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.’”
Parallel translations
- WEB He gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which Yahweh has spoken: Behold, the altar will be split apart, and the ashes that are on it will be poured out.”
- KJV 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.
- NKJV And he gave a sign the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: Surely the altar shall split apart, and the ashes on it shall be poured out.”
- NASB Then he gave a sign on the same day, saying, “This is the sign which the Lord has spoken: ‘Behold, the altar shall be torn to pieces and the ashes which are on it shall be poured out.’ ”
- NLT That same day the man of God gave a sign to prove his message. He said, “The Lord has promised to give this sign: This altar will split apart, and its ashes will be poured out on the ground.”
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 gives a confirming sign: the altar will split and its ashes pour out. An immediate sign authenticates the long-range prophecy.
Overview
To validate his word, the man of God announces that the altar will be torn apart and its ashes spilled that very day. Such a sign offers present confirmation of a prophecy whose main fulfillment lies far in the future. God graciously provides evidence so that his word may be trusted.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- 1 Cor 1:22Jews demand signs and Greeks search for wisdom,
- Exod 4:3–5“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.
- John 2:18On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?”
- Judg 6:17Gideon answered, “If I have found favor in Your sight, give me a sign that it is You speaking with me.
- Isa 38:6–8And I will deliver you and this city from the hand of the king of Assyria. I will defend this city.
- Matt 12:38–40Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.”
- 1 Sam 2:34And this sign shall come to you concerning your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: They will both die on the same day.
- 2 Kgs 20:8Now 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?”
- Deut 13:1–3If a prophet or dreamer of dreams arises among you and proclaims a sign or wonder to you,
- Isa 7:11–14“Ask for a sign from the LORD your God, whether from the depths of Sheol or the heights of heaven.”
- Isa 38:22And Hezekiah had asked, “What will be the sign that I will go up to the house of the LORD?”
- Jer 44:29This will be a sign to you that I will punish you in this place, declares the LORD, so that you may know that My threats of harm against you will surely stand.
- Exod 7:10So 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.
- Exod 4:8–9And the LORD said, “If they refuse to believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe that of the second.
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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 13:3 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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