And he cried against the altar in the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the LORD; Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burnt upon thee.

1 KINGS 13:2KJV
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1 Kings 13:2 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 13:2 mean?

1 Kings 13:2 describes a prophet publicly declaring God’s message against an altar, predicting that a future king named Josiah from David’s family will destroy the altar by burning the bones of priests on it. This prophecy announces a coming judgment on the altar and those who serve at it, showing that God will not let the false worship continue.

In this scene, an unnamed prophet is speaking directly to the altar at Bethel, where King Jeroboam had set up unauthorized worship. The prophet’s message is specific: a child named Josiah will be born into David’s line, and he will desecrate the altar by burning human bones on it, a sign of total rejection. This prophecy is striking because it names Josiah centuries before his birth and predicts a dramatic reversal of the current religious practices.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 13:2

  • "altar" (מִזְבֵּחַ, mizbeach): This word refers to the structure used for sacrifices. Addressing the altar itself, rather than just the people, emphasizes the seriousness of the judgment.
  • "child" (בֵּן, ben): This word often means "son," but here it highlights that Josiah will be a descendant of David, connecting the prophecy to the royal line.
  • "offer" (זָבַח, zavach): This word means "to sacrifice" or "to slaughter." The prophet says Josiah will "offer" the priests’ bones, meaning he will burn them as a sign of defilement, not as a true sacrifice.
  • "burnt" (שָׂרַף, saraph): This word means "to burn." Burning bones on the altar is a way to make it ritually unclean, showing God’s rejection of the false worship there.

Why 1 Kings 13:2 matters

  • 1 Kings 13:2 clears up that God’s judgment is not just against the people but also against the very place and system of false worship, symbolized by the altar itself.
  • The verse emphasizes the certainty of God’s word by naming Josiah long before he is born, showing that God’s plans reach far into the future.
  • This prophecy connects to later events in 2 Kings 23, where Josiah actually fulfills this prediction, helping readers see the Bible’s long-term storyline and the seriousness of turning away from God’s instructions.

Where else these words appear

“Josiah” Hebrew H2977 · used in 48 verses

  • 2 Kings 21:24 And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead.
  • 2 Chronicles 34:1 Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.
  • Jeremiah 3:6 The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.

“places” Hebrew H1116 · used in 92 verses

  • Leviticus 26:30 And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.
  • 2 Kings 16:4 And he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
  • 2 Chronicles 33:3 For he built again the high places which Hezekiah his father had broken down, and he reared up altars for Baalim, and made groves, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served them.

“burnt” Hebrew H8313 · used in 107 verses

  • Genesis 11:3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
  • Joshua 7:15 And it shall be, that he that is taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath: because he hath transgressed the covenant of the LORD, and because he hath wrought folly in Israel.
  • Psalms 46:9 He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

“bones” Hebrew H6106 · used in 108 verses

  • Genesis 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
  • 2 Kings 13:21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet.
  • Proverbs 3:8 It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.