And he said, “I cannot return with you nor go in with you; neither can I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.
Parallel translations
- WEB He said, “I may not return with you, nor go in with you. I will not eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
- KJV And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:
- BSB But the man replied, “I cannot return with you or eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
- ESV And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place,
- NASB But he said, “I cannot return with you, nor come with you, nor will I eat bread or drink water with you in this place.
- NLT “No, I cannot,” he replied. “I am not allowed to eat or drink anything here in this place.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The man of God again refuses to eat or drink in that place. He restates his obedience.
Overview
Faithful so far, the man of God declines once more, recalling God's prohibition against eating or drinking there. His consistency is commendable and shows he knows the command well. This makes his eventual yielding a sobering lesson about the danger of false words.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- 1 Kgs 13:8–9The man of God said to the king, “Even if you gave me half of your house, I would not go in with you, neither would I eat bread nor drink water in this place;
- Gen 3:1–3Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”
- Matt 4:10Then Jesus said to him, “Get behind me, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and you shall serve him only.’”
- Num 22:13Balaam rose up in the morning, and said to the princes of Balak, “Go to your land; for Yahweh refuses to permit me to go with you.”
- Matt 16:23But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”
- Num 22:19Now therefore, please wait also here this night, that I may know what Yahweh will speak to me more.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 13:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.