Bible Strands
1 Kings 13:3
That day the man of God gave a sign, saying, “The LORD has spoken this sign: ‘Surely the altar will be split apart, and the ashes upon it will be poured out.’”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The unnamed man of God delivers a prophetic sign to the gathered people and King Jeroboam at the Bethel altar immediately after pronouncing judgment over it.
The words — The Hebrew מוֹפֵת (mo.Fet) denotes a visible, divinely orchestrated sign, while נָתַן (na.Tan) literally means “he gave” or “he provided.” These terms frame the event not as a spontaneous miracle but as a deliberate divine guarantee.
The thread — This sign motif recurs in Exodus 4:3 where God provides a tangible sign to Moses, and Judges 6:17 where Gideon requests proof of divine communication. Paul later notes the Jewish expectation of such signs in 1 Corinthians 1:22.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that God’s spoken word carries enforceable, physical consequences. It requires the reader to accept that divine judgment operates through concrete, observable events rather than abstract promises.
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 gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 1:22 Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
- Exodus 4:3 “Throw it on the ground,” said the LORD. So Moses threw it on the ground, and it became a snake, and he ran from it.
- Judges 6:17 Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
- John 2:18 On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”
- Exodus 4:8 And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second.
- Exodus 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a serpent.
- Deuteronomy 13:1 If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
- 1 Samuel 2:34 And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
- 2 Kings 20:8 Now Hezekiah had asked Isaiah, “What will be the sign that the LORD will heal me and that I will go up to the house of the LORD on the third day?”
- Isaiah 7:11 “Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”