1 Kings 13:28

and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.

Berean Standard Bible

Follow its threads on the canvas →

Study note

Setting — The old prophet rides to the site where the man of God was killed for disobeying a direct command and discovers the aftermath. The man of God lies dead on the road, with the donkey he rode and the lion that killed him positioned beside the corpse.

The words — The Hebrew verbs וַיֵּלֶךְ (va.yelekh, "and he went") and וַיִּמְצָא (va.yimtza', "and he found") frame the discovery, while מֻשְׁלֶכֶת (mushleket, "thrown down") describes the corpse's position on the road. The text explicitly records the lion standing beside the body without eating it or mauling the donkey.

The thread — The restrained lion mirrors God's sovereign control over creation, paralleling His command to ravens to feed Elijah in 1 Kings 17:4–6 and His declaration to Job that He sets boundaries for proud waves in Job 38:11.

Why it lands — The narrative records a miraculous preservation of the corpse and animal to validate the man of God's message, demanding acknowledgment of divine authority over life, death, and obedience.

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 he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.

Cross-references

1 Kings 17:4 And you are to drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there.”
1 Kings 17:6 The ravens would bring him bread and meat in the morning and evening, and he would drink from the brook.
Job 38:11 and I declared: ‘You may come this far, but no farther; here your proud waves must stop’?
Psalms 148:7 Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,
Jeremiah 5:22 Do you not fear Me?” declares the LORD. “Do you not tremble before Me, the One who set the sand as the boundary for the sea, an enduring barrier it cannot cross? The waves surge, but they cannot prevail. They roar but cannot cross it.
Daniel 3:22 The king’s command was so urgent and the furnace so hot that the fiery flames killed the men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Daniel 3:27 and when the satraps, prefects, governors, and royal advisers had gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men. Not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.
Daniel 6:22 My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, for I was found innocent in His sight, and I have done no wrong against you, O king.”
Acts 16:26 Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
Hebrews 11:33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions,