Reference

1 Kings 13:2

Literal FulfillmentEarthly Sanctuary SystemProphetic Methods of Communication
“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

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Beth–el: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense.

2

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.

3

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.

4

And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Beth–el, that he 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 pull it in again to him.

Why This Verse Was Tagged

Literal Fulfillment
Keyword Match
90% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Earthly Sanctuary System
Multi-Signal Classification
70% relevance

This verse was identified by multiple independent signals: structural patterns, prophetic context, and vocabulary — then validated by a probability model (Snorkel).

Prophetic Methods of Communication
Keyword Match
70% relevance

This verse contains specific terms directly associated with this theme.

Counter-Arguments

The strongest case that this verse does not belong in this theme.

Literal Fulfillment

While the prophecy is specific, the exact manner of Josiah's birth and his actions are not detailed in this verse, leaving some room for interpretation regarding the "literal" nature of every aspect.

Earthly Sanctuary System

While the verse mentions an "altar" and "priests," it focuses on a future prophecy of destruction and desecration rather than the establishment, function, or purpose of a sanctuary system for dwelling or atonement. The primary action described is the offering of priests and burning of bones, which is contrary to the typical function of a sanctuary system.

Prophetic Methods of Communication

The verse describes a prophet speaking a message, but it does not explicitly detail the method by which that prophet received the message from God (e.g., dream, vision, audible voice).

Literal Fulfillment
Literal Fulfillment

Cross-References

Ezekiel 37:4Thematic

“Again he said unto me, Prophesy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the word of the Lord.”

Deuteronomy 32:1Thematic

“Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.”

Ezekiel 36:1Thematic

“Also, thou son of man, prophesy unto the mountains of Israel, and say, Ye mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord:”

Jeremiah 22:29Thematic

“O earth, earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord.”

2 Chronicles 34:1Thematic

“Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned in Jerusalem one and thirty years.”

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Thematic Connections

Literal FulfillmentEarthly Sanctuary SystemProphetic Methods of Communication

Private Study Note