Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 13:1

"And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of Jehovah unto Beth-el: and Jeroboam was standing by the altar to burn incense." — 1 Kings 13:1 (ASV)

A man of God out of Judah. — Josephus calls him Jadon (Iddo); but from 2 Chronicles 13:22 it appears that Iddo was the chronicler of the reign of Abijah, and must, therefore, have lived until near the close of Jeroboam’s reign. Probably the tradition came from a mistaken interpretation of the “visions of Iddo against Jeroboam.”

By the word of the Lord. — A weak rendering of the original, “in the word of the Lord.” The constantly recurring prophetic phrases are, the word of the Lord came to me, and the Spirit of the Lord was upon me, enabling, or forcing, him to declare it. The original phrase here implies both. The prophet came clothed in the inspiration of the word put into his mouth.