1 Kings 13:31

After he had buried him, the prophet said to his sons, “When I die, you must bury me in the tomb where the man of God is buried. Lay my bones beside his bones,

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — The prophet of Judah speaks to his sons immediately after interring the slain man of God. He issues a direct burial command to ensure his remains rest alongside the faithful messenger.

The words — The Hebrew וַ/יֹּאמֶר (va/i.Yo.mer) literally renders "and he said," introducing the prophet's final directive. The verb קָבְר֣/וֹ (ka.ve.R/o) means "he buried him," grounding the instruction in the completed physical act described in the preceding verse.

The thread — The request for burial near a righteous figure parallels the plea in Psalms 26:9 to avoid the fate of sinners. It also anticipates the historical fulfillment of the man of God's altar prophecy recorded in 2 Kings 23:17.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to note the prophet's explicit acknowledgment of his own failure and his deliberate choice to align with the true messenger. It asks for a plain recognition that physical proximity to the word of God serves as a final, non-verbal correction.

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 it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spake to his sons, saying, When I am dead, then bury me in the sepulchre wherein the man of God is buried; lay my bones beside his bones:

Cross-references

2 Kings 23:17 Then the king asked, “What is this monument I see?” And the men of the city replied, “It is the tomb of the man of God who came from Judah and proclaimed these things that you have done to the altar of Bethel.”
Numbers 23:10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”
Psalms 26:9 Do not take my soul away with sinners, or my life with men of bloodshed,
Ecclesiastes 8:10 Then too, I saw the burial of the wicked who used to go in and out of the holy place, and they were praised in the city where they had done so. This too is futile.
Luke 16:22 One day the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. And the rich man also died and was buried.