1 Kings 13:18

“And he said unto him, etc.] That is, the old prophet said to the man of God: I am a prophet also as thou art; meaning, that he was a prophet of the true God, and not of any idol deity; that he not only believed in him, and was a worshipper of him, but had revelations from him, and of the same things this man of God had, and that he believed that what he had prophesied of would certainly come to pass: and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the Lord; was sent and dispatched by the order of the Lord with the following message: saying, bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water; and so be refreshed, and be fit to proceed on in his journey: [but] he lied…”

“an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord--This circuitous mode of speaking, instead of simply saying, "the LORD spake to me," was adopted to hide an equivocation, to conceal a double meaning--an inferior sense given to the word "angel"--to offer a seemingly superior authority to persuade the prophet, while really the authority was secretly known to the speaker to be inferior. The "angel," that is, "messenger," was his own sons, who were worshippers, perhaps priests, at Beth-el. As this man was governed by self-interest, and wished to curry favor with the king (whose purpose to adhere to his religious polity, he feared, might be shaken by the portents that had occurred), his hastening…”

“But he lied unto him - It is always to be remembered that the prophetic gift might co-exist with various degrees of moral imperfection in the person possessing it. Note especially the case of Balaam. return to 'Top of Page'”

“an angel: Num 22:35; Jdg 6:11, Jdg 6:12, Jdg 13:3 But: Gen 3:4, Gen 3:5; Isa 9:15; Jer 5:12, Jer 5:31, Jer 23:14, Jer 23:17, Jer 23:32, Jer 28:15, Jer 28:16; Eze 13:9, Eze 13:10, Eze 13:22; Mat 7:15, Mat 24:24; Rom 16:18; Co2 11:3, Co2 11:13-15; Pe2 2:1; Jo1 4:1; Rev 19:20 3 Kings (1 Kings) 13:19”