what the prophet from Judah had done in Bethel that day and what he had said to King Jeroboam.

International Standard Version
Now there was an old prophet who lived in Bethel, and his sons went to him and told him everything that the man of God had accomplished that day in Bethel, including the message that he had delivered to the king.

Majority Standard Bible
Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king.

NET Bible
Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. When his sons came home, they told their father everything the prophet had done in Bethel that day and all the words he had spoken to the king.

New Heart English Bible
Now there lived an old prophet 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. And they also told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

Webster's Bible Translation
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, them they told also to their father.

World English Bible
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.

Literal Translations

Literal Standard Version
And a certain aged prophet is dwelling in Beth-El, and his son comes and recounts to him every deed that the man of God has done today in Beth-El, the words that he has spoken to the king—indeed, they recount them to their father.

Young's Literal Translation
And a certain aged prophet is dwelling in Beth-El, and his son cometh and recounteth to him all the deed that the man of God hath done to-day in Beth-El, the words that he hath spoken unto the king, -- yea, they recount them to their father.

Smith's Literal Translation
And one prophet, an old man, dwelt in the house of God; and his sons will come and relate to him all the work which the man of God did that day in the house of God: the words which he spake to the king, and they will relate them to their father.

Catholic Translations

Douay-Rheims Bible
Now a certain old prophet dwelt in Bethel, and his sons came to him and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: and they told their father the words which he had spoken to the king.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now a certain elderly prophet was living in Bethel. His sons went to him, and they described to him all the works which the man of God had accomplished on that day in Bethel. And they described to their father the words that he had spoken to the king.

New American Bible
There was an old prophet living in Bethel, whose son came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. When his sons repeated to their father the words the man of God had spoken to the king,

New Revised Standard Version
Now there lived an old prophet in Bethel. One of his sons came and told him all that the man of God had done that day in Bethel; the words also that he had spoken to the king, they told to their father.

Translations from Aramaic

Lamsa Bible
- - -

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
One old Prophet was dwelling in Bayth Eil and his sons came and they related to him all the works that the Prophet of God did on that day in Bayth Eil, and his sons related to their father the word that he spoke to the King.

OT Translations

JPS Tanakh 1917
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el, and the words which he had spoken unto the king, and they told them unto their father.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And there dwelt an old prophet in Baethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God did on that day in Baethel, and the words which he spoke to the king: and they turned the face of their father.

Additional Translations ...

Audio Bible

Context

The Old Prophet and the Man of God
11Now a certain old prophet was living in Bethel, and his sons came and told him all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel. They also told their father the words that the man had spoken to the king. 12“Which way did he go?” their father asked. And his sons showed him the way taken by the man of God, who had come from Judah.…

Berean Standard Bible · Download

Cross References

2 Kings 23:17-18
Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.” / “Let him rest,” said Josiah. “Do not let anyone disturb his bones.” So they left his bones undisturbed, along with those of the prophet who had come from Samaria.

2 Kings 23:15-16
He even pulled down the altar at Bethel, the high place set up by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin. Then he burned the high place, ground it to powder, and burned the Asherah pole. / And as Josiah turned, he saw the tombs there on the hillside, and he sent someone to take the bones out of the tombs, and he burned them on the altar to defile it, according to the word of the LORD proclaimed by the man of God who had foretold these things.

2 Kings 23:19-20
Just as Josiah had done at Bethel, so also in the cities of Samaria he removed all the shrines of the high places set up by the kings of Israel who had provoked the LORD to anger. / On the altars he slaughtered all the priests of the high places, and he burned human bones on them. Then he returned to Jerusalem.

2 Kings 23:14
He smashed the sacred pillars to pieces, cut down the Asherah poles, and covered the sites with human bones.

2 Kings 23:13
The king also desecrated the high places east of Jerusalem, to the south of the Mount of Corruption, which King Solomon of Israel had built for Ashtoreth the abomination of the Sidonians, for Chemosh the abomination of the Moabites, and for Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites.

2 Kings 23:12
He pulled down the altars that the kings of Judah had set up on the roof near the upper chamber of Ahaz, and the altars that Manasseh had set up in the two courtyards of the house of the LORD. The king pulverized them there and threw their dust into the Kidron Valley.

2 Kings 23:10
He also desecrated Topheth in the Valley of Ben-hinnom so that no one could sacrifice his son or daughter in the fire to Molech.

2 Kings 23:8
Then Josiah brought all the priests from the cities of Judah and desecrated the high places, from Geba to Beersheba, where the priests had burned incense. He tore down the high places of the gates at the entrance of the gate of Joshua the governor of the city, which was to the left of the city gate.

2 Kings 23:5
Josiah also did away with the idolatrous priests ordained by the kings of Judah to burn incense on the high places of the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem—those who had burned incense to Baal, to the sun and moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.

2 Kings 23:4
Then the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests second in rank, and the doorkeepers to remove from the temple of the LORD all the articles made for Baal, Asherah, and all the host of heaven. And he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron and carried their ashes to Bethel.

2 Kings 23:3
So the king stood by the pillar and made a covenant before the LORD to follow the LORD and to keep His commandments, decrees, and statutes with all his heart and all his soul, and to carry out the words of the covenant that were written in this book. And all the people entered into the covenant.

2 Kings 23:2
And he went up to the house of the LORD with all the people of Judah and Jerusalem, as well as the priests and the prophets—all the people small and great—and in their hearing he read all the words of the Book of the Covenant that had been found in the house of the LORD.

2 Kings 23:1
Then the king summoned all the elders of Judah and Jerusalem.

2 Kings 22:20
‘Therefore I will indeed gather you to your fathers, and you will be gathered to your grave in peace. Your eyes will not see all the calamity that I will bring on this place.’” So they brought her answer back to the king.

2 Kings 22:19
because your heart was tender and you humbled yourself before the LORD when you heard what I spoke against this place and against its people, that they would become a desolation and a curse, and because you have torn your clothes and wept before Me, I have heard you,’ declares the LORD.

Treasury of Scripture

Now there dwelled an old prophet in Bethel; and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken to the king, them they told also to their father.

an old prophet

1 Kings 13:20,21
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of the LORD came unto the prophet that brought him back: …

Numbers 23:4,5
And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram…

Numbers 24:2
And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel abiding in his tents according to their tribes; and the spirit of God came upon him.

sons [heb] son

1 Timothy 3:5
(For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?)

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1 Kings 13

1. Jeroboam's hand withers
6. and at the prayer of the prophet is restored
7. The prophet departs from Bethel
11. An old prophet brings him back
20. He is reproved by God
23. slain by a lion
26. buried by the old prophet
31. who confirms the prophecy
33. Jeroboam's obstinacy

Berean Study Bible

Now an old prophet
The phrase introduces a character who plays a pivotal role in the unfolding narrative. The Hebrew word for "prophet" is "navi," which denotes someone who is a spokesperson for God. The term "old" suggests experience and possibly wisdom, but as the account unfolds, it also hints at a potential for complacency or compromise. In the context of Israel's divided kingdom, prophets were crucial in guiding the people back to God, yet this prophet's actions reveal the complexity of human motives and the danger of straying from divine truth.

was living in Bethel
Bethel, meaning "House of God," was a significant location in Israel's history, originally a place of worship established by Jacob (Genesis 28:19). However, by the time of 1 Kings, it had become a center of idolatry under King Jeroboam, who set up golden calves there (1 Kings 12:28-29). The presence of a prophet in such a place underscores the tension between true worship and idolatry, highlighting the challenges faced by those called to speak God's truth in a compromised environment.

and his sons came and told him
The involvement of the prophet's sons suggests a family dynamic that is integral to the narrative. In ancient Israel, family was the primary unit of social and religious life. The sons' role as informants indicates their awareness of the spiritual events occurring around them, yet it also raises questions about their spiritual discernment and the influence of their father. This detail invites reflection on the importance of spiritual legacy and the responsibility of passing down faith and truth to the next generation.

all the deeds that the man of God had done that day in Bethel
The "man of God" is a term used to describe a true prophet, one who acts under divine authority. His deeds in Bethel were acts of obedience to God's command, serving as a direct challenge to the idolatrous practices established by Jeroboam. This highlights the theme of divine intervention and the power of God's word to confront and call for repentance. The phrase emphasizes the importance of faithful action in the face of widespread apostasy.

They also told their father the words that he had spoken to the king
The words spoken to the king were a prophetic message of judgment, a common role of prophets in the Old Testament. This detail underscores the authority and courage required to deliver God's message to those in power, regardless of the personal cost. It also reflects the biblical principle that God's word is not bound by human authority and will accomplish its purpose (Isaiah 55:11). The sons' report to their father sets the stage for the ensuing events, highlighting the ripple effect of prophetic ministry and the responsibility of those who hear God's word to respond appropriately.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(11) An old prophet in Bethel.--The narrative clearly implies--and, indeed, part of its most striking instructiveness depends on this--that this old prophet was not a mere pretender to prophetic inspiration, nor an apostate from the worship of Jehovah. Like Balaam, he united true prophetic gifts with a low worldliness of temper, capable on occasion of base subterfuge and deceit. Such union of elements, which should be utterly discordant, is only too characteristic of man's self-contradictory nature. He had thrown in his lot with Jeroboam's policy, which did not want plausible grounds of defence: in spite of this adhesion, he desired to continue still a prophet of the Lord, and to support the king's action by prophetic influence. It has been noticed that, after the maintenance of the idolatry of Beth-el, even the true prophets did not break off their ministry to the kingdom of Israel, and that, indeed, they never appeared in open hostility to that kingdom, till the introduction of Baal worship. But their case is altogether different from that of the old prophet. He deliberately supports the idolatry, and that by the worst of falsehoods--a falsehood in the name of God. They rebuke the sin (see 1Kings 14:9), but do not forsake their ministry to the sinner.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 11. - Now there dwelt an old prophet [Heb. a certain (lit. one) old prophet. For this use of אֶחָד ( = τις) cf. 1 Kings 20:13; 1 Kings 19:4] at Bethel [It is at first somewhat surprising to find one of the prophetic order residing here, at the very seat and stronghold of the apostasy, especially after what we read in 2 Chronicles 11:13-16, that the priests and Levites, and it would seem all devout worshippers of the Lord God of Israel, had left the country, and had gone over to Rehoboam. For we cannot suppose that a sense of duty had kept this prophet at his post (see note on ver. 1). The fact that he remained, not only in the kingdom, but at its ecclesiastical capital; that he stood by without protest when the schism was being effected, and that, though not present himself at the sacrifice, he permitted his sons to be there, is a sufficient index to his character. It is quite possible that strong political sympathies had warped his judgment, and that he had persuaded himself that the policy of Jeroboam was necessitated by the division of the kingdom, which he knew to be from the Lord, and which one of his own order had foretold. Or it may be that, despite his better judgment, he had gone with his tribe and the majority of the nation, and now felt it difficult to withdraw from a false position. Or, finally, he may have taken the side of Jeroboam because of the greater honours and rewards that prince had to bestow (see on ver. 18). There is a striking similarity between his position and action and that of Balaam]; and his sons [The Heb. has son; The LXX., Syr., and Vulg., sons. It is quite true that a "very slight change in the Hebrew text would bring it into accordance with the Septuagint here" (Rawlinson, similarly Ewald), but it would be against sound principles of textual criticism to make it. It is much more likely that the LXX. and other versions have been altered already, and that the plural has been introduced here because it is uniformly found in the later narrative. "His son" (בִּנו), as the lectio ardua, is therefore to he retained. The use of the singular indicates that one of them was at first the principal speaker. Perhaps one hastened home with the news before the rest. The sons of the prophet are not to be confounded with "the sons (i.e., disciples) of the prophets" (2 Kings 2:3, 4, passim); not merely because "the latter would scarcely have witnessed the golden calf worship" (Bahr), but also because they would have been differently designated] came and told him all the works [Heb. work] that the man of God had done that day in Bethel: the words which he had spoken unto the king, them they [observe the plural] told also to their father. [It is quite clear that the virtual excommunication which the man of God had pronounced had made as great an impression as the signs which he had showed. The interdict was a matter which came home to the Bethelites, as an affront to the whole community.]

Parallel Commentaries ...

Hebrew

Now a certain
אֶחָד֙ (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

old
זָקֵ֔ן (zā·qên)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 2205: Old

prophet
וְנָבִ֤יא (wə·nā·ḇî)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5030: A spokesman, speaker, prophet

was living
יֹשֵׁ֖ב (yō·šêḇ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3427: To sit down, to dwell, to remain, to settle, to marry

in Bethel,
אֵ֑ל (’êl)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1008: Bethel -- 'house of God', a city in Ephraim, also a place in southern Judah

and his sons
בְנ֡וֹ (ḇə·nōw)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1121: A son

came
וַיָּב֣וֹא (way·yā·ḇō·w)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go

and told
וַיְסַפֶּר־ (way·sap·per-)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

him all
כָּל־ (kāl-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3605: The whole, all, any, every

the deeds
הַמַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה (ham·ma·‘ă·śeh)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4639: An action, a transaction, activity, a product, property

that
אֲשֶׁר־ (’ă·šer-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

the man
אִישׁ־ (’îš-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

of God
הָאֱלֹהִ֨ים ׀ (hā·’ĕ·lō·hîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 430: gods -- the supreme God, magistrates, a superlative

had done
עָשָׂה֩ (‘ā·śāh)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

that day
הַיּ֜וֹם (hay·yō·wm)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3117: A day

in Bethel.
אֵ֗ל (’êl)
Preposition | Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 1008: Bethel -- 'house of God', a city in Ephraim, also a place in southern Judah

They also told
וַֽיְסַפְּר֖וּם (way·sap·pə·rūm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Piel - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine plural
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

their father
לַאֲבִיהֶֽם׃ (la·’ă·ḇî·hem)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 1: Father

the words
הַדְּבָרִים֙ (had·də·ḇā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

that
אֲשֶׁ֣ר (’ă·šer)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 834: Who, which, what, that, when, where, how, because, in order that

[the man] had spoken
דִּבֶּ֣ר (dib·ber)
Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 1696: To arrange, to speak, to subdue

to
אֶל־ (’el-)
Preposition
Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to

the king.
הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ (ham·me·leḵ)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4428: A king

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OT History: 1 Kings 13:11 Now there lived an old prophet (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)