Bible Strands
1 Kings 13:29
So the old prophet lifted up the body of the man of God, laid it on the donkey, and brought it back to his own city to mourn for him and bury him.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The old prophet acts alone in the immediate aftermath of the lion attack, retrieving the corpse of the man of God to prepare him for burial. This occurs directly after the old prophet discovers the body and the unharmed donkey beside it.
The words — The verbs וַ/יִּשָּׂ֨א (va/i.yi.Sa') and וַ/יַּנִּחֵ֥/הוּ (va/i.ya.ni.Che./hu) literally mean "he picked up" and "he placed him," marking the deliberate physical handling of the remains. The designation אִישׁ הָ/אֱלֹהִ֛ים (ish ha/'E.lo.Him) identifies the deceased specifically as "the man of God."
The thread — The narrative tracks the reversal of the old prophet's deception through the careful restoration of the man of God's body and burial honor. This sequence of retrieving, mourning, and interring a faithful servant's remains establishes a pattern seen in other biblical accounts of prophetic succession and honor.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that ritual care for the dead cannot alter the fulfillment of a spoken divine judgment. It asks the reader to observe how physical restoration operates independently from the reversal of prophetic condemnation.
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The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the prophet took up the carcase of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back: and the old prophet came to the city, to mourn and to bury him.