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Selected Verse: 1 Kings 12:1 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
1Ki 12:1	Strong Concordance	And Rehoboam [07346] went [03212] to Shechem [07927]: for all Israel [03478] were come [0935] to Shechem [07927] to make him king [04427].
	King James	And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
REFUSING THE OLD MEN'S COUNSEL. (Kg1 12:1-5) Rehoboam went to Shechem--He was the oldest, and perhaps the only son of Solomon, and had been, doubtless, designated by his father heir to the throne, as Solomon had been by David. The incident here related took place after the funeral obsequies of the late king and the period for public mourning had past. When all Israel came to make him king, it was not to exercise their old right of election (Sa1 10:19-21), for, after God's promise of the perpetual sovereignty to David's posterity, their duty was submission to the authority of the rightful heir; but their object was, when making him king, to renew the conditions and stipulations to which their constitutional kings were subject (Sa1 10:25). To the omission of such rehearsing which, under the peculiar circumstances in which Solomon was made king, they were disposed to ascribe the absolutism of his government. Shechem--This ancient, venerable, and central town was the place of convocation; and it is evident, if not from the appointment of that place, at least from the tenor of their language, and the concerted presence of Jeroboam [Kg1 12:3], that the people were determined on revolt.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

REFUSING THE OLD MEN'S COUNSEL. (Kg1 12:1-5)

Rehoboam went to Shechem--He was the oldest, and perhaps the only son of Solomon, and had been, doubtless, designated by his father heir to the throne, as Solomon had been by David. The incident here related took place after the funeral obsequies of the late king and the period for public mourning had past. When all Israel came to make him king, it was not to exercise their old right of election (Sa1 10:19-21), for, after God's promise of the perpetual sovereignty to David's posterity, their duty was submission to the authority of the rightful heir; but their object was, when making him king, to renew the conditions and stipulations to which their constitutional kings were subject (Sa1 10:25). To the omission of such rehearsing which, under the peculiar circumstances in which Solomon was made king, they were disposed to ascribe the absolutism of his government.

Shechem--This ancient, venerable, and central town was the place of convocation; and it is evident, if not from the appointment of that place, at least from the tenor of their language, and the concerted presence of Jeroboam [Kg1 12:3], that the people were determined on revolt.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
The first step taken by the new king was a most judicious one. If anything could have removed the disaffection of the Ephraimites, and caused them to submit to the ascendancy of Judah, it would have been the honor done to their capital by its selection as the scene of the coronation. Shechem (now Nablous) lay on the flank of Mount Gerizim, directly opposite to Mount Ebal, in a position second to none in all Palestine. Though Abimelech had destroyed the place Jdg 9:45, it had probably soon risen again, and was once more a chief city, or perhaps "the" chief city, of Ephraim. Its central position made it a convenient place for the general assembly of the tribes, as it had been in the days of Joshua Jos 8:30-35; 24:1-28; and this would furnish an additional reason for its selection.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
The jealousy which had prevailed from time immemorial between Ephraim and Judah, the two most powerful tribes of the covenant nation, and had broken out on different occasions into open hostilities (Jdg 8:1.; Sa2 2:9; Sa2 19:42.), issued, on the death of Solomon, in the division of the kingdom; ten tribes, headed by Ephraim, refusing to do homage to Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, and choosing Jeroboam the Ephraimite as their king. Now, although the secession of the ten tribes from the royal house of David had been ordained by God as a punishment for Solomon's idolatry, and not only had Solomon been threatened with this punishment, but the sovereignty over ten tribes had been promised to Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah, whilst the secession itself was occasioned by Rehoboam's imprudence; yet it was essentially a rebellion against the Lord and His anointed, a conspiracy on the part of these tribes against Judah and its king Rehoboam. For apart from the fact that the tribes had no right to choose at their pleasure a different king from the one who was the lawful heir to the throne of David, the very circumstance that the tribes who were discontented with Solomon's government did not come to Jerusalem to do homage to Rehoboam, but chose Sichem as the place of meeting, and had also sent for Jeroboam out of Egypt, showed clearly enough that it was their intention to sever themselves from the royal house of David; so that the harsh reply given by Rehoboam to their petition that the service imposed upon them might be lightened, furnished them with the desired opportunity for carrying out the secession upon which they had already resolved, and for which Jeroboam was the suitable man. And we have already shown at Kg1 11:40 that the promise of the throne, which Jeroboam had already received from God, neither warranted him in rebelling against Solomon, nor in wresting to himself the government over the tribes that were discontented with the house of David after Solomon's death. The usurpation of the throne was therefore Jeroboam's first sin (vv. 1-24), to which he added a second and much greater one immediately after his ascent of the throne, namely, the establishment of an unlawful worship, by which he turned the political division into a religious schism and a falling away from Jehovah the God-King of His people (Kg1 12:25-33). Kg1 12:1 Secession of the Ten Tribes (cf., 2 Chron 10:1-11:4). - Kg1 12:1-4. Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come thither to make him king. "All Israel," according to what follows (cf., Kg1 12:20, Kg1 12:21), was the ten tribes beside Judah and Benjamin. The right of making king the prince whom God had chosen, i.e., of anointing him and doing homage to him (compare Ch1 12:38, where המליך alternates with למלך משׁך, (Sa2 2:4; Sa2 5:3), was an old traditional right in Israel, and the tribes had exercised it not only in the case of Saul and David (Sa1 11:15; Sa2 2:4; Sa2 5:3), but in that of Solomon also (Ch1 29:22). The ten tribes of Israel made use of this right on Rehoboam's ascent of the throne; but instead of coming to Jerusalem, the residence of the king and capital of the kingdom, as they ought to have done, and doing homage there to the legitimate successor of Solomon, they had gone to Sichem, the present Nabulus (see at Gen 12:6 and Gen 33:18), the place where the ancient national gatherings were held in the tribe of Ephraim (Jos 24:1), and where Abimelech the son of Gideon had offered himself as king in the time of the Judges (Jdg 9:1.). On the choice of Sichem as the place for doing homage Kimchi has quite correctly observed, that "they sought an opportunity for transferring the government to Jeroboam, and therefore were unwilling to come to Jerusalem, but came to Sichem, which belonged to Ephraim, whilst Jeroboam was an Ephraimite." If there could be any further doubt on the matter, it would be removed by the fact that they had sent for Jeroboam the son of Nebat to come from Egypt, whither he had fled from Solomon (Kg1 11:40), and attend this meeting, and that Jeroboam took the lead in the meeting, and no doubt suggested to those assembled the demand which they should lay before Rehoboam (Kg1 12:4). (Note: "This pretext was no doubt furnished to the people by Jeroboam, who, because he had formerly been placed above Ephraim as superintendent of the works, could most craftily suggest calumnies, from the things which he knew better than others." - (Seb. Schmidt.) Kg1 12:2-3 The construction of Kg1 12:2, Kg1 12:3 is a complicated one, since it is only in ויּבאוּ in Kg1 12:3 that the apodosis occurs to the protasis וגו כּשׁמע ויהי, and several circumstantial clauses intervene. "And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard, sc., that Solomon was dead and Rehoboam had been made king ... he was still in Egypt, however, whither he had fled from king Solomon; and as Jeroboam was living in Egypt, they had sent and called him ... that Jeroboam came and the whole congregation of Israel," etc. On the other hand, in Ch2 10:2 the construction is very much simplified, and is rendered clearer by the alteration of בּמצרים יר ויּשׁב, "and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt," into ממּצרים יר ויּשׁב, "that Jeroboam returned from Egypt." (Note: At the same time, neither this explanation in the Chronicles, nor the fact that the Vulgate has the same in our text also, warrants our making alterations in the text, for the simple reason that the deviation in the Chronicles and Vulgate is so obviously nothing but an elucidation of our account, which is more obscurely expressed. There is still less ground for the interpolation, which Thenius has proposed, from the clauses contained in the Septuagint partly after Kg1 11:43, partly in 1 Kings 12 between Kg1 12:24 and Kg1 12:25, and in an abbreviated form once more after Kg1 13:34, so as to obtain the following more precise account of the course of the rebellion which Jeroboam instigated, and of which we have not a very minute description in Kg1 11:26 : "Solomon having appointed Jeroboam superintendent of the tributary labour in Ephraim, for the purpose of keeping in check the Sichemites, who were probably pre-eminently inclined to rebel, directed him to make a fortress, which already existed upon Mount Gerizim under the name of Millo, into a strong prison (צרירה( ), from which the whole district of Gerizim, the table-land, received the name of the land of Zerirah, and probably made him governor of it and invested him with great power. When holding this post, Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon, but was obliged to flee. Having now returned from Egypt, he assembled the members of his own tribe, and with them he first of all besieged this prison, for the purpose of making himself lord of the surrounding district. Now this castle was the citadel of the city in which Jeroboam was born, to which he had just returned, and from which they fetched him to take part in the negotiations with Rehoboam. Its ruins are still in existence, according to Robinson (Pal. iii. p. 99), and from all that has been said it was not called Zeredah (Kg1 11:26), but (after the castle) Zerira." This is what Thenius says. But if we read the two longer additions of the lxx quite through, we shall easily see that the words ᾠκοδόμησε τῷ Σαλωμὼν τὴν ἐν ὄρει Ἐφραΐ́μ do not give any more precise historical information concerning the building of the Millo mentioned in Kg1 11:27, since this verse is repeated immediately afterwards in the following form: οὖτος ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν ἄκραν ἐν ταῖς ἄρσεσιν οἴκου Ἐφραΐ́μ οὖτος συνέκλεισε τὴν πόλιν Δαβίδ, - but are nothing more than a legendary supplement made by an Alexandrian, which has no more value than the statement that Jeroboam's mother was named Sarira and was γυνὴ πόρνη. The name of the city Σαριρά is simply the Greek form of the Hebrew צררה, which the lxx have erroneously adopted in the place of צרדה, as the reading in Kg1 11:26. But in the additional clauses in question in the Alexandrian version, Σαριρά is made into the residence of king Jeroboam and confounded with Thirza; what took place at Thirza according to Kg1 14:17 (of the Hebrew text) being transferred to Sarira, and the following account being introduced, viz., that Jeroboam's wife went ἐκ Σαριρά to the prophet Ahijah to consult him concerning her sick son, and on returning heard of the child's death as she was entering the city of Sarira. - These remarks will be quite sufficient to prove that the Alexandrian additions have not the least historical worth.) Kg1 12:4 The persons assembled desired that the burdens which Solomon had laid upon them should be lightened, in which case they would serve Rehoboam, i.e., would yield obedience to him as their king. אביך מעבדת הקל, "make light away from the service of thy father," i.e., reduce what was imposed upon us by thy father. Solomon had undoubtedly demanded greater performances from the people than they had previously been accustomed to, not only to meet the cost of maintaining the splendour of his court, but also and principally to carry out his large and numerous buildings. But in return for this, he had secured for his people not only the blessings of undisturbed peace throughout his whole reign, but also great wealth from the trade and tribute of the subjugated nations, so that there cannot have been any well-grounded occasion for complaint. But when, as is too often the case, men overlooked the advantages and blessings which they owed to his government, and fixed their attention in a one-sided manner merely upon the performances which the king demanded, it might appear as though he had oppressed his people with excessive burdens. Kg1 12:5-6 In order that the request of the tribes might be maturely weighed, Rehoboam directed them to appear before him again in three days, and in the meantime discussed the matter with the older counsellors,who had served his father. Kg1 12:7 These counsellors said (the singular וידבּר is used- because one of them spoke in the name of the whole), "If thou wilt be subservient to this people to-day (now), and servest them, and hearkenest to them, ... they will serve thee for ever." Kg1 12:8-14 But Rehoboam forsook this advice, and asked the younger ministers who had grown up with him. They advised him to overawe the people by harsh threats. "My little finger is stronger than my father's loins." קטי, from קטן, littleness, i.e., the little finger (for the form, see Ewald, 255, b.), - a figurative expression in the sense of, I possess much greater might than my father. "And now, my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, and I will still further add to your yoke (lay still more upon you): my father chastised you with whips, I will chastise you with scorpions." עקרבּים, scorpiones, are whips with barbed points like the point of a scorpion's sting. (Note: The Rabbins give this explanation: virgae spinis instructae. Isidor. HisPal. Origg. v. c. 27, explains it in a similar manner: virga si est nodosa vel aculeata, scorpio vocatur. The Targ. and Syr., on the other hand, מרגגין, Syr. mārganā', i.e., the Greek μάραγνα, a whip. See the various explanations in Bochart, Hieroz. iii. p. 554f. ed. Ros.) This advice was not only imprudent, "considering all the circumstances" (Seb. Schmidt), but it was unwise in itself, and could only accelerate the secession of the discontented. It was the language of a tyrant, and not of a ruler whom God had placed over His people. This is shown in Kg1 12:13, Kg1 12:14 : "The king answered the people harshly, and forsook the counsel of the old men," i.e., the counsellors who were rich in experience, and spoke according to the counsels of the young men, who flattered his ambition. It is very doubtful, indeed, whether the advice of the old men would have been followed by so favourable a result; it might probably have been so for the moment, but not for a permanency. For the king could not become the עגלים of the people, serve the people, without prejudicing the authority entrusted to him by God; though there is no doubt that if he had consented to such condescension, he would have deprived the discontented tribes of all pretext for rebellion, and not have shared in the sin of their secession. Kg1 12:15 "And the king hearkened not to the people (to their request for their burdens to be reduced), for it was יהוה מעם סבּה, a turning from the Lord, that He might establish His word" (Kg1 11:31.), i.e., by a divine decree, that Rehoboam contributed to the fulfilment of the counsel of God through his own folly, and brought about the accomplishment of the sentence pronounced upon Solomon. Kg1 12:16 The harsh word supplied the discontented with an apparently just occasion for saying, "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! To thy tents, O Israel! Now see to thy house, David!" i.e., take care of thy house. David, the tribe-father, is mentioned in the place of his family. These words, with which Sheba had once preached rebellion in the time of David (Sa2 20:1), give expression to the deep-rooted aversion which was cherished by these tribes towards the Davidic monarchy, and that in so distinct and unvarnished a manner, that we may clearly see that there were deeper causes for the secession than the pretended oppression of Solomon's government; that its real foundation was the ancient jealousy of the tribes, which had been only suppressed for the time by David and Solomon, but had not been entirely eradicated, whilst this jealousy again had its roots in the estrangement of these tribes from the Lord, and from His law and righteousness. Kg1 12:17 But the sons of Israel, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, over these Rehoboam became king. These "sons of Israel" are members of the ten tribes who had settled in Judah in the course of ages (cf., Kg1 12:23); and the Simeonites especially are included, since they were obliged to remain in the kingdom of Judah from the very situation of their tribe-territory, and might very well be reckoned among the Israelites who dwelt in the cities of Judah, inasmuch as at first the whole of their territory was allotted to the tribe of Judah, from which they afterwards received a portion (Jos 19:1). The verse cannot possibly mean that "the tribe of Judah declared in favour of their countryman Rehoboam as king" (Ewald, Gesch. iii. p. 399). Kg1 12:18 In order to appease the agitated tribes and commence negotiations with them, Rehoboam sent Adoram, the superintendent of the tribute, to them (see at Kg1 4:6). Rehoboam entrusted him with the negotiation, because the tribes had complained that the tribute burdens were too severe, and the king was no doubt serious in his wish to meet the demands of the people. But the very fact that he sent this man only increased the bitterness of feeling, so that they stoned him to death, and Rehoboam himself was obliged to summon up all his strength (התאמּץ) to escape a similar fate by a speedy flight to his chariot. Kg1 12:19 Thus Israel fell away from the house of David "unto this day." Kg1 12:20 The secession was completed by the fact that all Israel (of the ten tribes) called Jeroboam to the assembly of the congregation and made him king "over all Israel," so that the tribe of Judah alone adhered to the house of David (see at Kg1 11:32). Kg1 12:20 commences in the same manner as Kg1 12:2, to indicate that it closes the account commenced in Kg1 12:2. Kg1 12:21-24 But after the return of Rehoboam to Jerusalem he was still desirous of bringing back the seceders by force of arms, and raised for that purpose an army of 180,000 men out of all Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the rest of the people, i.e., the Israelites dwelling in the cities of Judah, - a number which does not appear too large according to Sa2 24:9. But the prophet Shemaiah, a prophet who is not mentioned again, received instructions from God to forbid the king to go to war with their brethren the Israelites, "for this thing was from the Lord." הזּה הדּבר, "this thing, i.e., his being deprived of the sovereignty over ten tribes, but not their rebellion" (Seb. Schmidt). For the fact itself, see the remark on Kg1 12:15. The king and the people hearkened to this word. ללכת ישׁוּבוּ, "they turned to go," i.e., they gave up the intended expedition and returned home. In Ch2 11:4 we have the explanatory phrase מלּכת ישׁוּבוּ.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

The jealousy which had prevailed from time immemorial between Ephraim and Judah, the two most powerful tribes of the covenant nation, and had broken out on different occasions into open hostilities (Jdg 8:1.; Sa2 2:9; Sa2 19:42.), issued, on the death of Solomon, in the division of the kingdom; ten tribes, headed by Ephraim, refusing to do homage to Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, and choosing Jeroboam the Ephraimite as their king. Now, although the secession of the ten tribes from the royal house of David had been ordained by God as a punishment for Solomon's idolatry, and not only had Solomon been threatened with this punishment, but the sovereignty over ten tribes had been promised to Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah, whilst the secession itself was occasioned by Rehoboam's imprudence; yet it was essentially a rebellion against the Lord and His anointed, a conspiracy on the part of these tribes against Judah and its king Rehoboam. For apart from the fact that the tribes had no right to choose at their pleasure a different king from the one who was the lawful heir to the throne of David, the very circumstance that the tribes who were discontented with Solomon's government did not come to Jerusalem to do homage to Rehoboam, but chose Sichem as the place of meeting, and had also sent for Jeroboam out of Egypt, showed clearly enough that it was their intention to sever themselves from the royal house of David; so that the harsh reply given by Rehoboam to their petition that the service imposed upon them might be lightened, furnished them with the desired opportunity for carrying out the secession upon which they had already resolved, and for which Jeroboam was the suitable man. And we have already shown at Kg1 11:40 that the promise of the throne, which Jeroboam had already received from God, neither warranted him in rebelling against Solomon, nor in wresting to himself the government over the tribes that were discontented with the house of David after Solomon's death. The usurpation of the throne was therefore Jeroboam's first sin (vv. 1-24), to which he added a second and much greater one immediately after his ascent of the throne, namely, the establishment of an unlawful worship, by which he turned the political division into a religious schism and a falling away from Jehovah the God-King of His people (Kg1 12:25-33).

Kg1 12:1

Secession of the Ten Tribes (cf., 2 Chron 10:1-11:4). - Kg1 12:1-4. Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come thither to make him king. "All Israel," according to what follows (cf., Kg1 12:20, Kg1 12:21), was the ten tribes beside Judah and Benjamin. The right of making king the prince whom God had chosen, i.e., of anointing him and doing homage to him (compare Ch1 12:38, where המליך alternates with למלך משׁך, (Sa2 2:4; Sa2 5:3), was an old traditional right in Israel, and the tribes had exercised it not only in the case of Saul and David (Sa1 11:15; Sa2 2:4; Sa2 5:3), but in that of Solomon also (Ch1 29:22). The ten tribes of Israel made use of this right on Rehoboam's ascent of the throne; but instead of coming to Jerusalem, the residence of the king and capital of the kingdom, as they ought to have done, and doing homage there to the legitimate successor of Solomon, they had gone to Sichem, the present Nabulus (see at Gen 12:6 and Gen 33:18), the place where the ancient national gatherings were held in the tribe of Ephraim (Jos 24:1), and where Abimelech the son of Gideon had offered himself as king in the time of the Judges (Jdg 9:1.). On the choice of Sichem as the place for doing homage Kimchi has quite correctly observed, that "they sought an opportunity for transferring the government to Jeroboam, and therefore were unwilling to come to Jerusalem, but came to Sichem, which belonged to Ephraim, whilst Jeroboam was an Ephraimite." If there could be any further doubt on the matter, it would be removed by the fact that they had sent for Jeroboam the son of Nebat to come from Egypt, whither he had fled from Solomon (Kg1 11:40), and attend this meeting, and that Jeroboam took the lead in the meeting, and no doubt suggested to those assembled the demand which they should lay before Rehoboam (Kg1 12:4).

(Note: "This pretext was no doubt furnished to the people by Jeroboam, who, because he had formerly been placed above Ephraim as superintendent of the works, could most craftily suggest calumnies, from the things which he knew better than others." - (Seb. Schmidt.)

Kg1 12:2-3

The construction of Kg1 12:2, Kg1 12:3 is a complicated one, since it is only in ויּבאוּ in Kg1 12:3 that the apodosis occurs to the protasis וגו כּשׁמע ויהי, and several circumstantial clauses intervene. "And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard, sc., that Solomon was dead and Rehoboam had been made king ... he was still in Egypt, however, whither he had fled from king Solomon; and as Jeroboam was living in Egypt, they had sent and called him ... that Jeroboam came and the whole congregation of Israel," etc. On the other hand, in Ch2 10:2 the construction is very much simplified, and is rendered clearer by the alteration of בּמצרים יר ויּשׁב, "and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt," into ממּצרים יר ויּשׁב, "that Jeroboam returned from Egypt."

(Note: At the same time, neither this explanation in the Chronicles, nor the fact that the Vulgate has the same in our text also, warrants our making alterations in the text, for the simple reason that the deviation in the Chronicles and Vulgate is so obviously nothing but an elucidation of our account, which is more obscurely expressed. There is still less ground for the interpolation, which Thenius has proposed, from the clauses contained in the Septuagint partly after Kg1 11:43, partly in 1 Kings 12 between Kg1 12:24 and Kg1 12:25, and in an abbreviated form once more after Kg1 13:34, so as to obtain the following more precise account of the course of the rebellion which Jeroboam instigated, and of which we have not a very minute description in Kg1 11:26 : "Solomon having appointed Jeroboam superintendent of the tributary labour in Ephraim, for the purpose of keeping in check the Sichemites, who were probably pre-eminently inclined to rebel, directed him to make a fortress, which already existed upon Mount Gerizim under the name of Millo, into a strong prison (צרירה( ), from which the whole district of Gerizim, the table-land, received the name of the land of Zerirah, and probably made him governor of it and invested him with great power. When holding this post, Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon, but was obliged to flee. Having now returned from Egypt, he assembled the members of his own tribe, and with them he first of all besieged this prison, for the purpose of making himself lord of the surrounding district. Now this castle was the citadel of the city in which Jeroboam was born, to which he had just returned, and from which they fetched him to take part in the negotiations with Rehoboam. Its ruins are still in existence, according to Robinson (Pal. iii. p. 99), and from all that has been said it was not called Zeredah (Kg1 11:26), but (after the castle) Zerira." This is what Thenius says. But if we read the two longer additions of the lxx quite through, we shall easily see that the words ᾠκοδόμησε τῷ Σαλωμὼν τὴν ἐν ὄρει Ἐφραΐ́μ do not give any more precise historical information concerning the building of the Millo mentioned in Kg1 11:27, since this verse is repeated immediately afterwards in the following form: οὖτος ᾠκοδόμησε τὴν ἄκραν ἐν ταῖς ἄρσεσιν οἴκου Ἐφραΐ́μ οὖτος συνέκλεισε τὴν πόλιν Δαβίδ, - but are nothing more than a legendary supplement made by an Alexandrian, which has no more value than the statement that Jeroboam's mother was named Sarira and was γυνὴ πόρνη. The name of the city Σαριρά is simply the Greek form of the Hebrew צררה, which the lxx have erroneously adopted in the place of צרדה, as the reading in Kg1 11:26. But in the additional clauses in question in the Alexandrian version, Σαριρά is made into the residence of king Jeroboam and confounded with Thirza; what took place at Thirza according to Kg1 14:17 (of the Hebrew text) being transferred to Sarira, and the following account being introduced, viz., that Jeroboam's wife went ἐκ Σαριρά to the prophet Ahijah to consult him concerning her sick son, and on returning heard of the child's death as she was entering the city of Sarira. - These remarks will be quite sufficient to prove that the Alexandrian additions have not the least historical worth.)

Kg1 12:4

The persons assembled desired that the burdens which Solomon had laid upon them should be lightened, in which case they would serve Rehoboam, i.e., would yield obedience to him as their king. אביך מעבדת הקל, "make light away from the service of thy father," i.e., reduce what was imposed upon us by thy father. Solomon had undoubtedly demanded greater performances from the people than they had previously been accustomed to, not only to meet the cost of maintaining the splendour of his court, but also and principally to carry out his large and numerous buildings. But in return for this, he had secured for his people not only the blessings of undisturbed peace throughout his whole reign, but also great wealth from the trade and tribute of the subjugated nations, so that there cannot have been any well-grounded occasion for complaint. But when, as is too often the case, men overlooked the advantages and blessings which they owed to his government, and fixed their attention in a one-sided manner merely upon the performances which the king demanded, it might appear as though he had oppressed his people with excessive burdens.

Kg1 12:5-6

In order that the request of the tribes might be maturely weighed, Rehoboam directed them to appear before him again in three days, and in the meantime discussed the matter with the older counsellors,who had served his father.

Kg1 12:7

These counsellors said (the singular וידבּר is used- because one of them spoke in the name of the whole), "If thou wilt be subservient to this people to-day (now), and servest them, and hearkenest to them, ... they will serve thee for ever."

Kg1 12:8-14

But Rehoboam forsook this advice, and asked the younger ministers who had grown up with him. They advised him to overawe the people by harsh threats. "My little finger is stronger than my father's loins." קטי, from קטן, littleness, i.e., the little finger (for the form, see Ewald, 255, b.), - a figurative expression in the sense of, I possess much greater might than my father. "And now, my father laid a heavy yoke upon you, and I will still further add to your yoke (lay still more upon you): my father chastised you with whips, I will chastise you with scorpions." עקרבּים, scorpiones, are whips with barbed points like the point of a scorpion's sting.

(Note: The Rabbins give this explanation: virgae spinis instructae. Isidor. HisPal. Origg. v. c. 27, explains it in a similar manner: virga si est nodosa vel aculeata, scorpio vocatur. The Targ. and Syr., on the other hand, מרגגין, Syr. mārganā', i.e., the Greek μάραγνα, a whip. See the various explanations in Bochart, Hieroz. iii. p. 554f. ed. Ros.)

This advice was not only imprudent, "considering all the circumstances" (Seb. Schmidt), but it was unwise in itself, and could only accelerate the secession of the discontented. It was the language of a tyrant, and not of a ruler whom God had placed over His people. This is shown in Kg1 12:13, Kg1 12:14 : "The king answered the people harshly, and forsook the counsel of the old men," i.e., the counsellors who were rich in experience, and spoke according to the counsels of the young men, who flattered his ambition. It is very doubtful, indeed, whether the advice of the old men would have been followed by so favourable a result; it might probably have been so for the moment, but not for a permanency. For the king could not become the עגלים of the people, serve the people, without prejudicing the authority entrusted to him by God; though there is no doubt that if he had consented to such condescension, he would have deprived the discontented tribes of all pretext for rebellion, and not have shared in the sin of their secession.

Kg1 12:15

"And the king hearkened not to the people (to their request for their burdens to be reduced), for it was יהוה מעם סבּה, a turning from the Lord, that He might establish His word" (Kg1 11:31.), i.e., by a divine decree, that Rehoboam contributed to the fulfilment of the counsel of God through his own folly, and brought about the accomplishment of the sentence pronounced upon Solomon.

Kg1 12:16

The harsh word supplied the discontented with an apparently just occasion for saying, "What portion have we in David? We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse! To thy tents, O Israel! Now see to thy house, David!" i.e., take care of thy house. David, the tribe-father, is mentioned in the place of his family. These words, with which Sheba had once preached rebellion in the time of David (Sa2 20:1), give expression to the deep-rooted aversion which was cherished by these tribes towards the Davidic monarchy, and that in so distinct and unvarnished a manner, that we may clearly see that there were deeper causes for the secession than the pretended oppression of Solomon's government; that its real foundation was the ancient jealousy of the tribes, which had been only suppressed for the time by David and Solomon, but had not been entirely eradicated, whilst this jealousy again had its roots in the estrangement of these tribes from the Lord, and from His law and righteousness.

Kg1 12:17

But the sons of Israel, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, over these Rehoboam became king. These "sons of Israel" are members of the ten tribes who had settled in Judah in the course of ages (cf., Kg1 12:23); and the Simeonites especially are included, since they were obliged to remain in the kingdom of Judah from the very situation of their tribe-territory, and might very well be reckoned among the Israelites who dwelt in the cities of Judah, inasmuch as at first the whole of their territory was allotted to the tribe of Judah, from which they afterwards received a portion (Jos 19:1). The verse cannot possibly mean that "the tribe of Judah declared in favour of their countryman Rehoboam as king" (Ewald, Gesch. iii. p. 399).

Kg1 12:18

In order to appease the agitated tribes and commence negotiations with them, Rehoboam sent Adoram, the superintendent of the tribute, to them (see at Kg1 4:6). Rehoboam entrusted him with the negotiation, because the tribes had complained that the tribute burdens were too severe, and the king was no doubt serious in his wish to meet the demands of the people. But the very fact that he sent this man only increased the bitterness of feeling, so that they stoned him to death, and Rehoboam himself was obliged to summon up all his strength (התאמּץ) to escape a similar fate by a speedy flight to his chariot.

Kg1 12:19

Thus Israel fell away from the house of David "unto this day."

Kg1 12:20

The secession was completed by the fact that all Israel (of the ten tribes) called Jeroboam to the assembly of the congregation and made him king "over all Israel," so that the tribe of Judah alone adhered to the house of David (see at Kg1 11:32). Kg1 12:20 commences in the same manner as Kg1 12:2, to indicate that it closes the account commenced in Kg1 12:2.

Kg1 12:21-24

But after the return of Rehoboam to Jerusalem he was still desirous of bringing back the seceders by force of arms, and raised for that purpose an army of 180,000 men out of all Judah, the tribe of Benjamin, and the rest of the people, i.e., the Israelites dwelling in the cities of Judah, - a number which does not appear too large according to Sa2 24:9. But the prophet Shemaiah, a prophet who is not mentioned again, received instructions from God to forbid the king to go to war with their brethren the Israelites, "for this thing was from the Lord." הזּה הדּבר, "this thing, i.e., his being deprived of the sovereignty over ten tribes, but not their rebellion" (Seb. Schmidt). For the fact itself, see the remark on Kg1 12:15. The king and the people hearkened to this word. ללכת ישׁוּבוּ, "they turned to go," i.e., they gave up the intended expedition and returned home. In Ch2 11:4 we have the explanatory phrase מלּכת ישׁוּבוּ.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Were come - Rehoboam did not call them thither, but went thither, because the Israelites prevented him, and had pitched upon that place, rather than upon Jerusalem, because it was most convenient for all, being in the center of the kingdom; and because that being in the potent tribe of Ephraim, they supposed there they might use that freedom of speech, which they resolved to use, to get there grievances redressed. So out of a thousand wives and concubines, he had but one son to bear his name, and he a fool! Is not sin an ill way of building up a family?

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
Rehoboam went to Shechem - Rehoboam was probably the only son of Solomon; for although he had a thousand wives, he had not the blessing of a numerous offspring; and although he was the wisest of men himself, his son was a poor, unprincipled fool. Had Solomon kept himself within reasonable bounds in matrimonial affairs, he would probably have had more children; and such as would have had common sense enough to discern the delicacy of their situation, and rule according to reason and religion.

Top

³ That they sent [07971] and called [07121] him. And Jeroboam [03379] and all the congregation [06951] of Israel [03478] came [0935], and spake [01696] unto Rehoboam [07346], saying [0559],

²⁵ Then Samuel [08050] told [01696] the people [05971] the manner [04941] of the kingdom [04410], and wrote [03789] it in a book [05612], and laid it up [03240] before [06440] the LORD [03068]. And Samuel [08050] sent [07971] all the people [05971] away [07971], every man [0376] to his house [01004].

¹⁹ And ye have this day [03117] rejected [03988] your God [0430], who himself saved [03467] you out of all your adversities [07451] and your tribulations [06869]; and ye have said [0559] unto him, Nay, but set [07760] a king [04428] over us. Now therefore present [03320] yourselves before [06440] the LORD [03068] by your tribes [07626], and by your thousands [0505].
²⁰ And when Samuel [08050] had caused all the tribes [07626] of Israel [03478] to come near [07126], the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144] was taken [03920].
²¹ When he had caused the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144] to come near [07126] by their families [04940], the family [04940] of Matri [04309] was taken [03920], and Saul [07586] the son [01121] of Kish [07027] was taken [03920]: and when they sought [01245] him, he could not be found [04672].

¹ And Rehoboam [07346] went [03212] to Shechem [07927]: for all Israel [03478] were come [0935] to Shechem [07927] to make him king [04427].
² And it came to pass, when Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028], who was yet in Egypt [04714], heard [08085] of it, (for he was fled [01272] from the presence [06440] of king [04428] Solomon [08010], and Jeroboam [03379] dwelt [03427] in Egypt [04714];)
³ That they sent [07971] and called [07121] him. And Jeroboam [03379] and all the congregation [06951] of Israel [03478] came [0935], and spake [01696] unto Rehoboam [07346], saying [0559],
⁴ Thy father [01] made [07185] our yoke [05923] grievous [07185]: now therefore make thou the grievous [07186] service [05656] of thy father [01], and his heavy [03515] yoke [05923] which he put [05414] upon us, lighter [07043], and we will serve [05647] thee.
⁵ And he said [0559] unto them, Depart [03212] yet for three [07969] days [03117], then come again [07725] to me. And the people [05971] departed [03212].

³⁰ Then Joshua [03091] built [01129] an altar [04196] unto the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478] in mount [02022] Ebal [05858],
³¹ As Moses [04872] the servant [05650] of the LORD [03068] commanded [06680] the children [01121] of Israel [03478], as it is written [03789] in the book [05612] of the law [08451] of Moses [04872], an altar [04196] of whole [08003] stones [068], over which no man hath lift up [05130] any iron [01270]: and they offered [05927] thereon burnt offerings [05930] unto the LORD [03068], and sacrificed [02076] peace offerings [08002].
³² And he wrote [03789] there upon the stones [068] a copy [04932] of the law [08451] of Moses [04872], which he wrote [03789] in the presence [06440] of the children [01121] of Israel [03478].
³³ And all Israel [03478], and their elders [02205], and officers [07860], and their judges [08199], stood [05975] on this side the ark [0727] and on that side before the priests [03548] the Levites [03881], which bare [05375] the ark [0727] of the covenant [01285] of the LORD [03068], as well the stranger [01616], as he that was born [0249] among them; half [02677] of them over [0413] against [04136] mount [02022] Gerizim [01630], and half [02677] of them over against [04136] mount [02022] Ebal [05858]; as Moses [04872] the servant [05650] of the LORD [03068] had commanded [06680] before [07223], that they should bless [01288] the people [05971] of Israel [03478].
³⁴ And afterward [0310] he read [07121] all the words [01697] of the law [08451], the blessings [01293] and cursings [07045], according to all that is written [03789] in the book [05612] of the law [08451].
³⁵ There was not a word [01697] of all that Moses [04872] commanded [06680], which Joshua [03091] read [07121] not before all the congregation [06951] of Israel [03478], with the women [0802], and the little ones [02945], and the strangers [01616] that were conversant [01980] among [07130] them.

⁴⁵ And Abimelech [040] fought [03898] against the city [05892] all that day [03117]; and he took [03920] the city [05892], and slew [02026] the people [05971] that was therein, and beat down [05422] the city [05892], and sowed [02232] it with salt [04417].

⁴ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Ye shall not go up [05927], nor fight [03898] against your brethren [0251]: return [07725] every man [0376] to his house [01004]: for this thing [01697] is done [01961] of me. And they obeyed [08085] the words [01697] of the LORD [03068], and returned [07725] from going [03212] against Jeroboam [03379].

¹⁵ Wherefore the king [04428] hearkened [08085] not unto the people [05971]; for the cause [05438] was from the LORD [03068], that he might perform [06965] his saying [01697], which the LORD [03068] spake [01696] by [03027] Ahijah [0281] the Shilonite [07888] unto Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028].

⁹ And Joab [03097] gave up [05414] the sum [04557] of the number [04662] of the people [05971] unto the king [04428]: and there were in Israel [03478] eight [08083] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] valiant [02428] men [0376] [0381] that drew [08025] the sword [02719]; and the men [0376] of Judah [03063] were five [02568] hundred [03967] thousand [0505] men [0376].

²¹ And when Rehoboam [07346] was come [0935] to Jerusalem [03389], he assembled [06950] all the house [01004] of Judah [03063], with the tribe [07626] of Benjamin [01144], an hundred [03967] and fourscore [08084] thousand [0505] chosen men [0977], which were warriors [06213] [04421], to fight [03898] against the house [01004] of Israel [03478], to bring [07725] the kingdom [04410] again [07725] to Rehoboam [07346] the son [01121] of Solomon [08010].
²² But the word [01697] of God [0430] came unto Shemaiah [08098] the man [0376] of God [0430], saying [0559],
²³ Speak [0559] unto Rehoboam [07346], the son [01121] of Solomon [08010], king [04428] of Judah [03063], and unto all the house [01004] of Judah [03063] and Benjamin [01144], and to the remnant [03499] of the people [05971], saying [0559],
²⁴ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Ye shall not go up [05927], nor fight [03898] against your brethren [0251] the children [01121] of Israel [03478]: return [07725] every man [0376] to his house [01004]; for this thing [01697] is [01961] from me. They hearkened [08085] therefore to the word [01697] of the LORD [03068], and returned [07725] to depart [03212], according to the word [01697] of the LORD [03068].

²⁰ And it came to pass, when all Israel [03478] heard [08085] that Jeroboam [03379] was come again [07725], that they sent [07971] and called [07121] him unto the congregation [05712], and made him king [04427] over all Israel [03478]: there was none that followed [0310] the house [01004] of David [01732], but [02108] the tribe [07626] of Judah [03063] only.

³² (But he shall have one [0259] tribe [07626] for my servant [05650] David's [01732] sake, and for Jerusalem's [03389] sake, the city [05892] which I have chosen [0977] out of all the tribes [07626] of Israel [03478]:)

¹⁹ So Israel [03478] rebelled [06586] against the house [01004] of David [01732] unto this day [03117].

⁶ And Ahishar [0301] was over the household [01004]: and Adoniram [0141] the son [01121] of Abda [05653] was over the tribute [04522].

¹⁸ Then king [04428] Rehoboam [07346] sent [07971] Adoram [0151], who was over the tribute [04522]; and all Israel [03478] stoned [07275] him with stones [068], that he died [04191]. Therefore king [04428] Rehoboam [07346] made speed [0553] to get him up [05927] to his chariot [04818], to flee [05127] to Jerusalem [03389].

¹ And the second [08145] lot [01486] came forth [03318] to Simeon [08095], even for the tribe [04294] of the children [01121] of Simeon [08095] according to their families [04940]: and their inheritance [05159] was within [08432] the inheritance [05159] of the children [01121] of Judah [03063].

²³ Speak [0559] unto Rehoboam [07346], the son [01121] of Solomon [08010], king [04428] of Judah [03063], and unto all the house [01004] of Judah [03063] and Benjamin [01144], and to the remnant [03499] of the people [05971], saying [0559],

¹⁷ But as for the children [01121] of Israel [03478] which dwelt [03427] in the cities [05892] of Judah [03063], Rehoboam [07346] reigned [04427] over them.

¹ And there happened [07122] to be there a man [0376] of Belial [01100], whose name [08034] was Sheba [07652], the son [01121] of Bichri [01075], a Benjamite [01145]: and he blew [08628] a trumpet [07782], and said [0559], We have no part [02506] in David [01732], neither have we inheritance [05159] in the son [01121] of Jesse [03448]: every [0376] man [0376] to his tents [0168], O Israel [03478].

¹⁶ So [07725] when all Israel [03478] saw [07200] that the king [04428] hearkened [08085] not unto them, the people [05971] answered [01697] the king [04428], saying [0559], What portion [02506] have we in David [01732]? neither have we inheritance [05159] in the son [01121] of Jesse [03448]: to your tents [0168], O Israel [03478]: now see [07200] to thine own house [01004], David [01732]. So Israel [03478] departed [03212] unto their tents [0168].

³¹ And he said [0559] to Jeroboam [03379], Take [03947] thee ten [06235] pieces [07168]: for thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], the God [0430] of Israel [03478], Behold, I will rend [07167] the kingdom [04467] out of the hand [03027] of Solomon [08010], and will give [05414] ten [06235] tribes [07626] to thee:

¹⁴ And spake [01696] to them after the counsel [06098] of the young men [03206], saying [0559], My father [01] made [03513] your yoke [05923] heavy [03513], and I will add [03254] to your yoke [05923]: my father [01] also chastised [03256] you with whips [07752], but I will chastise [03256] you with scorpions [06137].

¹³ And the king [04428] answered [06030] the people [05971] roughly [07186], and forsook [05800] the old men's [02205] counsel [06098] that they gave [03289] him;

⁸ But he forsook [05800] the counsel [06098] of the old men [02205], which they had given [03289] him, and consulted [03289] with the young men [03206] that were grown up [01431] with him, and which stood [05975] before [06440] him:
⁹ And he said [0559] unto them, What counsel give [03289] ye that we may [07725] answer [01697] this people [05971], who have spoken [01696] to me, saying [0559], Make [07043] the yoke [05923] which thy father [01] did put [05414] upon us lighter [07043]?
¹⁰ And the young men [03206] that were grown up [01431] with him spake [01696] unto him, saying [0559], Thus shalt thou speak [0559] unto this people [05971] that spake [01696] unto thee, saying [0559], Thy father [01] made [03513] our yoke [05923] heavy [03513], but make thou it lighter [07043] unto us; thus shalt thou say [01696] unto them, My little [06995] finger shall be thicker [05666] than my father's [01] loins [04975].
¹¹ And now whereas my father [01] did lade [06006] you with a heavy [03515] yoke [05923], I will add [03254] to your yoke [05923]: my father [01] hath chastised [03256] you with whips [07752], but I will chastise [03256] you with scorpions [06137].
¹² So Jeroboam [03379] and all the people [05971] came [0935] to Rehoboam [07346] the third [07992] day [03117], as the king [04428] had appointed [01696], saying [0559], Come to me again [07725] the third [07992] day [03117].
¹³ And the king [04428] answered [06030] the people [05971] roughly [07186], and forsook [05800] the old men's [02205] counsel [06098] that they gave [03289] him;
¹⁴ And spake [01696] to them after the counsel [06098] of the young men [03206], saying [0559], My father [01] made [03513] your yoke [05923] heavy [03513], and I will add [03254] to your yoke [05923]: my father [01] also chastised [03256] you with whips [07752], but I will chastise [03256] you with scorpions [06137].

⁷ And they spake [01696] unto him, saying [0559], If thou wilt be a servant [05650] unto this people [05971] this day [03117], and wilt serve [05647] them, and answer [06030] them, and speak [01696] good [02896] words [01697] to them, then they will be thy servants [05650] for ever [03117].

⁵ And he said [0559] unto them, Depart [03212] yet for three [07969] days [03117], then come again [07725] to me. And the people [05971] departed [03212].
⁶ And king [04428] Rehoboam [07346] consulted [03289] with the old men [02205], that stood [05975] before [06440] Solomon [08010] his father [01] while he yet lived [02416], and said [0559], How do ye advise [03289] that I may [07725] answer [01697] this people [05971]?

⁴ Thy father [01] made [07185] our yoke [05923] grievous [07185]: now therefore make thou the grievous [07186] service [05656] of thy father [01], and his heavy [03515] yoke [05923] which he put [05414] upon us, lighter [07043], and we will serve [05647] thee.

¹⁷ And Jeroboam's [03379] wife [0802] arose [06965], and departed [03212], and came [0935] to Tirzah [08656]: and when she came [0935] to the threshold [05592] of the door [01004], the child [05288] died [04191];

²⁶ And Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028], an Ephrathite [0673] of Zereda [06868], Solomon's [08010] servant [05650], whose mother's [0517] name [08034] was Zeruah [06871], a widow [0490] woman [0802], even he lifted up [07311] his hand [03027] against the king [04428].

²⁷ And this was the cause [01697] that he lifted up [07311] his hand [03027] against the king [04428]: Solomon [08010] built [01129] Millo [04407], and repaired [05462] the breaches [06556] of the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01].

³⁴ And this thing [01697] became sin [02403] unto the house [01004] of Jeroboam [03379], even to cut it off [03582], and to destroy [08045] it from off the face [06440] of the earth [0127].

²⁵ Then Jeroboam [03379] built [01129] Shechem [07927] in mount [02022] Ephraim [0669], and dwelt [03427] therein; and went out [03318] from thence, and built [01129] Penuel [06439].

²⁴ Thus saith [0559] the LORD [03068], Ye shall not go up [05927], nor fight [03898] against your brethren [0251] the children [01121] of Israel [03478]: return [07725] every man [0376] to his house [01004]; for this thing [01697] is [01961] from me. They hearkened [08085] therefore to the word [01697] of the LORD [03068], and returned [07725] to depart [03212], according to the word [01697] of the LORD [03068].

⁴³ And Solomon [08010] slept [07901] with his fathers [01], and was buried [06912] in the city [05892] of David [01732] his father [01]: and Rehoboam [07346] his son [01121] reigned [04427] in his stead.

² And it came to pass, when Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028], who was in Egypt [04714], whither he had fled [01272] from the presence [06440] of Solomon [08010] the king [04428], heard [08085] it, that Jeroboam [03379] returned [07725] out of Egypt [04714].

³ That they sent [07971] and called [07121] him. And Jeroboam [03379] and all the congregation [06951] of Israel [03478] came [0935], and spake [01696] unto Rehoboam [07346], saying [0559],

² And it came to pass, when Jeroboam [03379] the son [01121] of Nebat [05028], who was yet in Egypt [04714], heard [08085] of it, (for he was fled [01272] from the presence [06440] of king [04428] Solomon [08010], and Jeroboam [03379] dwelt [03427] in Egypt [04714];)
³ That they sent [07971] and called [07121] him. And Jeroboam [03379] and all the congregation [06951] of Israel [03478] came [0935], and spake [01696] unto Rehoboam [07346], saying [0559],

⁴⁰ Solomon [08010] sought [01245] therefore to kill [04191] Jeroboam [03379]. And Jeroboam [03379] arose [06965], and fled [01272] into Egypt [04714], unto Shishak [07895] king [04428] of Egypt [04714], and was in Egypt [04714] until the death [04194] of Solomon [08010].

¹ And Abimelech [040] the son [01121] of Jerubbaal [03378] went [03212] to Shechem [07927] unto his mother's [0517] brethren [0251], and communed [01696] with them, and with all the family [04940] of the house [01004] of his mother's [0517] father [01], saying [0559],

¹ And Joshua [03091] gathered [0622] all the tribes [07626] of Israel [03478] to Shechem [07927], and called [07121] for the elders [02205] of Israel [03478], and for their heads [07218], and for their judges [08199], and for their officers [07860]; and they presented [03320] themselves before [06440] God [0430].

¹⁸ And Jacob [03290] came [0935] to Shalem [08004], a city [05892] of Shechem [07927], which is in the land [0776] of Canaan [03667], when he came [0935] from Padanaram [06307]; and pitched his tent [02583] before [06440] the city [05892].

⁶ And Abram [087] passed through [05674] the land [0776] unto the place [04725] of Sichem [07927], unto the plain [0436] of Moreh [04176]. And the Canaanite [03669] was then [0227] in the land [0776].

²² And did eat [0398] and drink [08354] before [06440] the LORD [03068] on that day [03117] with great [01419] gladness [08057]. And they made Solomon [08010] the son [01121] of David [01732] king [04427] the second time [08145], and anointed [04886] him unto the LORD [03068] to be the chief governor [05057], and Zadok [06659] to be priest [03548].

³ So all the elders [02205] of Israel [03478] came [0935] to the king [04428] to Hebron [02275]; and king [04428] David [01732] made [03772] a league [01285] with them in Hebron [02275] before [06440] the LORD [03068]: and they anointed [04886] David [01732] king [04428] over Israel [03478].

⁴ And the men [0582] of Judah [03063] came [0935], and there they anointed [04886] David [01732] king [04428] over the house [01004] of Judah [03063]. And they told [05046] David [01732], saying [0559], That the men [0582] of Jabeshgilead [03003] [01568] were they that buried [06912] Saul [07586].

¹⁵ And all the people [05971] went [03212] to Gilgal [01537]; and there they made Saul [07586] king [04427] before [06440] the LORD [03068] in Gilgal [01537]; and there they sacrificed [02076] sacrifices [02077] of peace offerings [08002] before [06440] the LORD [03068]; and there Saul [07586] and all the men [0582] of Israel [03478] rejoiced [08055] greatly [03966].

³⁸ All these men [0582] of war [04421], that could keep [05737] rank [04634], came [0935] with a perfect [08003] heart [03820] to Hebron [02275], to make David [01732] king [04427] over all Israel [03478]: and all the rest [07611] also of Israel [03478] were of one [0259] heart [03824] to make David [01732] king [04427].

¹ And Rehoboam [07346] went [03212] to Shechem [07927]: for all Israel [03478] were come [0935] to Shechem [07927] to make him king [04427].

²⁵ Then Jeroboam [03379] built [01129] Shechem [07927] in mount [02022] Ephraim [0669], and dwelt [03427] therein; and went out [03318] from thence, and built [01129] Penuel [06439].
²⁶ And Jeroboam [03379] said [0559] in his heart [03820], Now shall the kingdom [04467] return [07725] to the house [01004] of David [01732]:
²⁷ If this people [05971] go up [05927] to do [06213] sacrifice [02077] in the house [01004] of the LORD [03068] at Jerusalem [03389], then shall the heart [03820] of this people [05971] turn again [07725] unto their lord [0113], even unto Rehoboam [07346] king [04428] of Judah [03063], and they shall kill [02026] me, and go again [07725] to Rehoboam [07346] king [04428] of Judah [03063].
²⁸ Whereupon the king [04428] took counsel [03289], and made [06213] two [08147] calves [05695] of gold [02091], and said [0559] unto them, It is too much [07227] for you to go up [05927] to Jerusalem [03389]: behold thy gods [0430], O Israel [03478], which brought thee up [05927] out of the land [0776] of Egypt [04714].
²⁹ And he set [07760] the one [0259] in Bethel [01008], and the other [0259] put [05414] he in Dan [01835].
³⁰ And this thing [01697] became a sin [02403]: for the people [05971] went [03212] to worship before [06440] the one [0259], even unto Dan [01835].
³¹ And he made [06213] an house [01004] of high places [01116], and made [06213] priests [03548] of the lowest [07098] of the people [05971], which were not of the sons [01121] of Levi [03878].
³² And Jeroboam [03379] ordained [06213] a feast [02282] in the eighth [08066] month [02320], on the fifteenth [02568] [06240] day [03117] of the month [02320], like unto the feast [02282] that is in Judah [03063], and he offered [05927] upon the altar [04196]. So did [06213] he in Bethel [01008], sacrificing [02076] unto the calves [05695] that he had made [06213]: and he placed [05975] in Bethel [01008] the priests [03548] of the high places [01116] which he had made [06213].
³³ So he offered [05927] upon the altar [04196] which he had made [06213] in Bethel [01008] the fifteenth [02568] [06240] day [03117] of the eighth [08066] month [02320], even in the month [02320] which he had devised [0908] of his own heart [03820]; and ordained [06213] a feast [02282] unto the children [01121] of Israel [03478]: and he offered [05927] upon the altar [04196], and burnt incense [06999].

⁴² And all the men [0376] of Judah [03063] answered [06030] the men [0376] of Israel [03478], Because the king [04428] is near of kin [07138] to us: wherefore then be ye angry [02734] for this matter [01697]? have we eaten [0398] at all [0398] of the king's [04428] cost? or hath he given [05375] us any gift [05379]?

⁹ And made him king [04427] over Gilead [01568], and over the Ashurites [0805], and over Jezreel [03157], and over Ephraim [0669], and over Benjamin [01144], and over all Israel [03478].

¹ And the men [0376] of Ephraim [0669] said [0559] unto him, Why hast thou [04100] served [06213] us thus [01697], that thou calledst [07121] us not, when thou wentest [01980] to fight [03898] with the Midianites [04080]? And they did chide [07378] with him sharply [02394].