Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Kings 13:14

"And he went after the man of God, and found him sitting under an oak; and he said unto him, Art thou the man of God that camest from Judah? And he said, I am." — 1 Kings 13:14 (ASV)

An oak. — Properly, the oak or terebinth; supposed to be known in that comparatively treeless country, like the oak at Shechem (Genesis 35:4; Genesis 35:8; Joshua 24:26; Judges 9:6), the oak at Ophrah (Judges 6:11), and the palm tree of Deborah (Judges 4:5).

This expression is an evident mark of the antiquity of the document from which the history is taken. It has been suggested that the narrative implies needless loitering by the prophet of Judah on his way. Taken by itself, this would not necessarily be conveyed; however, in relation to the disposition indicated in the whole story, this suggestion may not be improbable.