1 Kings 13:24

Contextual Overview

²³So after he had eaten food and after he had drunk, the old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet he had brought back. ²³ It happened, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the donkey, [to wit], for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²³ And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, to wit, for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²³ And after he had eaten bread and drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²³ After the man of God finished eating and drinking, the prophet put a saddle on his donkey for him, and the man left. ²³ When the prophet from Judah finished his meal, the old prophet saddled his visitor's donkey for him. ²³After the prophet of the house had eaten bread and after he had drunk, he saddled the donkey for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²³ It came about after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back. ²³ And when he had eaten bread & drunke, he sadled him the asse, to wit, to the Prophet whome he had brought againe. ²³Now it happened after he had eaten bread and after he had drunk, that he saddled the donkey for him, for the prophet whom he had brought back.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

a lion: 1 Kings 20:36, 2 Kings 2:24, Proverbs 22:13, Proverbs 26:13, Amos 5:19, 1 Corinthians 11:31, 1 Corinthians 11:32, 1 Peter 4:17, 1 Peter 4:18

Reciprocal: Genesis 37:20 - Some Genesis 37:33 - evil beast Exodus 4:24 - sought Numbers 22:33 - surely 1 Kings 12:31 - an house 2 Kings 17:25 - the Lord sent Proverbs 11:31 - General Isaiah 38:13 - as a lion

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him,.... Perhaps not far from Bethel; and this lion might come out of the same wood the she bears did, that devoured the children that mocked the prophet, as Bishop Patrick conjectures, 2 Kings 2:23

and his carcass was cast in the way; in the high road, where it seems the lion seized him, and he fell:

and the ass stood by it; disregarded and unhurt by the lion, though the prophet was pulled off of the back of him:

the lion also stood by the carcass: not offering to tear it in pieces and devour it, but rather, as if he was the guard of it, to keep off all others from meddling with it; these circumstances are very surprising, and show the thing to be of God; for when the lion had done what he had a commission to do, which was to kill the prophet, he was to do no more.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 24. A lion met him - and slew him — By permitting himself to be seduced by the old prophet, when he should have acted only on the expressly declared counsel of God, he committed the sin unto death; that is, such a sin as God will punish with the death of the body, while he extends mercy to the soul. See my notes on 1 John 5:16-17.

From the instance here related, we see, as in various other cases, that often judgment begins at the house of God. The true prophet, for receiving that as a revelation from God which was opposed to the revelation which himself had received, and which was confirmed by so many miracles, is slain by a lion, and his body deprived of the burial of his fathers; while the wicked king, and the old fallen prophet, are both permitted to live! If this was severity to the man of God, it was mercy to the others, neither of whom was prepared to meet his judge. Here we may well say, "If the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?"