And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Hashem to Beth-el; and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer.
verse value 2202
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. Notable word values: "God" (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֧א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Beth-el" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל, 7 letters). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "in·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "to·Beth-el" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·Beth-el', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּ֣ה [and·behold] (66) + אִ֣ישׁ [man] (311) + אֱלֹהִ֗ים [God] (86) + בָּ֧א [went·in] (3) + מִיהוּדָ֛ה [from·Judah] (70) + בִּדְבַ֥ר [in·word·of] (208) + יְהֹוָ֖ה [Hashem] (26) + אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵ֑ל [to·Beth-el] (474) + וְיָרׇבְעָ֛ם [and·Jeroboam] (328) + עֹמֵ֥ד [standing] (114) + עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ [by·the·altar] (162) + לְהַקְטִֽיר [to·offer] (354) = 2202.
Rashi
“And behold, a man of God”: This was Edo.
Radak
“And behold, a man of God.” Our Sages of blessed memory said that this was the prophet Iddo; and this is true, for he prophesied in the days of Jeroboam, and it is about him that it is written in Chronicles: “And Iddo the seer prophesied against Jeroboam, son of Nebat.”
Metzudat David
By the word of the Lord. Meaning: in the mission of the Lord.
Malbim
And behold, this man of God was under Divine providence; the man of God came from Judah to Bethel at that very moment when Jeroboam was standing upon the altar to burn the incense. He did not come earlier, for then they would have been wary of him and would not have allowed him to approach the altar; nor did he come afterward, for he came by the word of the Lord and under His providence at that precise moment.
And he cried against the altar by the word of Hashem, and said: ‘O altar, altar, thus says Hashem: Behold, a son shall be born to the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon you shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that offer upon you, and men’s bones shall they burn upon you.’
verse value 5721
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 115 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·altar" (עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֙חַ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 130: upon·you, upon·you, upon·you. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "behold·a·son" (הִנֵּה־בֵ֞ן), "shall·be·born" (נוֹלָ֤ד), "to·house·of·David" (לְבֵית־דָּוִד֙). The root מזבח appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "in·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). First appearance of the root עצם ("and·bones·of") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 15 words.
Rashi
"An altar, an altar" – one in Bethel and one in Dan. (Midrash Tanchuma, Toldot 12)
“And the bones of man.” This refers to Jeroboam, yet he was accorded honor (ibid.):
Radak
"An altar, an altar." This is the manner of the reading, as it is written: "Abraham, Abraham"; "Jacob, Jacob"; "Moses, Moses"; "Samuel, Samuel." And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "The altar that was at Bethel and the altar that was at Dan."
“Behold, a son is born.” [The sense is:] he will be born.
"And the bones of men." It states "the bones of men" because they would burn on the altar the bones of animals from the burnt offerings offered upon it; here it states that the bones of men were to be burned upon it. And so did Josiah, as it is written: "And he took the bones out of the tombs and burned them on the altar." And in the Midrash: [these were] the bones of Jeroboam — that is to say, [Scripture did not name him explicitly] but rather gave honor to the monarchy.
Ralbag
"Behold, a son is born to the house of David." The intention is that he will be born, but the prophets see future events as if they were present:
Metzudat David
O altar, o altar. As though he speaks to the altar. And it is the way of calling to repeat the name of the one called; and so (Genesis 22:11): 'Abraham, Abraham.'
Shall be born. Will be born.
And human bones. As though saying: behold, now they burn upon you bones of animals; but then they will burn upon you bones of humans. As is said (II Kings 23:16): 'And he took the bones from the tombs and burned them on the altar.'
Malbim
"And he cried out": This is the second time, for the prophet ascended to the altar, though they permitted no one to ascend there to the king, and no one saw him. He cried out at the altar by the word of the Lord and said, "Altar, altar." Abarbanel wrote that from this we learn that the prophet perceived the matter in all its details, to the extent that he replied that the name of the king who would do this would be Josiah. Likewise, he grasped the matter as if it had already come into existence, which is the meaning of "Behold, a son is born to the house of David," implying that he was already born. This is contrary to those who say that the prophet only grasped generalities. He prophesied that Josiah would sacrifice upon it the priests of the high places who would then be alive, and burn upon it the bones of the dead priests. And he said "bones of men" to include also Jeroboam, who was among the priests of the high places and whose bones were burned. And he concealed the matter out of respect for the royal dignity.
Cross-references: II Kings 23:16; II Chronicles 34:4
And he gave a sign the same day saying: ‘This is the sign which Hashem has spoken: Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out.’
verse value 4628
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 65 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4628 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֣ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·are·upon·it" (אֲשֶׁר־עָלָֽיו, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "wonder" (מוֹפֵת֙), "wonder" (הַמּוֹפֵ֔ת), "and·shall·be·poured·out" (וְנִשְׁפַּ֖ךְ). The root מופת appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). First appearance of the root מופת ("wonder") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
"And it shall be on that day." The prophet provides a sign for his words on the day he prophesied: "This is the sign for you: the altar shall be torn apart today of its own accord, and the ashes shall be poured out upon the ground."
Metzudat David
And he gave on that day. The man of God gave a portent at that time, to prove his words.
Metzudat Zion
Mufat. Sign:
Malbim
(3-5) The questions: Regarding what is written, “And he shall give on that day a sign,” the phrase “on that day” is superfluous. And regarding what is written, “And the altar was split, etc., as the sign which he gave,” these words are superfluous; do we not know this that it was as the sign, etc.?
And he will give on that day a sign: This means that although the proclamation was for a distant time, the sign was given on that very day to indicate that it would happen immediately. The altar would be torn as a sign that it would be destroyed and abolished in the future, and its ashes would be scattered as a sign that the ashes of the priests burned upon it would likewise be scattered, neither gathered nor buried. We have explained many times that a prophecy accompanied by an action, and particularly one involving a phenomenon contrary to the natural order, will certainly be fulfilled in every respect and cannot be annulled.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Beth-el, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying: ‘Lay hold on him.’ And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not draw it back to him.
verse value 7524
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 111 letters. Verse gematria: 7524 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֨ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֗ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "seize·him" (תִּפְשֻׂ֑הוּ), "and·made·dry" (וַתִּיבַ֤שׁ), "his·hand" (יָדוֹ֙). The root אשר appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'seize·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 9 words.
Rashi
“And his hand was dried up.” The Holy One, blessed be He, takes vengeance for the honor of a righteous person more than for His own honor. If one were to stand and offer incense to idolatry, his hand would not be dried up; but because of the insult to the righteous person, his hand was dried up (ibid.).
Metzudat David
And he stretched out. He extended his hand upon the prophet, to hint to his servants to seize him.
Malbim
“And it came to pass, when the king heard, that his eyes were opened, and he saw him, and he stretched out his hand upon him, and his hand which he stretched out upon him withered.” This means that there was a distinction between the miracle of the withering of his hand and the second miracle of the splitting of the altar. The fact that his hand withered was not due to a direct act of God, but rather because he had stretched out his hand upon him; it was a specific punishment for the sake of the prophet’s honor (as our Sages of blessed memory stated that the Holy One, blessed be He, is more stringent regarding the honor of a righteous person than regarding His own honor). But:
The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of Hashem.
verse value 3598
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 54 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָֽה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "which" (אֲשֶׁ֥ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "from·the·altar" (מִן־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·the·altar" (וְהַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ), "and·was·poured" (וַיִּשָּׁפֵ֥ךְ), "from·the·altar" (מִן־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ). The root מזבח appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "in·word·of" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·altar', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 7 words. Full calculation: וְהַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ [and·the·altar] (68) + נִקְרָ֔ע [was·torn] (420) + וַיִּשָּׁפֵ֥ךְ [and·was·poured] (416) + הַדֶּ֖שֶׁן [the·ashes] (359) + מִן־הַמִּזְבֵּ֑חַ [from·the·altar] (152) + כַּמּוֹפֵ֗ת [as·the·wonder] (546) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [which] (501) + נָתַ֛ן [gave] (500) + אִ֥ישׁ [man] (311) + הָאֱלֹהִ֖ים [the·God] (91) + בִּדְבַ֥ר [in·word·of] (208) + יְהֹוָֽה [Hashem] (26) = 3598.
Malbim
And the altar was torn apart, and the ashes were poured out—this was the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. Therefore, he was able to pray for his hand to be healed, because this [the withering of the hand] was not part of the sign.
And the king answered and said to the man of God: ‘Entreat now the favour of Hashem your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me.’ And the man of God entreated Hashem, and the king’s hand was restored him, and became as it was before.
verse value 5939
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 109 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֤ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "my·hand" (יָדִ֖י, 3 letters) and the longest is "man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 708: and·may·it·return, and·it·returned. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "rampart·I·pray" (חַל־נָ֞א), "behind" (בַּעֲדִ֔י), "my·hand" (יָדִ֖י). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). First appearance of the root ראשון ("as·the·first") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 9 words.
Rashi
"Your God": and not "my God," for he was still standing in his rebellion.
And it was as at first. He stands and burns incense for idolatrous worship:
Radak
"Now, I pray, beseech the favor of the LORD your God." This means: He sent you, and you are His agent; and I know that He will heed you. And [the king] fears Him, and [asks you to] beseech His favor so that his hand will be restored to him. And according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory: "Your God" and not "my God." Moreover, in what way can he call Him "my God" while he himself stands and offers sacrifices to idolatry? Nevertheless, "the man of God besought."
"And it was as at the beginning." This teaches that He moved it according to His will, just as He had done at the outset. And our Sages of blessed memory said: "If you pound the fool in a mortar, you accomplish nothing." Just as at first he stood and offered sacrifices to idolatry, so too afterward he stands and offers sacrifices to idolatry.
Ralbag
“Entreat, I pray thee, the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me.” This is a marvel: although Jeroboam had committed many sins, God, blessed be He, agreed to heed the prophet’s prayer to heal him. It is possible that He did this so that Jeroboam would repent upon witnessing these miracles. Nevertheless, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways, as this very passage relates.
Metzudat David
And it returned. Meaning: that I can return my hand.
And it returned. He was restoring it to him; and it was healed from then and was as before.
Metzudat Zion
Chal. A matter of requesting; like (Exodus 32:11) 'and Moses entreated' (vichal Moshe):
Malbim
And the king answered and said, “Jeroboam,” he said to him, this is in the manner of a response: he answered and said, “The miracle that you have performed, and likewise the withering of the hand, does not yet constitute a decisive proof, until you show that you are able to do a thing and its opposite, namely, that the hand will be healed.” Moreover, he desired to see whether there is a remedy through repentance; for if he could heal the sickness of his body through his prayer, he would believe that the prophet’s prayer could also be effective to heal the sickness of his soul and to bring him back in repentance.
And the king said to the man of God: ‘Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give you a reward.’
verse value 3088
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 46 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֖, 2 letters) and the longest is "God" (הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "come·with·me" (בֹּֽאָה־אִתִּ֥י), "and·support" (וּֽסְעָ֑דָה), "a·gift" (מַתָּֽת). The root נתן appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 341x in I Kings); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "home" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·support', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words. Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר [and·spoke] (222) + הַמֶּ֙לֶךְ֙ [king] (95) + אֶל־אִ֣ישׁ [to·man] (342) + הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים [God] (91) + בֹּֽאָה־אִתִּ֥י [come·with·me] (419) + הַבַּ֖יְתָה [home] (422) + וּֽסְעָ֑דָה [and·support] (145) + וְאֶתְּנָ֥ה [and·I·will·give] (462) + לְךָ֖ [to·you] (50) + מַתָּֽת [a·gift] (840) = 3088.
Rashi
"and dine": [i.e.,] eat.
Radak
"And dine." With a kamatz chataf [i.e., a kamatz katan]:
Metzudat Zion
U'se'adah. Eat a meal:
Mattat. A gift; like (Ecclesiastes 5:19) 'it is a gift of God' (mattat Elokim hi):
And the man of God said to the king: ‘If you will give me half your house, I will not go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place.
verse value 4026
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָֽאֱלֹהִים֙, 9 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "if·you·give·me" (אִם־תִּתֶּן־לִי֙), "half" (אֶת־חֲצִ֣י), "I·will·go·in" (אָבֹ֖א). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "your·house" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "to·the·king" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 6 words.
Malbim
The questions: What is stated, “I will not come with you,” implies that even without his eating, merely by coming to his house, it is forbidden to him.
"I will not go with you" means: I have two hindrances to fulfilling your request. First, I cannot go with you to your house, for the prophet's route from Judah to Bethel was via Shechem or Tirzah, where Jeroboam's house was; the prophet had originally assumed that Jeroboam was at his home, and went there, and only from there -- once he learned that Jeroboam was in Bethel -- did he proceed to Bethel. Therefore he could not return by that same road he had already traveled. Second, even if you wish for me to dine with you here in the city, I cannot eat bread, etc., in this place.
For it so was charged me by the word of Hashem, saying: You shall eat no bread, nor drink water, neither return by the way that you came.’
verse value 4836
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 59 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָה֙) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. Verse gematria: 4836 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "commanded" (צִוָּ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "you·shall·drink·water" (תִשְׁתֶּה־מָּ֑יִם, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "you·shall·drink·water" (תִשְׁתֶּה־מָּ֑יִם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·shall·drink·water', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Radak
"For thus has the Lord commanded me." The angel who spoke to me on the matter of the Lord. And why did He forbid him to eat and drink in that place? Because it is forbidden to enter a city of idolaters unless to admonish them and restrain them, or to speak to them in the name of the Lord, so that the people will see that he entered there solely to deliver his prophecy. Therefore, He forbade him to eat and drink there. And so that the route of that city would not be remembered, and he would not return there, He forbade him to return by the way in which he had come.
Ralbag
"You shall not eat bread, nor shall you drink water." This implies that God, blessed be He, commanded him in this manner to awaken him to the realization that there is no benefit or advantage in them, for all of them will ultimately perish on account of this sin. And He commanded him not to return by the way by which he came to Bethel, as if to awaken him to the understanding that the path he took in going to Bethel was one in which to say, "These are the words that he spoke there," yet there was no benefit in them, for his words there were of no avail due to the extreme stubbornness of Jeroboam.
Metzudat David
He commanded me. The angel speaking to me commanded me in the word of the Lord, etc.
And you shall not return in the way. You shall not return to your place by this way that you came here. And as though He does not desire to know the entrance of the city, to return and come in it.
So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Beth-el.
verse value 2051
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "went·in" (בָּ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Beth-el" (אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵֽל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 226: in·way, way. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·not·returned" (וְלֹא־שָׁ֣ב). The root דרך appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "to·Beth-el" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'another', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיֵּ֖לֶךְ [and·went] (66) + בְּדֶ֣רֶךְ [in·way] (226) + אַחֵ֑ר [another] (209) + וְלֹא־שָׁ֣ב [and·not·returned] (339) + בַּדֶּ֔רֶךְ [way] (226) + אֲשֶׁ֛ר [that] (501) + בָּ֥א [went·in] (3) + בָ֖הּ [in·it] (7) + אֶל־בֵּֽית־אֵֽל [to·Beth-el] (474) = 2051.
Now there dwelt an old prophet in Beth-el; and one of his sons came and told him all the works that the man of God had done that day in Beth-el, and the words which he had spoken to the king, and they told them to their father.
verse value 6111
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 102 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אֶחָד֙) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "one" (אֶחָד֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·the·work" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַמַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 445: in·Beth-el, in·Beth-el. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·prophet" (וְנָבִ֤יא), "and·he·told·him" (וַיְסַפֶּר־ל֣וֹ), "all·the·work" (אֶת־כׇּל־הַמַּעֲשֶׂ֣ה). The root בית appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·he·did" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "in·Beth-el" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "the·words" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Beth-el', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 14 words.
Rashi
"And a certain prophet." The false prophet.
“Sitting in Bethel” – yet he was not from there, but rather he came from Shomron. And so it says in the portion of King Josiah (2 Kings 23:18): “And they let his bones alone, together with the bones of the prophet who came from Shomron.”
Radak
"And a certain old prophet." The Targum of Jonathan renders it: "And a lying [false] prophet, a certain old man." And there are manuscripts that read: "And his name was Micah." And so too in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, that he was Micah; some of them said it was Amatzyah, priest of Bethel; and some said this was Iddo the prophet; and some said this was Jonathan son of Gershom. And the beginning of his residence was in Samaria, as it is written in the words of Yoshiyahu the prophet, who came from Samaria and came to Bethel and dwelt there. And even though at that time the city of Samaria was not yet built — for Omri built the city — there was from the beginning an unwalled town (peraz) there, and Omri bought the hill and built the city there. Or perhaps there was a city there from the beginning, as Jonathan translated "and he bought the hill" [as] "and he bought the fortress," except that Omri strengthened the construction and gave the city a different name.
"And they told him." He said "and they told him" after having said "and his son came and told him," the explanation being that initially one of his sons came and was telling him what the man of God had done, and while he was still telling, the rest of his sons also came and told the matters to their father, just as the first one was telling.
Ralbag
"And his son came and told him." Behold, one of his sons began the narrative with what the man of God had done in Bethel, and another son recounted the words that he had spoken to the king, in such a way that his sons related these narratives to their father.
Metzudat David
And they told it. At first one came and told; and afterwards the rest of his sons came and told also.
Malbim
The Questions: From what is stated, “And he recounted, and they recounted them,” [we learn:] the deed, the words:
And he told him all the deed that the man of God had done, from the rending of the altar and the withering of the hand and its healing, the words of the prophecy that he prophesied concerning the altar, and the word of the Lord that he should not return by the way by which he came, etc. "And they told it to their father" means: and afterward the rest of his sons came, and they all told him the deed.
And their father said to them: ‘What way went he?’ For his sons had seen what way the man of God went, that came from Judah.
verse value 3116
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 66 letters. The shortest word is "he·went" (הָלָ֑ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·way" (אֶת־הַדֶּ֙רֶךְ֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 55: he·went, went. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "their·father" (אֲבִיהֶ֔ם), "his·sons" (בָנָ֗יו). The root דרך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "he·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'he·went', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Radak
"And his sons saw the way." The Targum of Jonathan renders it: "And they showed him," like "vayar'u" with a patach under the yod, from the hifil conjugation, meaning that they showed their father the path he had taken. And one may interpret it according to its plain meaning, namely: his sons had already seen the path he had taken, and they said to their father, "He went by this way."
Metzudat David
And they saw. Like 'and they showed' with a patach; and he means: that they showed [it] to their father.
Malbim
The Questions: What he wrote, “who came from Judah,” is superfluous.
"The way that the man of God went, who had come from Judah": This means that since they knew the route by which he had come from Judah, they also knew the route by which he returned. For there were only two roads between Judah and Bethel, and they knew that he had returned by the second road.
And he said to his sons: ‘Saddle me the ass.’ So they saddled him the ass; and he rode thereon.
verse value 1952
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "upon·it" (עָלָֽיו, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·they·saddled·for·him" (וַיַּחְבְּשׁוּ־ל֣וֹ, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·saddled·for·him" (וַיַּחְבְּשׁוּ־ל֣וֹ). The root חבש appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "upon·it" (root על, 127x in I Kings); "to·his·sons" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on '(he) ass', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words.
And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under a terebinth; and he said to him: ‘Are you the man of God that came from Judah?’ And he said: ‘I am.’
verse value 4415
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אִ֣ישׁ, 3 letters) and the longest is "the·man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 257: and·said, and·said. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "that·you·came" (אֲשֶׁר־בָּ֥אתָ). The root איש appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·came" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 8 words.
Ralbag
"Under the terebinth." *Elmi* in the vernacular, and he used to sit there to have shade.
Metzudat Zion
Halah. The name of a certain tree:
Hatah. With the heh of questioning:
Then he said to him: ‘Come home with me, and eat bread.’
verse value 1322
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 26 letters. The shortest word is "go" (לֵ֥ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·said" (וַיֹּ֣אמֶר, 5 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·eat" (וֶאֱכֹ֖ל). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "home" (root בית, 191x in I Kings); "go" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'home', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 2 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֣אמֶר [and·said] (257) + אֵלָ֔יו [to·him] (47) + לֵ֥ךְ [go] (50) + אִתִּ֖י [with·me] (411) + הַבָּ֑יְתָה [home] (422) + וֶאֱכֹ֖ל [and·eat] (57) + לָֽחֶם [bread] (78) = 1322.
Malbim
(15-17) The Questions: Should it not be exceedingly astonishing regarding the prophet how he was seduced by the words of the old man who told him to return with him to his house, and that this had come to him by prophecy? He had heard the warning from the mouth of the Lord himself, and should not have heeded false words. And a prophet should not change his prophecy unless when he himself heard anew from the mouth of the Lord, not that he should believe the words of others. In verse 9 he said, “For thus He commanded me by the word of the Lord,” and in verse 17 he said, “For He spoke to me by the word of the Lord.” And he added the word “there,” “you shall not drink water there,” and the word “to go,” and the word “in it.”
"Go with me to the house." Now, regarding the two commands that God commanded him, we may raise a difficulty concerning their interpretation. First, concerning what He told him not to return by the way by which he went: it is a matter of doubt whether He commanded him not to return to walk on any place that he had already stepped upon, such that the prohibition would include even if he were to forget some object while going or while returning and would need to go back to retrieve it—would he be required to choose a new path and not walk on the path he had already taken? According to this view, it would be forbidden for him now to return from the oak to Bethel, since he had already walked on this path. Or perhaps it can be said that the intention was only regarding his return from Bethel to Judah, in which case he would need to return by a different path; but in the middle of his journey, he could go back along the path by which he came. If so, he could return from the oak to Bethel. Similarly, concerning what God commanded him not to eat bread in that place: it is a matter of doubt whether He commanded him not to eat bread there for all the days of his life, even if he left that place and returned to it. Or perhaps it can be said that He commanded him only regarding the time when he came there to prophesy; but if he left that place and returned, he would be permitted to eat bread, because upon his departure from there, the warning ceased. And the false prophet came to interpret both for him leniently, that he could return to his house and also eat bread, because after his departure, the prohibition ceased.
And he said: ‘I may not return with you, nor go in with you; neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place.
verse value 3195
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·I·will·drink" (וְלֹֽא־אֶשְׁתֶּ֤ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 421: with·you, with·you, with·you. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "to·return" (לָשׁ֥וּב), "to·go·in" (וְלָב֣וֹא), "and·not·I·will·drink" (וְלֹֽא־אֶשְׁתֶּ֤ה). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "to·go·in" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings); "not" (root לא, 90x in I Kings). First appearance of the root מים ("water") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'with·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 7 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·said] (257) + לֹ֥א [not] (31) + אוּכַ֛ל [I·am·able] (57) + לָשׁ֥וּב [to·return] (338) + אִתָּ֖ךְ [with·you] (421) + וְלָב֣וֹא [to·go·in] (45) + אִתָּ֑ךְ [with·you] (421) + וְלֹא־אֹ֣כַל [and·not·I·will·eat] (88) + לֶ֗חֶם [bread] (78) + וְלֹֽא־אֶשְׁתֶּ֤ה [and·not·I·will·drink] (743) + אִתְּךָ֙ [with·you] (421) + מַ֔יִם [water] (90) + בַּמָּק֖וֹם [in·the·place] (188) + הַזֶּֽה [this] (17) = 3195.
Malbim
And he said, "I cannot," on account of two warnings: 1. "To return with you and to come with you"—for it is impossible to come with you to your house except by returning with you on the path by which I came; 2. "And I cannot eat bread in this place forever."
For it was said to me by the word of Hashem: You shall eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn back to go by the way that you came.’
verse value 5051
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "there" (שָׁ֖ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·you·shall·drink" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתֶּ֥ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "for·word" (כִּֽי־דָבָ֤ר), "and·not·you·shall·drink" (וְלֹא־תִשְׁתֶּ֥ה), "not·it·will·return" (לֹא־תָשׁ֣וּב). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·you·went" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "for·word" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: כִּֽי־דָבָ֤ר [for·word] (236) + אֵלַי֙ [to·me] (41) + בִּדְבַ֣ר [in·word·of] (208) + יְהֹוָ֔ה [Hashem] (26) + לֹא־תֹאכַ֣ל [not·you·shall·eat] (482) + לֶ֔חֶם [bread] (78) + וְלֹא־תִשְׁתֶּ֥ה [and·not·you·shall·drink] (1142) + שָׁ֖ם [there] (340) + מָ֑יִם [water] (90) + לֹא־תָשׁ֣וּב [not·it·will·return] (739) + לָלֶ֔כֶת [to·go] (480) + בַּדֶּ֖רֶךְ [way] (226) + אֲשֶׁר־הָלַ֥כְתָּ [that·you·went] (956) + בָּֽהּ [in·it] (7) = 5051.
Radak
"For a word came to me." Explanation: "For a word came to me," meaning that a prophetic word came to me through an angel who spoke to me by the word of the LORD.
Metzudat David
For a word [came] to me. Meaning: a word came to me through the angel; that he said 'by the word of the Lord' etc.
Malbim
For it says, "He spoke to me in the word of the Lord." He did not say, "For He commanded me in the word of the Lord," as stated above (verse 9), because he did not know clearly that he had been commanded regarding this matter, and he was in doubt about the issue. Rather, he said, "He spoke to me," meaning that a general statement came: "You shall not eat bread, nor drink water there." He added the word "there," meaning that it may be understood that the warning pertained to "there" -- that is, to the place itself, that there he would not drink. Consequently, the prohibition remains in effect forever, as long as no permissive statement is issued, just as our Sages of blessed memory stated regarding the commandment "Do not approach a woman," which prohibited sexual intercourse forever until He said, "Return to your tents." Similarly, he said, "You shall not return to go by the way by which you came." He added the words "to go" and "by which," meaning that one should interpret it as intending that he should not make any journey whatsoever on the path that he had already traveled, whether forward or backward.
And he said to him: ‘I also am a prophet as you are; and an angel spoke to me by the word of Hashem, saying: Bring him back with you into your house, that he may eat bread and drink water.’—He lied to him.—
verse value 3912
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 77 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֗וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֗וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·house" (אֶל־בֵּיתֶ֔ךָ, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 36: to·him, to·him. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "also·I" (גַּם־אֲנִ֣י), "and·a·messenger" (וּמַלְאָ֡ךְ), "bring·him·back" (הֲשִׁבֵ֤הוּ). The root אמר appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings). First appearance of the root מלאך ("and·a·messenger") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 2 words.
Radak
"He lied to him" – For he was a false prophet, and he [the man of God] heeded his words, and he was punished for this, for he ought to have investigated and inquired into him whether he was a true prophet. And he transgressed his own words; therefore, his death was at the hands of Heaven, as it is stated: "Whoever will not heed My words that [the prophet] speaks in My name, I Myself will require it of him" (Deuteronomy 18:19). How much more so if he himself does not heed his own words which he spoke in the name of the LORD!
Ralbag
"כחש לו" (He deceived him). It is fitting that a doubt should arise: How was this prophet not punished, who replied to him saying, "Thus the Lord spoke to me," although God had not commanded him to speak? And it has already been explained in the Torah that one who does this is liable to death at the hands of Heaven. Furthermore, another doubt arises: Why was the prophet who came from Judah punished? For he reasoned that the word of the Lord had come to him, instructing him to return to Bethel and eat bread there. For thus we find regarding Abraham that the Lord commanded him to offer his son as a burnt offering, and afterwards He commanded him a second time not to lay His hand upon the lad. However, the resolution to this second doubt will not be very difficult, according to what we have explained concerning the binding of Isaac, namely, that the Lord did not revoke His first commandment, but rather clarified to him that His intention in saying, "and offer him there as a burnt offering," was that he should offer him there for the sake of the burnt offering, so that Isaac would be trained in the service of the Lord as we explained there. But in this case, it would mean that the Lord had revoked His first commandment, and this cannot be. Therefore, it was fitting that the prophet from Judah should have taken to heart that he was a false prophet and not believed his words. And here this doubt is resolved. However, the first doubt has some alleviation of difficulty, and it seems that due to the multitude of their sins there, the Lord hid His face from them and did not punish them for their sins, as it says, "I will not punish your daughters when they go astray." Do you not see that out of the love of the Lord for Judah and Jerusalem, He punished Rehoboam and brought against him the king of Egypt in the fifth year of his reign, although he did not begin to sin until the fourth year, as mentioned in the Book of Chronicles. But Jeroboam did not heed the voice of the taskmaster. And behold, a further miracle occurred in this matter, namely, that God bestowed prophecy upon the false prophet. And even more miraculous than this is that the prophecy had already come to him while awake, as it appears. And although it is possible to say that the prophet from Judah and the sons of the old prophet were sitting at the table, and the word of the Lord came to the old prophet in a dream, and he imagined that just as the Lord caused His Divine Presence to rest upon Balaam for the sake of Israel, although he was not a prophet but only a diviner, so too He poured out His spirit upon this old prophet for the sake of the sin of the man of God. And this was measure for measure: he believed the false prophet in what he should not have believed, and even if he had been a true prophet, he was required to hear the word of the Lord concerning his punishment and his sin from his mouth.
Metzudat David
He deceived him. These are the words of the writer of the book, who said: behold, the old prophet was lying to him, for no prophecy had come to him to bring him back.
Malbim
And he said to him, "I also am a prophet like you." After his sons had recounted to him the words that the prophet had spoken to Jeroboam, at which time he did not say the word "there," but rather "you shall not drink water," and some interpret this as meaning that he was forbidden to eat bread and drink water during the mission, but afterward it was permitted. And likewise, he did not say, "You shall not return to go by the way by which you came," but rather only, "You shall not return by the way you went," which implies only regarding the time when he would return from Bethel to Judah, not for all time. And he knew that the prophet was stringent upon himself with a stringency; therefore he said, "I also am a prophet like you, and an angel spoke to me, saying, 'Bring him back to your house, and let him eat bread.'" That is to say: although initially, before you departed from Bethel, it was forbidden for you to eat in Bethel, after you had departed, the prohibition ceased, and you could return and eat. And with this he deceived him, that is to say, he refuted what he had said, namely that he was forbidden even in these manners. And after the prophet understood that this was not forbidden to him in truth, he believed the words of the old man, who said to him in prophecy that the interpretation was not as he had thought; therefore, "he sat with him, etc."
And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word of Hashem came to the prophet that brought him back.
verse value 2048
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 44 letters. The shortest word is "abundance" (הֵ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "at·the·table·and·it·came·to·pass" (אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָ֑ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: and·it·was, and·it·was. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "at·the·table·and·it·came·to·pass" (אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָ֑ן), "to·the·prophet" (אֶל־הַנָּבִ֖יא). The root היה appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "the·word·of·Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'at·the·table·and·it·came·to·pass', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיְהִ֕י [and·it·was] (31) + הֵ֥ם [abundance] (45) + יֹשְׁבִ֖ים [live] (362) + אֶל־הַשֻּׁלְחָ֑ן [at·the·table·and·it·came·to·pass] (424) + וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + דְּבַר־יְהֹוָ֔ה [the·word·of·Hashem] (232) + אֶל־הַנָּבִ֖יא [to·the·prophet] (99) + אֲשֶׁ֥ר [that] (501) + הֱשִׁיבֽוֹ [brought·him·back] (323) = 2048.
Rashi
To the prophet. The false prophet:
"who had brought him back": to the man of God. From here they said (Sanhedrin 104a): Great is [the power of] a meal, for it causes the Divine Presence to rest upon the prophets of Baal.
Radak
To the prophet who had brought him back. Because the true prophet had rebelled against the word of the LORD, the prophecy did not come to him, but rather came to the false prophet, in order to inform the true prophet of his sin and his punishment. And our Sages of blessed memory said: Great is [the power of] a meal/hospitality, for it draws near those who are far and drives away those who are near, and causes the Divine Presence to rest even upon the prophets of Baal.
Metzudat David
That returned him. It is the old prophet.
Malbim
To the prophet who had brought him back, [God] did not reveal this matter to the prophet himself, for then they would not have known why he was punished, and they would have thought that he was a false prophet, and therefore the lion had eaten him. Therefore, it was necessary for Him to speak to the old man, so that he would subsequently recount the truth of the matter.
And he cried to the man of God that came from Judah, saying: ‘Thus says Hashem: Forasmuch as you have rebelled against the word of Hashem, and have not kept the commandment which Hashem your God commanded you,
verse value 5046
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "thus" (כֹּ֖ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·commandment" (אֶת־הַמִּצְוָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 26: Hashem, Hashem, Hashem. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "you·was·contentious" (מָרִ֙יתָ֙), "mouth·of" (פִּ֣י), "the·commandment" (אֶת־הַמִּצְוָ֔ה). The root יהוה appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that·came" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 12 words.
Rashi
"And he called out": the old prophet, [called out] to the man of God:
Radak
"And he called to the man of God." As its Targum [renders it]: "And he prophesied against the prophet of the LORD who came from the tribe of Judah." And there are those who explain that the prophecy came upon the man of God, as it says, "And he called to the man of God." And what it says, "to the prophet who had brought him back," means: to the prophet who had brought him back, namely the old prophet. And in the words of our Sages of blessed memory, it is not stated "who was brought back," but rather "who brought him back," teaching that the Holy Spirit rested upon the false prophet.
Metzudat Zion
Marit. From the language of rebellion and revolt:
Malbim
“Because you have rebelled and have not kept the commandment” means that any doubt that arises regarding a decree of the Lord requires one to be stringent in that matter, for where His words are stated in a general manner and He does not explicitly clarify the permission, He intends for us to be stringent. This is a great principle in the laws of the Torah, as stated in many places. And this is the meaning of “guarding” it: they must guard the commandment with all its conditions, stringencies, and fences, so that they do not treat it lightly. Likewise, there is no justification for relying on the words of the prophet at Bethel. This is what is meant by “which the Lord your God commanded you”: a commandment that one heard directly from the mouth of the Lord cannot be nullified, unless one hears again directly from the mouth of the Lord Himself stating the opposite. It cannot be nullified if one hears it from the mouth of an agent. Therefore, regarding idolatry, one should not believe a prophet who permits it, even as a temporary ruling, because “I am the Lord your God” and “you shall have no other gods” we heard directly from the Almighty. As it is stated in the chapter of Vayera, in the section “I have sworn by Myself, declares the Lord.”
but came back, and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which He said to you: Eat no bread, and drink no water; your carcass shall not come to the sepulchre of your fathers.’
verse value 6890
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 73 letters. Verse gematria: 6890 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "bread" (לֶ֙חֶם֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "do·not·eat" (אַל־תֹּ֥אכַל, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 90: water, water. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·drank" (וַתֵּ֣שְׁתְּ), "do·not·eat" (אַל־תֹּ֥אכַל), "and·not·drink" (וְאַל־תֵּ֣שְׁתְּ). The root לחם appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "He·said" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "do·not·eat" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). First appearance of the root נבלה ("carcass") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'water', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Radak
“Go not to the sepulcher of your fathers.” This means that he should not return to the land of Judah and die there, for he will die on the way. And when it was said to him, “your carcass,” it hinted to him that his body would be a carcass, meaning that it would be cast out on the road. Or, any dead body is called a “carcass,” whether of an animal or bird, or of a human being, even if righteous, as it is said, “my carcass shall arise.”
Metzudat Zion
Nivlatecha. Even the body of a dead righteous person is called a carcass; likewise (Isaiah 26:19) 'my corpses shall arise' (nivlati yekumun):
Malbim
“And he returned and ate bread” — it is clarified from this that he was not punished for having returned on the previous journey, for he was only forbidden to return from Bethel to Judah, but not if he were to turn back in the middle of the way. However, the eating was against the command of the Lord, and this is what is stated: “And he ate bread in the place where He said to you, ‘You shall not eat’” — meaning that the warning was regarding the place, and it was forbidden to eat there forever. “Your carcass shall not come” — this punishment was measure for measure, for indeed, even when he returned to Judah, he was an agent of a mitzvah, and agents of a mitzvah are not harmed, neither in their going nor in their returning, as it is stated in Chapter 1 of Pesachim. Only according to his own understanding, that upon his return the agency was terminated, and therefore he ate bread, was he no longer an agent of a mitzvah, and therefore he was harmed.
And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, namely, for the prophet whom he had brought back.
verse value 3260
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 50 letters. The shortest word is "bread" (לֶ֖חֶם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·saddled·for·him" (וַיַּחֲבׇשׁ־ל֣וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "his·eating" (אׇכְל֥וֹ), "his·drinking" (שְׁתוֹת֑וֹ), "and·he·saddled·for·him" (וַיַּחֲבׇשׁ־ל֣וֹ). The root אחר appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "whom" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "after" (root אחר, 66x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·drinking', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words.
Rashi
To the prophet who had brought him back. [Meaning: the old prophet] set this [donkey] for the man of God to ride upon it.
Radak
"And he saddled his donkey for him." The old prophet saddled the donkey for the prophet of the LORD, who had turned him back from the way. And it states the identification after the pronoun, like "and she saw him, the child," and similar cases.
Metzudat David
And he harnessed for him. The old prophet harnessed the donkey for the prophet who came from Judah.
Malbim
"And it came to pass after he had eaten" – one sin drags another in its wake, for after he stumbled and ate, he did not refrain from eating until he had finished it all. Moreover, he took a donkey from him. He should have reasoned that just as he was warned not to eat there, all the more so should he not take a gift from them. And regarding what is stated, "and he saddled his donkey for the prophet who had brought him back," this means the donkey that belonged to the prophet who had brought him back, for the man of God did not have a donkey and had come on foot.
And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him; and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it; the lion also stood by the carcass.
verse value 4127
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "standing" (עֹמֵ֣ד, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·found·him" (וַיִּמְצָאֵ֧הוּ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 226: way, way. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "lion" (אַרְיֵ֛ה), "corpse" (נִבְלָתוֹ֙), "beside·it" (אֶצְלָ֔הּ). The root ארי appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "and·He·slew·him" (root מות, 59x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שלך ("thrown") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·He·slew·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 11 words.
Ralbag
And behold, this was a great miracle: that the lion killed him, yet did not maul the donkey, nor did it eat the carcass. For this was from the Lord, so that this punishment of his might become known, and those who learned of it might take a lesson. Perhaps this would serve as a cause to turn Jeroboam from his evil way, upon seeing that this prophet was punished with this wondrous punishment for this sin.
And, behold, men passed by, and saw the carcass cast in the way, and the lion standing by the carcass; and they came and told it in the city where the old prophet dwelt.
verse value 5061
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 86 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בָּֽהּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·lion" (וְאֶת־הָ֣אַרְיֵ֔ה, 8 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "passing·by" (עֹבְרִ֗ים), "and·the·lion" (וְאֶת־הָ֣אַרְיֵ֔ה). The root נבלה appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "where" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·they·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "and·they·came" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·carcass', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 8 words.
Malbim
"And the lion stood by the carcass" – this was a novel matter in their eyes, for the lion did not devour [the body] and leave it. And they did not see the donkey that stood to the side, as Targum [Yonatan] renders: "And the donkey stood beside it, standing opposite it." And they spoke in the city where the old prophet dwelt – and this was by Divine providence, that they did not recount this in any other place, only in this city, since the old prophet was there, so that he would be buried with honor, and that his grave would serve as a memorial in the latter days, as it is stated below (2 Kings 23:17).
And when the prophet that brought him back from the way heard thereof, he said: ‘It is the man of God, who rebelled against the word of Hashem; therefore Hashem has delivered him to the lion, which has torn him, and slain him, according to the word of Hashem, which He spoke to him.’
verse value 6311
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֑ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (אֲשֶׁ֣ר, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·it·broke·him" (וַֽיִּשְׁבְּרֵ֙הוּ֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: that, who, which. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "from·the·way" (מִן־הַדֶּ֒רֶךְ֒), "he·rebelled" (מָרָ֖ה), "mouth·of" (אֶת־פִּ֣י). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שבר ("and·it·broke·him") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Hashem', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 9 words.
Metzudat David
That spoke to him. That spoke concerning him.
Malbim
And the prophet heard, and he recognized that he was the man of God, because he had turned him aside from the way, and he knew his way, for indeed now the lion had killed him on this way. And He gave him—meaning, and therefore it did not eat him, for it had not killed him out of hunger, but by the word of the Lord.
And he spoke to his sons, saying: ‘Saddle me the ass.’ And they saddled it.
verse value 1940
Insights
Verse structure: 6 words, 34 letters. The shortest word is "saying" (לֵאמֹ֔ר, 4 letters) and the longest is "the·ass" (אֶֽת־הַחֲמ֑וֹר, 7 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·they·tied" (וַֽיַּחֲבֹֽשׁוּ). The root חבש appears 2 times in this verse. 5 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "saying" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·spoke" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "to·his·sons" (root איל, 125x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·ass', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 1 words. Full calculation: וַיְדַבֵּ֤ר [and·spoke] (222) + אֶל־בָּנָיו֙ [to·his·sons] (99) + לֵאמֹ֔ר [saying] (271) + חִבְשׁוּ־לִ֖י [saddle·for·me] (356) + אֶֽת־הַחֲמ֑וֹר [the·ass] (660) + וַֽיַּחֲבֹֽשׁוּ [and·they·tied] (332) = 1940.
And he went and found his carcass cast in the way, and the ass and the lion standing by the carcass; the lion had not eaten the carcass, nor torn the ass.
verse value 4977
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 79 letters. The shortest word is "beside" (אֵ֣צֶל, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·carcass" (אֶת־נִבְלָתוֹ֙, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "not·he·ate" (לֹֽא־אָכַ֤ל), "breakinged" (שָׁבַ֖ר). The root נבלה appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·went" (root הלך, 115x in I Kings); "and·not" (root לא, 90x in I Kings); "way" (root דרך, 46x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·carcass', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Radak
"And ass and the lion." Some say that the definite article is missing from it, and its proper form should be "vehachamor" [with the article], like [it is elided in] "bachamor," "kechamor," "lechamor." But this is not tenable, for the definite article's heh cannot be elided except after the [prefix] lamed — not with the conjunctive vav. Rather, "and the ass" appears here without the definite article because it has already been mentioned twice. Similarly, "and he burned the king's house with fire" appears without the definite article, because it had already been mentioned with the definite article as "the palace of the king's house."
The lion did not eat the carcass, nor did it break the donkey. It did not eat the carcass in the manner of [Daniel's] 'and He shut the mouths of the lions,' but rather it killed him as a punishment, for he had rebelled against the word of God. And behold, He showed us through this the reward of the righteous and his punishment together in this world; and likewise the reward of the donkey in this world was for the honor of the prophet who rode upon it, for there is reward and punishment for other living creatures in this world regarding the affairs of man, as we have written in our commentary on Psalms, on the psalm "A Psalm of Praise; of David" (Tehillah leDavid).
Malbim
"He did not eat" [the lion] – meaning: had he attacked out of hunger, he should have eaten the carcass; and had it been out of anger, he should have broken the donkey. Moreover, he saw that the donkey stood like a guard beside the corpse until it was carried off for burial, and the donkey did not flee out of fear of the lion, so that it might carry the corpse of the prophet. Furthermore, this hinted that even the lion, which is a senseless animal, kept the commandment of the Lord and did not eat against His will; all the more so should the man of God have set his heart to do so.
And the prophet took up the carcass of the man of God, and laid it upon the ass, and brought it back; and he came to the city of the old prophet, to lament, and to bury him.
verse value 3462
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 72 letters. The shortest word is "and·lifted" (וַיִּשָּׂ֨א, 4 letters) and the longest is "man·of·God" (אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 68: the·prophet, the·prophet. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·lifted" (וַיִּשָּׂ֨א), "carcass·of" (אֶת־נִבְלַ֧ת), "and·laid·it" (וַיַּנִּחֵ֥הוּ). The root נביא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·city·of" (root איל, 125x in I Kings); "and·came" (root בוא, 109x in I Kings); "man·of·God" (root איש, 79x in I Kings). First appearance of the root ספד ("to·mourn") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·He·brought·him·back', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: וַיִּשָּׂ֨א [and·lifted] (317) + הַנָּבִ֜יא [the·prophet] (68) + אֶת־נִבְלַ֧ת [carcass·of] (883) + אִישׁ־הָאֱלֹהִ֛ים [man·of·God] (402) + וַיַּנִּחֵ֥הוּ [and·laid·it] (85) + אֶֽל־הַחֲמ֖וֹר [to·ass] (290) + וַיְשִׁיבֵ֑הוּ [and·He·brought·him·back] (339) + וַיָּבֹ֗א [and·came] (19) + אֶל־עִיר֙ [to·city·of] (311) + הַנָּבִ֣יא [the·prophet] (68) + הַזָּקֵ֔ן [the·aged·one] (162) + לִסְפֹּ֖ד [to·mourn] (174) + וּלְקׇבְרֽוֹ [and·to·bury·him] (344) = 3462.
Radak
"And he laid him upon the donkey." Just as it is written "upon the donkey," so too "to the mountains" [is equivalent to] "upon the mountains," as in the verse "He did not eat upon the mountains," and there are many other examples like this.
And he laid his carcass in his own grave; and they made lamentation for him: ‘Alas, my brother! ’
verse value 1595
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 32 letters. The shortest word is "ah!" (ה֥וֹי, 3 letters) and the longest is "his·carcass" (אֶת־נִבְלָת֖וֹ, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "in·his·grave" (בְּקִבְר֑וֹ), "and·they·wailed" (וַיִּסְפְּד֥וּ), "ah!" (ה֥וֹי). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "for·him" (root על, 127x in I Kings); "in·his·grave" (root קבר, 20x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·his·grave', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וַיַּנַּ֥ח [and·he·deposited] (74) + אֶת־נִבְלָת֖וֹ [his·carcass] (889) + בְּקִבְר֑וֹ [in·his·grave] (310) + וַיִּסְפְּד֥וּ [and·they·wailed] (166) + עָלָ֖יו [for·him] (116) + ה֥וֹי [ah!] (21) + אָחִֽי [my·brother] (19) = 1595.
Rashi
In his grave. In the burial place that belonged to this false prophet in the city:
Radak
In his grave. In the grave of the old prophet, which he had dug for himself:
And they mourned. He and his sons:
Ralbag
“And they mourned for him, saying, ‘O my brother!’” It is possible that the entire city mourned for him, for they knew what he had done in Bethel and the words that he had spoken to Jeroboam; or perhaps the old prophet and his sons mourned for him.
Metzudat David
In his grave. In the grave that the old prophet dug for himself.
And they mourned. The old prophet and his sons.
Alas, my brother. Meaning: it grieves me for you, my companion.
And it came to pass, after he had buried him, that he spoke 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.
verse value 6559
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 87 letters. The shortest word is "in·it" (בּ֑וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "my·bones" (אֶת־עַצְמֹתָֽי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 308: his·burying, buried. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "his·burying" (קׇבְר֣וֹ), "when·I·die" (בְּמוֹתִי֙), "and·you·shall·bury" (וּקְבַרְתֶּ֣ם). The root קבר appears 4 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "wherein" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "and·said" (root אמר, 324x in I Kings); "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·it', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 4 words.
Radak
"Lay my bones beside his bones." The mention of the bones in place of the body is because they are the foundations of the body.
Ralbag
“Beside his bones they laid my bones.” He commanded this because he knew that the bones of the man of God would be spared, so that Josiah would not burn them; and in order to save his own bones, he did this. And so it is written: “And his bones escaped, together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria.” And this is proof that this old prophet came from Samaria.
Metzudat Zion
Atzmostav. He mentions the bones in place of the body, because they are the foundation of the body:
Malbim
“Beside his bones” – for it was their custom to gather the bones after the flesh had decayed and to bury them a second time. He commanded that both at the time of the initial burial and at the time of gathering the bones, they should be placed beside the prophet.
For the saying which he cried by the word of Hashem against the altar in Beth-el, and against all the houses of the high places which are in the cities of Samaria, shall surely come to pass.’
verse value 4835
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 68 letters. Notable word values: "Hashem" (יְהֹוָ֔ה) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "for" (כִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "against·the·altar" (עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 501: which, which, which. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "all·houses·of" (כׇּל־בָּתֵּ֣י). The root אשר appears 3 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root אשר, 375x in I Kings); "Hashem" (root יהוה, 254x in I Kings); "surely" (root היה, 196x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שמרון ("Samaria") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Beth-el', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 6 words.
Rashi
"For it shall be, it shall be, etc.": Perhaps his bones will save my bones.
Radak
"It shall surely come to pass." And when the bones of those buried [there] are burned, his bones will escape [unharmed], for he is a man of God; and my bones will escape together with his bones, in his honor. And so it is written: "And they let his bones alone, with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria" (2 Kings 23:18).
Ralbag
"And upon all the high places which were in the cities of Samaria." It might seem that although Jeroboam did nothing but set up two golden calves, nevertheless there were many high places in his kingdom; but the great high places were at the places of the calves. Now, Samaria was not built in the days of Jeroboam, for Omri built it, and it was the royal residence at the end of the matter. And this old prophet prophesied that this very deed would also be done by Josiah upon all the high places which were in the cities of Samaria. And so was the matter, as is mentioned at the end of this book.
Metzudat David
And on all the houses of the high places. Although the prophet who came from Judah prophesied only against the altar that was in Bethel, he added to prophesy against all the houses of the high places, etc.
In the cities of Samaria. He spoke by anticipation of its later name; for Omri built it later.
Malbim
"For it shall surely come to pass" – that the prophecy will be fulfilled in every way, and since it has no fixed time, do not leave my bones even for a short while. And from what is written, "and against all the shrine-houses that are in the cities of Samaria," Abarbanel proved that he was a true prophet, for at that time Samaria had not yet been built; but from where did he know this? However, it will be explained by me below (2 Kings 23) that this the prophet of Bethel heard from the man of God, who explained his words there; see there. But the main point is, according to the words of our Sages of blessed memory, that he was a false prophet. Therefore it is written below (ibid.), "so they spared his bones, together with the bones of the prophet who came from Samaria" — which makes clear that he had no merit of his own, for he was a false prophet.
After this thing Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again from among all the people priests of the high places; whosoever would, he consecrated him, that he might be one of the priests of the high places.
verse value 4879
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 77 letters. The shortest word is "after" (אַחַר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Jeroboam" (יָרׇבְעָ֖ם, 5 letters). Words sharing gematria 448: high·places, high·places. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "not·returned" (לֹא־שָׁ֥ב), "from·his·way" (מִדַּרְכּ֣וֹ), "delight" (הֶֽחָפֵץ֙). The root שוב appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·let·it·be" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "the·thing" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "and·did" (root עשה, 143x in I Kings). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'evil', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 12 words.
Rashi
"After this matter." That is, after he saw this miracle and heard the words of the prophet, and yet did not return [to repentance]. And our Sages expounded (there, 102a): "After the Holy One, blessed be He, seized him by his garment and said to him: 'Return, and I, you, and the son of Jesse shall stroll in the Garden of Eden.'"
Radak
"Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way." Even though he saw the miracle of the altar, which was split apart, and the miracle of his hand, which withered and then returned to him through the prayer of the man of God, and he witnessed the death of the prophet when he disobeyed the word of the Lord, and he heard the miracle that the lion stood beside the prophet's corpse, yet did not eat the corpse nor break the donkey—despite all this, he did not turn from his evil way. He returned as he was at first, and he made the extremities of the people priests of the high places: whoever wished to come to offer sacrifices on the high place became a priest. And he increased the sin day by day. The phrase "and he became a priest of the high places" means "and he became [one] of the priests of the high places." And the phrase "and this thing became a sin to the house of Jeroboam" means: for the punishment of the house of Jeroboam, to destroy and cut off. Similarly, "this shall be the sin of Egypt." The letter bet in "in this matter" takes the place of the definite article heh, or its meaning is according to its plain sense: namely, on account of this matter, the anger of God burned against the house of Jeroboam to destroy them from the face of the earth, because he did not turn from his evil way in all that he saw.
Ralbag
"After this matter." This means the words of this prophet, from which Jeroboam ought to have taken a lesson, because he saw the miracle of the altar being split apart and its ashes pouring out, and his withered hand being restored to its former state due to the prophet’s prayer, and the death of the man of God by the lion because he disobeyed the word of the Lord by eating and drinking in that place, and the miracle in this matter that the lion did not break the donkey and did not eat the carcass.
“The person who wishes shall fill his hand.” This means: to bring the sacrifices.
Metzudat David
After this matter. Although he saw the wonders of the Lord, the withered hand and the splitting of the altar, and the death of the prophet on account that he transgressed the commandment of the Lord -- despite all this he did not return from his way.
And he repeated, and did. Meaning: again and again.
The willing. Whoever desired would induct himself, and would be among the priests of the high places.
Metzudat Zion
Yemale et yado. It is a matter of ordination; like (Exodus 29:9) 'and you shall fill the hands of Aaron' (u'malatem yad Aharon):
Malbim
"After this matter" — even though the Lord sent a prophet to bring him to repentance and gave him a sign, nevertheless he did not return from his evil way. Our Sages of blessed memory said in their parable: After the Holy One, blessed be He, seized Jeroboam by his garment and said to him, "Return, and I, you, and the son of Jesse will stroll in the Garden of Eden," he replied, "Who will be at the head?" He answered, "The son of Jesse will be at the head." He said, "If so, I do not want it." This means that the man of God who came to him when he was standing by the altar seized him by his garment to restrain his treason and his evil deeds, and by healing his hand—which was a sign that he should accept repentance, as mentioned above—he hinted to him that he would stroll in the Garden of Eden with the son of Jesse. The reason he did not return was because of the imaginary honor; he feared that if he went up to Jerusalem, the son of Jesse would be at the head, and he would be in a rank behind him. "And he again made" means that priests of the high places were appointed, either by the king, who made some of the people priests of the high places, or by the people themselves, [each of] whom desired to fill his own hand through sacrifices. And thereby "there were priests of the high places" — meaning that even though they heard the prophet's prophecy that their bones would surely be burned, they paid no heed to this.
And by this thing there was sin to the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth.
verse value 2251
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 49 letters. The shortest word is "this" (הַזֶּ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·to·cut·off" (וּלְהַכְחִיד֙, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 140: from·off, face. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in I Kings. Unique to this verse in I Kings (hapax): "and·to·cut·off" (וּלְהַכְחִיד֙), "to·destroy" (וּלְהַשְׁמִ֔יד). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·it·was" (root היה, 196x in I Kings); "in·the·thing" (root דבר, 191x in I Kings); "house·of" (root בית, 191x in I Kings). First appearance of the root שמד ("to·destroy") in I Kings. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jeroboam', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַֽיְהִי֙ [and·it·was] (31) + בַּדָּבָ֣ר [in·the·thing] (208) + הַזֶּ֔ה [this] (17) + לְחַטַּ֖את [to·sin·of] (448) + בֵּ֣ית [house·of] (412) + יָרׇבְעָ֑ם [Jeroboam] (322) + וּלְהַכְחִיד֙ [and·to·cut·off] (83) + וּלְהַשְׁמִ֔יד [to·destroy] (395) + מֵעַ֖ל [from·off] (140) + פְּנֵ֥י [face] (140) + הָאֲדָמָֽה [ground] (55) = 2251.
Ralbag
“And it came to pass in this matter that it became a sin for the house of Jeroboam.” Behold, on account of this sin, a wondrous punishment befell the house of Jeroboam, leading to their annihilation and destruction from the face of the earth. The meaning is that this sin caused there to remain no son or grandson for Jeroboam. Regarding him and his companions, the Torah states, “Lest there be among you a man or woman whose heart turns away today,” etc., as we have explained there.
Metzudat David
In this matter. On account of the service of the high places came the punishment, that the house of Jeroboam would be lacking from the world.
Metzudat Zion
L'chatat. A matter of deficiency; like (above 1:21) 'I and my son Solomon will be counted offenders' (v'hiyiti ani uvnei Shlome chata'im):
U'l'chachid. To destroy; like (Exodus 9:15) 'and it would have been utterly destroyed from the land' (u'chached mi'ha'aretz):
U'l'shamad. A matter of annihilation:
Malbim
"And it came to pass, through this matter" – through the matter that the prophet spoke and showed his signs, yet he did not repent, the Lord reckoned this a sin for the house of Jeroboam — not upon him alone, but upon all his house, as it is written: "And I will set My face against this man and against his family." And the decree went forth to obliterate and destroy from upon the face of the earth all his house; and the substance of the decree will be explained in the next section.
Rashi
Radak
Metzudat David
Malbim