1 Kings 13:17

For I have been told by the word of the LORD: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water there or return by the way you came.’”

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The man of God from Judah speaks to the old prophet at Bethel, refusing to break his earlier vow because he received a direct divine command.

The words — The phrase bi-devar Yahweh (by the word of Yahweh) anchors the prohibition in authoritative revelation rather than human opinion.

The thread — This prophetic formula appears in 1 Kings 13:1 to introduce the messenger, in 1 Kings 20:35 to authorize a prophetic act, and in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 to ground apostolic teaching in divine authority.

Why it lands — The text records a clear boundary against eating, drinking, or retracing steps, requiring the reader to prioritize explicit divine instruction over social enticement or deception.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

כִּֽי־ki-for דָבָ֤רda.Vara word אֵלַי֙'e.La/i[was] to/ me בִּדְבַ֣רbi/d.Varby/ [the] word of יְהוָ֔הYah.wehYahweh לֹֽא־lo'-not תֹאכַ֣לto.Khalyou must eat לֶ֔חֶםLe.chembread וְלֹֽא־ve./lo'-and/ not תִשְׁתֶּ֥הtish.Tehyou must drink שָׁ֖םshamthere מָ֑יִםMa.yimwater לֹא־lo'-not תָשׁ֣וּבta.Shuvyou must return לָלֶ֔כֶתla./Le.khetto/ go בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְba./De.rekhby the/ way אֲשֶׁר־'a.Sher-which הָלַ֥כְתָּha.Lakh.tayou wentבָּֽהּ׃Ba/hby/ it

King James Version

For it was said to me by the word of the Lord, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

Cross-references

1 Kings 20:35 Meanwhile, by the word of the LORD, one of the sons of the prophets said to his companion, “Strike me, please!” But the man refused to strike him.
1 Thessalonians 4:15 By the word of the Lord, we declare to you that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who have fallen asleep.
1 Kings 13:1 Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.