1 Kings 13:18

Then the prophet replied, “I too am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you to your house, so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” The old prophet was lying to him,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The old prophet in Bethel addresses the traveling man of God immediately after the latter refuses to break his divine fast. He speaks this reply at their roadside meeting to persuade the man of God to return and share a meal.

The words — גַּם־אֲנִי נָבִיא כָּמוֹךָ (gam-ani navi kamo-kha) translates literally as "also I [am] a prophet like you," claiming identical prophetic authority. The verb דִּבֶּר (diber) means "he has spoken," which the text explicitly frames as a false claim when it immediately states the old prophet was lying.

The thread — The text's warning against counterfeit spiritual authority aligns with Matthew 7:15, which commands vigilance against false prophets, and 1 John 4:1, which instructs testing spirits to verify their origin. The contrast with Numbers 22:35 highlights how genuine angelic messages carry binding commands, whereas this fabrication was designed to override them.

Why it lands — The verse requires readers to test any claim of divine instruction against previously received revelation rather than accepting spiritual credentials uncritically. It demands immediate rejection of messages that directly contradict clear prior commands from God.

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

King James Version

He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

Cross-references

1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world.
Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.
Numbers 22:35 But the angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but you are to speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.
Jeremiah 23:32 “Indeed,” declares the LORD, “I am against those who prophesy false dreams and retell them to lead My people astray with their reckless lies. It was not I who sent them or commanded them, and they are of no benefit at all to these people,” declares the LORD.
Jeremiah 28:15 Then the prophet Jeremiah said to the prophet Hananiah, “Listen, Hananiah! The LORD did not send you, but you have persuaded this people to trust in a lie.
Romans 16:18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.
2 Corinthians 11:13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
2 Peter 2:1 Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.
Genesis 3:4 “You will not surely die,” the serpent told the woman.
Isaiah 9:15 The head is the elder and honorable man, and the tail is the prophet who teaches lies.