Unleashing the Trickster: A New Look at the Lying Prophet of Bethel

Abstract This paper offers a fresh attempt to unravel the enigma shrouding 1 Kings 13 by unveiling a trickster tale embedded within the present text. Recognizing the hidden narrative that celebrates the old prophet of Bethel as a trickster hero—standing against an imposing intruder who desecrated the local shrine—provides a fresh interpretative lens through which we can understand the perplexing facets of this account, not as obstructions, but as crucial elements integral to its comprehension. The local prophet’s cunning manœuvres allowed him not only to deflect the curse back onto its initiator but also to safeguard the local community. Recognizing this hidden narrative also enables us to underscore the significance of an editorial inversion that turned the trickster tale upside down. The Dtr framework suffocates the trickster’s heroic face and turns him into the ultimate villain (like Jeroboam) and promotes the man of God as the protagonist (like Josiah) whose tragic death adds yet another reason to vilify Jeroboam. Curiously though, the vestiges of the underlying narrative are not entirely obliterated, and the continued struggle between the two narratives bestows upon the present text an elusive nature that defies any attempts at a definitive interpretation.