And he went and found his carcase cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcase: the lion had not eaten the carcase, nor torn the ass.
Parallel translations
- WEB He went and found his body thrown on the path, and the donkey and the lion standing by the body. The lion had not eaten the body, nor mauled the donkey.
- BSB and he went and found the body lying in the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside it. The lion had not eaten the body or mauled the donkey.
- NKJV Then he went and found his corpse thrown on the road, and the donkey and the lion standing by the corpse. The lion had not eaten the corpse nor torn the donkey.
- NASB Then he went and found his body thrown on the road, with the donkey and the lion standing beside the body; the lion had not eaten the body nor harmed the donkey.
- NLT and he went out and found the body lying in the road. The donkey and lion were still standing there beside it, for the lion had not eaten the body nor attacked the donkey.
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 prophet finds the body with the lion and donkey still standing by, untouched and unharmed. The unnatural restraint of the lion confirms this was a deliberate act of God.
Overview
A lion that has killed would normally devour its prey and attack the nearby donkey, but here it does neither. This supernatural restraint marks the death as a targeted judgment, not random violence. The scene visibly testifies that Yahweh's word, spoken against disobedience, had been precisely carried out.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Jer 5:22–23Fear ye not me? saith the LORD: will ye not tremble at my presence, which have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it cannot pass it: and though the waves thereof toss themselves, yet can they not prevail; though they roar, yet can they not pass over it?
- Dan 3:27–28And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
- 1 Kgs 17:4And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.
- 1 Kgs 17:6And the ravens brought him bread and flesh in the morning, and bread and flesh in the evening; and he drank of the brook.
- Job 38:11And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
- Dan 3:22Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
- Acts 16:26And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.
- Dan 6:22–24My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
- Heb 11:33–34Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
- Ps 148:7–8Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
- Lev 10:2And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.
- Lev 10:5So they went near, and carried them in their coats out of the camp; as Moses had said.
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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 13:28 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
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