Bible Strands
1 Kings 13:24
As he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative describes the man of God traveling away from the old prophet’s home after their meal. He departs unaware that his prior disobedience has triggered an immediate divine response.
The words — The text highlights אַרְיֵה ('ar.Yeh), literally “a lion,” and נִבְלָת/וֹ֙ (niv.la.T/o), meaning “his corpse.” These terms mark the sudden violence and the public, unhidden nature of the death.
The thread — Wild animals executing judgment recur in 1 Kings 20:36 and 2 Kings 2:24, where creatures act as instruments of divine retribution. Proverbs 22:13 later references a lion as a common excuse for inaction, contrasting with the literal judgment in 1 Kings 13.
Why it lands — The account demands recognition that disobeying a direct command carries immediate, unavoidable consequences. It requires readers to prioritize divine instructions over secondary social pressures or personal convenience.
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
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him: and his carcase was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcase.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 20:36 Then the prophet said to him, “Because you have not obeyed the voice of the LORD, as soon as you depart from me a lion will kill you.” And when he left, a lion found him and killed him.
- 2 Kings 2:24 Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
- Proverbs 22:13 The slacker says, “There is a lion outside! I will be slain in the streets!”
- Proverbs 26:13 The slacker says, “A lion is in the road! A fierce lion roams the public square!”
- Amos 5:19 It will be like a man who flees from a lion, only to encounter a bear, or who enters his house and rests his hand against the wall, only to be bitten by a snake.
- 1 Corinthians 11:31 Now if we judged ourselves properly, we would not come under judgment.
- 1 Peter 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?