Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 11:26
And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up [his] hand against the king.
26 40. Rise of Jeroboam’s hostility to Solomon. Ahijah’s prophetic action and message (Not in Chronicles)
26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat ] This is the first mention of him who afterwards is so frequently spoken of as the man ‘who made Israel to sin.’ We know nothing more of his parentage than is told us in this verse. His after life comes before us frequently in the succeeding chapters.
an Ephrathite ] Better with R.V. an Ephraimite. The word Ephrathite would mean one born at Ephratah, i.e. Bethlehem. This cannot be true of Jeroboam, from the words of the verse before us. A similar change is needed in the A.V. of 1Sa 1:1 where Elkanah, though described as ‘a man of the hill country of Ephraim’ is yet subsequently called an ‘Ephrathite.’
of Zereda ] The Hebrew spelling requires Zeredah (as R.V.). This place must have been near or in the hill country of Ephraim. It has been thought by some to be the same as Zeredathah, which is given in 2Ch 4:17 instead of Zarthan of 1Ki 7:46, the place near which the castings of brass were made for Solomon s Temple. The LXX. ( Vat.) gives as the name, and in a long addition which that version contains after 1Ki 11:24 of the next chapter occurs several times over. It is also given by the LXX. of 1Ki 14:17 instead of Tirzah, where Jeroboam had his royal residence. That the Greek translators identified this place with some town of great importance will be seen from the note on 1Ki 12:24 below, but whether their identification can be trusted is somewhat doubtful.
Solomon’s servant ] i.e. One who had been employed by Solomon. The works were not necessarily unimportant, on which such servants were employed. But it makes the term a little more significant if (with R.V.) we render a servant of Solomon.
he lift up his hand against ] A phrase indicative of rebellion and very expressive here. For Jeroboam was one of Solomon’s own people, whose hand might be expected to be with him, and not against him. Josephus marks the difference between this adversary and those previously named, when he calls Jeroboam .
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Zereda – See Jdg 7:22.
Lifted up his hand against the king – i. e., he rebelled. Compare marginal reference.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat] From the context we learn that Jeroboam while a young man was employed by Solomon to superintend the improvements and buildings at Millo, and had so distinguished himself there by his industry and good conduct as to attract general notice, and to induce Solomon to set him over all the labourers employed in that work, belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, called here the house of Joseph. At first it appears that Solomon employed none of the Israelites in any drudgery; but it is likely that, as he grew profane, he grew tyrannical and oppressive: and at the works of Millo he changed his conduct; and there, in all probability, were the seeds of disaffection sown. And Jeroboam, being a clever and enterprising man, knew well how to avail himself of the general discontent.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
i.e. Rebelled against the king; not now and immediately in the person of Solomon himself, but in his son and successor, Rehoboam.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
26-40. JeroboamThis was aninternal enemy of a still more formidable character. He was a youngman of talent and energy, who, having been appointed by Solomonsuperintendent of the engineering works projected around Jerusalem,had risen into public notice, and on being informed by a verysignificant act of the prophet Ahijah of the royal destiny which, bydivine appointment, awaited him, his mind took a new turn.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And Jeroboam the son of Nebat,…. According to some Jewish writers r, this was Sheba the son of Bichri; but, as Kimchi observes, he was of the tribe of Benjamin, this of Ephraim; and besides, his head was cut off, and thrown over the wall to Joab, 2Sa 20:1,
an Ephrathite of Zereda; some where in the tribe of Ephraim, but nowhere else mentioned. There was a famous Jewish doctor, before the times of Christ, of this place, as it seems, who was called Jose ben Joezer, a man of Zereda s:
Solomon’s servant; not only his subject, but one that had been advanced by him to an office, and served under him, 1Ki 11:28,
whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman; who very probably was supported by this her son, an industrious and ingenious man:
even he lifted up his hand against the king; either against Solomon, by reproaching and reproving him for some things he did; or rather against Rehoboam his son, which was very ungrateful.
r Shalshalet Hakabala, p. 11. s Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 4.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Jeroboam’s Promotion Foretold. | B. C. 977. |
26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. 27 And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. 28 And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph. 29 And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field: 30 And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: 31 And he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the LORD, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: 32 (But he shall have one tribe for my servant David’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel:) 33 Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in my ways, to do that which is right in mine eyes, and to keep my statutes and my judgments, as did David his father. 34 Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake, whom I chose, because he kept my commandments and my statutes: 35 But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. 36 And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there. 37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. 38 And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. 39 And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever. 40 Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.
We have here the first mention of that infamous name Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin; he is here brought upon the stage as an adversary to Solomon, whom God had expressly told (v. 11) that he would give the greatest part of his kingdom to his servant, and Jeroboam was the man. We have here an account,
I. Of his extraction, v. 26. He was of the tribe of Ephraim, he next in honour to Judah. His mother was a widow, to whom Providence had made up the loss of a husband in a son that was active and ingenious, and (we may suppose) a great support and comfort to her.
II. Of his elevation. It was Solomon’s wisdom, when he had work to do, to employ proper persons in it. He observed Jeroboam to be a very industrious young man, one that minded his business, took a pleasure in it, and did it with all his might, and therefore he gradually advanced him, till at length he made him receiver-general for the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, or perhaps put him into an office equivalent to that of lord-lieutenant of those two counties, for he was ruler of the burden, or tribute, that is, either of the taxes or of the militia of the house of Joseph. Note, Industry is the way to preferment. Seest thou a man diligent in his business, that will take care and pains, and go through with it? he shall stand before kings, and not always be on the level with mean men. Observe a difference between David, and both his predecessor and his successor: when Saul saw a valiant man he took him to himself (1 Sam. xiv. 52); when Solomon saw an industrious man he preferred him; but David’s eyes were upon the faithful in the land, that they might dwell with him: if he saw a godly man, he preferred him, for he was a man after God’s own heart, whose countenance beholds the upright.
III. Of his designation to the government of the ten tribes after the death of Solomon. Some think he was himself plotting against Solomon, and contriving to rise to the throne, that he was turbulent and aspiring. The Jews say that when he was employed by Solomon in building Millo he took opportunities of reflecting upon Solomon as oppressive to his people, and suggesting that which would alienate them from his government. It is not indeed probable that he should say much to that purport, for Solomon would have got notice of it, and it would have hindered his preferment; but it is plainly intimated that he had it in his thoughts, for the prophet tells him (v. 37), Thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth. But this was the cause, or rather this was the story, of the lifting up of his hand against the king: Solomon made him ruler over the tribes of Joseph, and, as he was going to take possession of his government, he was told by a prophet in God’s name that he should be king, which emboldened him to aim high, and in some instances to oppose the king and give him vexation. 1. The prophet by whom this message was sent was Ahijah of Shiloh; we shall read of him again, ch. xiv. 2. It seems, Shiloh was not so perfectly forsaken and forgotten of God but that, in remembrance of the former days, it was blessed with a prophet. He delivered his message to Jeroboam in the way, his servants being probably ordered to retire, as in a like case (1 Sam. ix. 27), when Samuel delivered his message to Saul. God’s word was not the less sacred and sure for being delivered to him thus obscurely, under a hedge it may be. 2. The sign by which it was represented to him was the rending of a garment into twelve pieces, and giving him ten, 1Ki 11:30; 1Ki 11:31. It is not certain whether the garment was Jeroboam’s, as is commonly taken for granted, or Ahijah’s, which is more probable: He (that is, the prophet) had clad himself with a new garment, on purpose that he might with it give him a sign. The rending of the kingdom from Saul was signified by the rending of Samuel’s mantle, not Saul’s, 1Sa 15:27; 1Sa 15:28. And it was more significant to give Jeroboam ten pieces of that which was not his own before than of that which was. The prophets, both true and false, used such signs, even in the New Testament, as Agabus, Act 21:10; Act 21:11. 3. The message itself, which is very particular, (1.) He assures him that he shall be king over ten of the twelve tribes of Israel, v. 31. The meanness of his extraction and employment shall be no hindrance to his advancement, when the God of Israel says (by whom kings reign), I will give ten tribes unto thee. (2.) He tells him the reason; not for his good character or deserts, but for the chastising of Solomon’s apostasy: “Because he, and his family, and many of his people with him, have forsaken me, and worshipped other gods,” v. 33. It was because they had done ill, not because he was likely to do much better. Thus Israel must know that it is not for their righteousness that they are made masters of Canaan, but for the wickedness of the Canaanites, Deut. ix. 4. Jeroboam did not deserve so good a post, but Israel deserved so bad a prince. In telling him that the reason why he rent the kingdom from the house of Solomon was because they had forsaken God, he warns him to take heed of sinning away his preferment in like manner. (3.) He limits his expectations to the ten tribes only, and to them in reversion after the death of Solomon, lest he should aim at the whole and give immediate disturbance to Solomon’s government. He is here told, [1.] That two tribes (called here one tribe, because little Benjamin was in a manner lost in the thousands of Judah) should remain sure to the house of David, and he must never make any attempt upon them: He shall have one tribe (v. 32), and again (v. 36), That David may have a lamp, that is, a shining name and memory (Ps. cxxxii. 17), and his family, as a royal family, may not be extinct. He must not think that David was rejected, as Saul was. No, God would not take his loving-kindness from him, as he did from Saul. The house of David must be supported and kept in reputation, for all this, because out of it the Messiah must arise. Destroy it not, for that blessing is in it. [2.] That Solomon must keep possession during his life, 1Ki 11:34; 1Ki 11:35. Jeroboam therefore must not offer to dethrone him, but wait with patience till his day shall come to fall. Solomon shall be prince, all the days of his life, not for his own sake (he had forfeited his crown to the justice of God), but for David my servant’s sake, because he kept my commandments. Children that do not tread in their parents’ steps yet often fare the better in this world for their good parents’ piety. (4.) He gives him to understand that he will be upon his good behaviour. The grant of the crown must run quamdiu se bene gesserit–during good behaviour. “If thou wilt do what is right in my sight, I will build thee a sure house, and not otherwise” (v. 38), intimating that, if he forsook God, even his advancement to the throne would in time lay his family in the dust; whereas the seed of David, though afflicted, should not be afflicted for ever (v. 39), but should flourish again, as it did in many of the illustrious kings of Judah, who reigned in glory when Jeroboam’s family was extirpated.
IV. Jeroboam’s flight into Egypt, v. 40. In some way or other Solomon came to know of all this, probably from Jeroboam’s own talk of it; he could not conceal it as Saul did, nor keep his own counsel; if he had, he might have staid in his country, and been preparing there for his future advancement; but letting it be known, 1. Solomon foolishly sought to kill his successor. Had not he taught others that, whatever devices are in men’s hearts, the counsel of the Lord shall stand? And yet does he himself think to defeat that counsel? 2. Jeroboam prudently withdrew into Egypt. Though God’s promise would have secured him any where, yet he would use means for his own preservation, and was content to live in exile and obscurity for a while, being sure of a kingdom at last. And shall not we be so, who have a better kingdom in reserve?
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Jeroboam Revealed, Verses 26-40
The Lord had announced to Solomon that he would rend the kingdom and give the major portion to his servant. Now that servant comes into view. His name was Jeroboam, seemingly a formerly insignificant young man, the son of a widow of the tribe of Ephraim. Jeroboam possessed the proud characteristics of his tribe, which he demonstrated just as soon as opportunity availed itself. His town was Zereda, or Zarethan, on the banks of the Jordan near the site where Hiram, the artisan of the temple, had his smelters. Jeroboam may first have come into Solomon’s service in this work.
Jeroboam found his way to Jerusalem where he was employed in the work of building the Millo and repairing the city walls. Jeroboam was an industrious and ambitious young man. He soon came to the attention of King Solomon who appointed him over all the work detail of the tribes of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh). The Scriptures say this is the reason why Jeroboam lifted himself up against Solomon, which simply means that he loved power and was not satisfied with being head foreman over two of the largest and most prominent tribes of Israel. That he had concealed notions of making himself king before the prophet Ahijah came to him is apparent from the words the prophet said to him in verse 37.
Ahijah came to young Jeroboam when he was away from his job, in the field, the Scripture records. Ahijah was from Shiloh, the first location of the old tabernacle when Israel possessed the land of Canaan, and also one of the chief cities of Ephraim. The prophet and the young man may have been personally acquainted. Ahijah came wearing a new coat to illustrate to Jeroboam what the Lord would do. He took it off and rent it into twelve pieces, showing what was soon to happen to the kingdom.
Jeroboam was told to take ten of the pieces to himself, for they represented ten tribes of Israel which would allow Jeroboam to rule as king, but one tribe was to be reserved for David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem, which the Lord had taken as His city.
Jeroboam was told that the Lord would do this because of the pagan apostasy of Solomon and his turning aside from following the ways of the Lord. He was further told that this would not occur in the lifetime of Solomon, but in that of his son and successor. Solomon’s son was to retain one tribe ( in the end two tribes remained with Solomon’s son, in keeping with the two remaining pieces of the torn coat; the one tribe was Judah, large and powerful, for which reason it is .emphasized). When that occurred Jeroboam would be able to realize all his ambitions to be king of Israel.
The Lord extended to Jeroboam the same gracious promise which had been given to David, and later to Solomon. 1f Jeroboam would heed the Lord’s commandments, walk in His ways, do what is right in God’s sight, and keep His law like David did, the Lord would give him a sure and lasting house, or dynasty to rule over Israel. Of course, Jeroboam miserably failed in this. Yet the Lord would afflict the house of David for the sin of Solomon.
The news of Jeroboam’s message from the prophet reached the ears of Solomon by some unknown means. Possibly the proud Jeroboam could not contain it himself, or he may have attempted to move the Lord’s timetable forward and seize the throne sooner. So Solomon found out who the servant was who was set to take over a large portion of the kingdom and moved to kill him. Jeroboam fled into Egypt and found shelter with Shishak the Pharaoh. Here he remained to the death of Solomon. If this is the Pharaoh whose daughter was married to Solomon it appears that his affinity with the king was short-lived.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
D. THE REBELLION OF JEROBOAM 11:2640
TRANSLATION
(26) And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomons servant, whose mothers name was Zeruah, a widow, even he raised up a hand against the king. (27) And this is the circumstance which caused him to raise up a hand against the king: Solomon built Millo, and closed the breach of the city of David his father. (28) And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. And Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he appointed him over all the charge of the house of Joseph. (29) And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out from Jerusalem, that Ahijah the Shilonite, the prophet, who had clothed himself with a new garment, found him in the way; and the two of them were alone in the field. (30) And Ahijah took hold of the new garment which was upon him, and tore it into twelve pieces. (31) And he said to Jeroboam, Take for yourself ten pieces, for thus says the LORD God of Israel, Behold I am about to tear the kingdom from the hand of Solomon, and I shall give to you ten tribes; (32) (But one tribe shall belong to him for the sake of My servant David, and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen from all the tribes of Israel.) (33) because they have forsaken Me, and bowed down to Ashtoreth goddess of the Sidonians, and to Chemosh the god of Moab, and to Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and have not walked in My ways, to do what is right in My eyes even with regard to My statutes and My judgments, like David his father. (34) Nevertheless, I will not take all of the kingdom from his hand, but I will make him a prince all the days of his life, for the sake of David My servant whom I chose, who kept My commandments and My statutes; (35) but I will take the kingdom out of the hand of his son and I will give it to you, ten tribes. (36) But to his son I will give one tribe, in order that there may be a lamp to David My servant continually before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself to put My name there. (37) And you I will take, and you shall reign over all which your soul desires, and you shall be king over Israel. (38) And it shall come to pass, if you hearken to all which I command you and you walk in My ways, and do what is right in My eyes to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did, then I will be with you, and I will build for you a sure house as I built for David, and I will give to you Israel. (39) And I will afflict the seed of David because of this, but not continually. (40) And Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam; but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt unto the death of Solomon.
COMMENTS
The third adversary of Solomon was an internal one, Jeroboam the son of Nebat. The author devotes considerably more space to this rebellion because of the bearing which it had on the subsequent history of Israel. This rebellion led to the disruption of the kingdom. Numerous indications of Solomons decline in piety have already been noted; the present passage points to the decadence of Solomons power. Solomons kingdom had passed its zenith. The assumption that it was Ahijah who delivered the divine message to Solomon in 1Ki. 11:9-13 gains support from the present passage, for Ahijah makes the same points in his words to Jeroboam.
Jeroboam is called an Ephrathite, i.e., an Ephraimite (cf. Jdg. 12:5; 1Sa. 1:1). Ephraim was the most powerful of the Northern tribes, the constant rival of Judah throughout the history of the descendants of Jacob. Jeroboams hometown, Zereda, is mentioned only here and the location is uncertain. His mothers name, Zeruah, means leper, and she is said to be a widow.[311] Perhaps these facts are recorded to emphasize Jeroboams humble origin.
[311] The Greek version says she was a harlot. This would appear to be a deliberate effort to discredit Jeroboam.
This servant or officer of Solomon lifted up his hand, i.e., rebelled, against his king (1Ki. 11:26). No account of this rebellion has survived. It apparently took place at the time Solomon was building Millo (1Ki. 11:27), about the twenty-fifth year of his reign (cf. 1Ki. 9:15). Because of his industry Jeroboam had been appointed superintendent over the workers of the house of Joseph (Ephraimites) who were compelled to labor on this project. The phrase mighty man of valor does not necessarily imply military expertise; in 1Ki. 11:28 it may be intended to connote industry and efficiency.[312] It must have been very distasteful for these proud Ephraimites to find themselves employed on the fortifications of Jerusalem. Their murmurings revealed to Jeroboam the unpopularity of Solomon and perhaps suggested thoughts of overt rebellion.
[312] Honor, JCBR, p. 160: Gray (OTL, p. 273) thinks the phrase refers to a man of property who had obligations in war.
It is not certain just how much the opening words of 1Ki. 11:29 should be stressed: at that time Jeroboam went out from Jerusalem. Was this a casual trip outside the capitol? Or is Whitcomb right when he conjectures that Jeroboam was on his way back to Ephraim to rally support for an attempted coup?[313] According to this intriguing theory, it was the prophet Ahijahs aim to thwart this murderous plot. If Jeroboam would honor the Davidic kings and Zadokite priests in Jerusalem, God would give him a perpetual dynasty in the North.
[313] Whitcomb, STE, pp. 2021.
At the time Jeroboam became Solomons overseer, Ahijah the Shilonite (i.e., one from the town of Shiloh[314]) sought out Jeroboam and privately conferred with him in a field near Jerusalem. The prophet[315] was clad in a new outer garment (1Ki. 11:29) which he took in his hands and tore into twelve pieces (1Ki. 11:30). This is the first instance in the Scriptures of an action parable performed by a prophet.[316] Israel is always reckoned as made up of twelve tribes. Since the tribe of Joseph had been divided into two, Ephraim and Manasseh, the total should have risen to thirteen. But since the number was left at twelve, it must be assumed that Levi was not included in the computation owing, no doubt, to the fact that the Levites were dispersed among all the tribes. The young Ephraimite was instructed to take ten of the pieces of cloth, symbolizing the ten tribes which God would rend from the hand of Solomon and give them to Jeroboam (1Ki. 11:31). There was something significant in the fact that Ahijahs garment was new, for this is twice mentioned. No doubt this symbolizes the newness of the kingdom which was still young and vigorous.
[314] The sanctuary at Shiloh and the entire city had been destroyed by the Philistines in the days of Samuel (1Sa. 4:11; cf. Jer. 7:12). There may have been a limited settlement, however, on or near the site of the former city.
[315] It is not without significance that nowhere in Kings is it said that Solomon consulted the will of God either through priest or prophet.
[316] Cf. 1Sa. 15:27 ff. where Saul accidentally tore Samuels robe and the prophet seized the opportunity to emphasize the prediction that God would rend the kingdom from the house of Saul.
One tribe, Judah, would be left to the house of David. In 1Ki. 12:21 and 2Ch. 11:3; 2Ch. 11:23 Benjamin is also reckoned to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. In the present passage little Benjamin is simply not deserving of separate mention inasmuch as both Judah and Benjamin shared the holy city of Jerusalem. Some commentators take the present passage to mean that God would grant to the house of David one tribe besides Judah. It is obvious, however, that since the garment was torn into twelve pieces, and since Jeroboam had been given ten pieces that two tribes were left to the house of David. Gods graciousness to the house of David is based on two principles: (1) Gods love for and promises to David himself; and (2) Gods love for and choice of Jerusalem as His holy dwelling place (1Ki. 11:32).
The division and disruption in Solomons kingdom came about because of the idolatrous leanings of Solomon and the overt worship of pagan deities by his wives. The king tolerated and perhaps participated in the worship of Ashtoreth, Chemosh, Milcom (cf. 1Ki. 11:5; 1Ki. 11:7) and other deities. He had rejected the Davidic path of absolute commitment to God (1Ki. 11:33). But the divine judgment against the house of David is tempered in two ways: (1) The entire kingdom would not be taken from Solomon; and (2) as long as Solomon lived he would retain the crown. Gods graciousness to Solomon is based on His faithfulness to David (1Ki. 11:34). Solomon may have broken his covenant with God, but God would not break His covenant with David. Therefore, the dispersion of the kingdom would be deferred until the reign of Rehoboam, son of Solomon.
As if to underscore what He already had declared, the Lord reiterated the threat: From Rehoboam He would take ten tribes and give them into the hand of Jeroboam (1Ki. 11:35). But Rehoboam would retain sovereignty over one tribe so that David would always have a lamp before God (1Ki. 11:36). The lighted lamp is frequently used in the Old Testament as a symbol of life, happiness, and prosperity. The figure may have been derived from the custom of keeping a lamp burning in the tent or home. The extinction of the lamp symbolized the breaking up of the home.[317] The reference to David having a lamp in Jerusalem is repeated in 1Ki. 15:4, 2Ki. 8:19 and 2Ch. 21:7.
[317] Honor, JCBR, p. 163.
The concluding words of Ahijah point to the privileges and the promise that pertained to Jeroboam, and to a prediction concerning the house of David. Jeroboam was assured that he would reign and enjoy all the privileges of kingship. As king, his every desire would be gratified (1Ki. 11:37).[318] Furthermore, he was given the divine promise that if he faithfully followed the Davidic path of steadfast obedience to God, the Lord would (1) be with him, and (2) give him a sure house, i.e., family or dynasty (1Ki. 11:38).
[318] The term Israel in 1Ki. 11:37 refers to the ten tribes of the Northern Kingdom as contrasted with Judah, the Southern Kingdom.
It should be noted that God did not promise Jeroboam an enduring kingdom as He had promised David. It was not Gods design to take away the kingdom from the house of David forever, and this is the thrust of the prediction in 1Ki. 11:39. God would afflict the house of David by means of the political schism, but not forever (lit., all the days). Thus Ahijah intimates what later prophets specifically would predict, viz., that in the future, the kingdom would be restored to the house of David. Jesus Christ, Davids greatest son, now rules over the kingdom of Israelthe spiritual Israel which includes all men who through faith have obeyed the Gospel.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(26) Jeroboam the son of Nebat.The life and character of Jeroboam are given in considerable detail in the history; and it is also remarkable that in some of the MSS. of the LXX. we find inserted after 1Ki. 12:24 an independent account of his early history (see Note at the end of the chapter), generally of inferior authority, and having several suspicious features, but perhaps preserving some genuine details. As the great rebel against the House of David, the leader of the revolution which divided Israel and destroyed its greatness, the introducer of the idolatry of the temples of Dan and Bethel, and the corrupter of the worship of Jehovah in deference to an astute worldly policy, he stands out in a vividness of portraiture unapproached, till we come to the history of Ahab at the close of the book.
An Ephrathite of Zereda.The word Ephrathite, which mostly means an inhabitant of Ephrata or Bethlehem, is here (as in 1Sa. 1:1) simply another form of the name Ephraimite. Zereda is mostly supposed to be Zarthan (see 7:46 and 2Ch. 4:17), a town of Ephraim in the Jordan valley. The Vatican MS. of the LXX., by a slight change in the Hebrew, reads Sarira, which is probably a rendering of Zererah or Zererath (Jdg. 7:22), and, in the additional record noticed above, makes it a strong fortified place in Mount Ephraim.
The son of a widow woman.This phrase, added to the phrase Solomons servant, is evidently designed to mark the utterly dependent condition from which Solomons favour raised the future rebel.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat Here we are first introduced to that distinguished person who figures so prominently in the following history as the first king in the kingdom of Israel.
Zereda In Septuagint written Sarida, and Sarira; Vulgate, Sareda. It was somewhere in the tribe of Ephraim, but its exact locality has not been found. In the long addition to the Hebrew text which the Septuagint gives after 1Ki 12:24, and which adds somewhat to the history of Jeroboam, Sarira is represented as the place in Mount Ephraim to which Jeroboam returned from Egypt; there he assembled the whole tribe ( ) of Ephraim, and there he built a fortress. May it not be the same as Tirzah? See 1Ki 14:17.
Lifted up his hand A form of expression indicating sedition within the kingdom, a rebellion; rather than hostility from without, like the troubles occasioned by Rezon and Hadad.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Jeroboam The Rebel ( 1Ki 11:26-40 ).
Because Solomon had not responded to YHWH’s chastening and had grievously sinned YHWH, now raised up one who was to be given the large part of Solomon’s kingdom. His name was Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and he was an Israelite, an Ephraimite from Zeredah.
He had come to prominence because Solomon had observed how industrious and capable he was during some of his building work, and had therefore set him over ‘all the labour of the house of Joseph (Ephraim and Manasseh, and possibly even more)’. This had given him great influence due to the constant levies on the people of Israel during the period of the building of the Temple, and it had also enabled him to enter in to the pain of his people.
After some time in his position, as he was leaving Jerusalem one day, he was met in the solitariness of the countryside by the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah was deliberately wearing a new cloak (symbolic of the new kingdom), and tearing it into twelve pieces he gave ten pieces to Jeroboam, declaring that just as this cloak had been torn so Israel would be torn, with the result that ten tribes of Israel would be given to him to rule over, with two tribes remaining under the rule of the house of Solomon because of His promises to David. Jeroboam was thus destined to become king over Israel, because of Solomon’s grievous sins in connection with foreign gods.
Such a prophetic utterance was not intended to be seen as an incitement to rebellion. It was simply preparing Jeroboam for the future (as Samuel had with David). But the fact that Solomon sought Jeroboam out to kill him suggests that Jeroaboam did initiate some moves against Solomon, moves which Solomon found out about, something confirmed by later tradition which cites an actual rebellion. That may have been overstating the case, but certainly we are told that he ‘lifted up his hand against the king’ and it would appear later that the tribes of Israel looked to him as their prospective leader (1Ki 12:2-3). It may well be that these moves were connected with seeking to make the burden of the people lighter carried to such an extent that it became insubordination.
The consequence was that he had to flee to Egypt, where he came under the protection of Shishak, the Pharaoh of a new, more enterprising dynasty, who was delighted to do anything that might contribute towards undermining Solomon’s power.
Analysis.
a
b And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father (1Ki 11:27).
c And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour, and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he gave him charge over all the labour of the house of Joseph (1Ki 11:28).
d And it came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way (1Ki 11:29 a).
e Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new robe, and they two were alone in the countryside, and Ahijah laid hold of the new robe which was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces, and he said to Jeroboam, “You take ten pieces. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you’ ” (1Ki 11:29-31).
f “But he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel” (1Ki 11:32).
g “Because that they have forsaken me, and have worshipped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of Moab, and Milcom the god of the children of Ammon, and they have not walked in my ways, to do what is right in my eyes, and to keep my statutes and my ordinances, as did David his father” (1Ki 11:33).
f “However that may be I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of his life, for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes” (1Ki 11:34).
e “But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it to you, even ten tribes, and to his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for myself to put my name there” (1Ki 11:35-36).
d “And I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and will be king over Israel” (1Ki 11:37).
c “And it shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do what is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did” (1Ki 11:38).
b “That I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you, and I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not for ever” (1Ki 11:39).
a Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon (1Ki 11:40).
Note that in ‘a’ Jeroboam lifted up his hand against the king, and in the parallel he had to flee to Egypt from Solomon’s wrath. In ‘b’ Solomon built up the Millo and repaired the breach of the city of David, and in the parallel YHWH promised that, if he was obedient, He would build up the house of Jeroboam in the same way as he had promised to David, causing a breach with the seed of David who would thus be afflicted. In ‘c’ Jeroboam demonstrated his diligent obedience to Solomon, and in the parallel he was called on to be diligently obedient to YHWH. In ‘d’ Ahijah sought Jeroboam out in order to deliver to him a prophecy, and in the parallel he prophesied that he would rule over Israel. In ‘e’ Ahijah symbolically indicates that ten tribes will be torn from Solomon and given to Jeroboam, the remainder remaining with the house of David, and in the parallel that is emphasised. In ‘f’ ‘one tribe’ will remain with the house of David, something confirmed in the parallel. Central in ‘g’ we have the reason behind all this. It is because of Solomon’s rebellion against YHWH in following after false gods.
1Ki 11:26
‘ And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite (Ephrathite) of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king.’
The third in the sequence of troublemakers was a man whose name was Jeroboam (‘the people is great’). He was the son of Nebat, and an Ephraimite from Zeredah. But his father was dead, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. Zeruah means ‘leprous’. This name may have been given because her mother had become a leper, but the prophet no doubt saw it as significant in view of what followed. Zeredah is probably Banat-Bar, north-west of Bethel. Jeroboam was ‘an officer of the king.’
“He lifted up his hand against the king.” 1Ki 11:27-28 may be seen as suggesting that this arose out of his position as officer in charge of the labour of the house of Joseph. He may well simply have been involved in actively and strongly campaigning for better rights for his workers, something which the arrogant Solomon would have seen as insubordination and incipient rebellion, and therefore as worthy of death Certainly later Israel called on him to help them obtain a better deal under Rehoboam (1Ki 12:2-4).
1Ki 11:27-28
‘ And this was the reason why he lifted up his hand against the king. Solomon built Millo, and repaired the breach of the city of David his father, and the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour, and Solomon saw the young man that he was industrious, and he gave him charge over all the labour of the house of Joseph.’
The reason given for his having lifted up his hand against the king is that when he demonstrated his ability and zeal in the building of the Millo, Solomon took notice of him and, recognising that he was a man of property (a mighty man of wealth/valour) appointed him to have charge over the large labour force from the house of Joseph. This would include the two large tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh but may well also have included some of the other northern tribes as well. Thus he was given a position of considerable authority.
Being a ‘mighty man of valour’ ( a man of property, and of considerable courage and ability) he may well have felt it his responsibility to defend the needs of his workers, even to the point of open hostility towards Solomon’s officers, something which in itself would have had him branded as a ‘troublemaker’. If he thereby gained the affection and support of a large proportion of the people so that there were murmurings among them Solomon would certainly have seen him as a potential threat. He did not deal kindly with troublemakers, as we know.
Such a display of godly concern for the people in accordance with covenant principles, and of a willingness to take risks on his people’s behalf, would explain why YHWH saw Jeroboam as a potentially reliable ruler, and sent a prophet to inform him that one day he would be rewarded for his ‘right actions’ by becoming king over Israel.
1Ki 11:29
‘ And it came about at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way. Now Ahijah had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the countryside.’
When one day Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem and was walking (or riding on an ass) through the open countryside away from prying ears, he was met by Ahijah the prophet, a Shilonite, who was wearing a new robe which we will discover was symbolic of the new kingdom of David. Note the emphasis on the aspect of privacy. What the prophet had to say was for Jeroboam’s ears alone.
Alternately the newness of the garment may have been because it was to be used for a sacred purpose, and thus must never have been previously used (compare 2Sa 6:3).
The fact that Ahijah was from Shiloh may suggest that he was a member of a group of prophets who were based at Shiloh, the site of the ancient Tabernacle prior to the site being ransacked by the Philistines (see e.g. Jos 18:1; 1Sa 1:3; 1Sa 4:4; Jer 7:14). It would be seen as a legitimate place where YHWH had recorded His Name. These prophets would thus be less influenced by, and more independent of, Solomon than prophets in Jerusalem (who if they had a message might have been expected to speak directly to Solomon) would be.
1Ki 11:30
‘ And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment which was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.’
On coming up with Jeroboam Ahijah took off his new robe and tore it into twelve pieces (compare 1Sa 15:27-28). This was an acted out prophecy which guaranteed the certainty of what was to happen. It was, as it were, a prophetic earnest of what was to come.
1Ki 11:31-32
‘ And he said to Jeroboam, “You take ten pieces. For thus says YHWH, the God of Israel, ‘Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to you, (but he shall have one tribe, for my servant David’s sake and for Jerusalem’s sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel),”
Then Ahijah told Jeroboam to accept ten pieces of the robe, which was an indication that YHWH intended that ten out of the twelve tribes of Israel were for him, and would be given to him by YHWH. The remainder would still belong to the house of Solomon. The fact that two pieces were retained for Solomon indicated that he would have two tribes, thus the ‘one tribe’ must have meant ‘one other as well as Judah’.
However, we must not overpress the specific numbers. Some time had passed by since Israel had been divided into twelve distinct tribes, and there had been much movement and mingling, dividing up and assimilation, among the tribes, to say nothing of the effect of the inter-relationships with other inhabitants of the land. The two who would unite around the house of Solomon would be Judah and Benjamin (1Ki 12:21), although some parts of Benjamin, such as Jericho, would remain with Israel, but among them would be living many individuals from other tribes, especially from the tribe of Simeon who had once dwelt among Judah in the place where they had first settled, mainly losing much of their identity, and there would be those from all tribes who had centred their focus on Jerusalem as the hub of the empire and centre of worship for Israel, and wished to remain there.
It would seem, however, that many Simeonites had moved elsewhere and were seen as separately identifiable (1Ch 12:24-25; compare how cities that were Simeonite in Jos 19:1-9 could be seen as cities of Judah in Joshua 15). Indeed many Simeonites from the north continued to make pilgrimages to the shrine in Beersheba (Amo 5:5). We know also that Dan had similarly become divided up into two distinct groups, one group having moved to Laish (Judges 18), and the remainder remaining where they were. Furthermore many from the tribe of Levi would naturally focus on Jerusalem. Thus ‘the ten tribes’ was simply intended as a general description indicating all who would not see themselves as still a part of the kingdom when the rebellion took place, those who would not specifically identify themselves with the leaders of Judah and Benjamin, thereby roughly making up the rest of ‘Israel’. They were probably still identifiable to some extent as ‘tribes’ by the fact of whom they demonstrated their loyalty to among the elders of Israel, for there would still be elders who were seen as representing particular ancient tribes to whom loyalties would be due. But we must not think of ten easily separable and identifiable tribes. We can compare how in Jesus’ time when things were even more complicated He could still speak of ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ as though they were each identifiable, even though they were not (and all knew that they were not), and James could address the whole church as ‘the twelve tribes of Israel’ (Jas 1:1). This is not to deny that large numbers of Israel did still identify themselves with a particular tribe, but with many it was more wishful thinking than a reality of birth. It was a matter of seeing themselves as adopted by the tribe with which they, sometimes loosely, aligned themselves, and in whose anciently allocated area they lived.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Ki 11:26. And Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, &c. As the expence and trouble of building and repairing Millo were very great, Jeroboam, who was placed over this work, took an opportunity from thence to infuse a spirit of sedition into his brethren of the tribe of Ephraim, to complain heavily of the hard labour to which they were forced to submit, and the taxes that they were obliged to pay; and to represent the whole thing as a work of vanity, merely to gratify a proud foreign woman, and a silly, doating king; for Solomon filled up a part of the valley of Millo to build a palace for Pharaoh’s daughter. By these insinuations Jeroboam wrought in the people a disaffection to Solomon and his government. See Calmet.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
(26) And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
Here is first introduced the person of Jeroboam, of whom, in after ages, such an awful character is given. When the Lord chastiseth his children, as in the case of Solomon, what detestable characters, as instruments, he is pleased sometimes to make use of.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 11:26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon’s servant, whose mother’s name [was] Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up [his] hand against the king.
Ver. 26. And Jeroboam the son of Nebat. ] Not of Shimei, whom Solomon slew, as some Rabbis fabled.
An Ephrathite,
Solomon’s servant.] But unthankful and disloyal, such as was Ahithophei to David, Brutus to Caesar, Phocas to Mauritius, Frederick III’s courtiers and creatures to him, Biron to Henry IV of France. That king had made him, of a common soldier a captain, of a captain a knight, of a knight duke of Biron, marshal of France, governor of Burgundy, &c.; yet all this and more could not keep him from conspiring the death of his king, queen, and prince, that the kingdom might be transferred to others, and the Huguenots rooted out. a It appeareth that Jeroboam was not only employed by Solomon, but preferred to be ruler over the whole house of Joseph, where he first talked his pleasure against his master, and then acted against him, in his posterity especially. 1Ki 12:12-24
a Epit. Hist. Gallic., 274.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1 Kings
THE NEW GARMENT RENT
1Ki 11:26 – 1Ki 11:43
Solomon falls into the background in the last part of the story of his reign, and his enemies are more prominent than himself. So long as he walked with God, he was of importance for the historian; but as soon as he forsook God, and was consequently forsaken of His wisdom, he becomes as insignificant as an empty vessel which has once held sweet perfume, or a piece of carbon through which the electric current has ceased to flow. The sunbeam has left that peak, and shines on other summits. Never was there a sadder eclipse.
We are here told first how the instrument for shattering Solomon’s kingdom was shaped by himself. It is the old story of a young man of mark, attracting the eyes of the king, being promoted to offices of trust, which at once stir ambition, and give prominence and influence which seem to afford a possibility of gratifying it. The passion for building, so common in Eastern kings, and the cause of so much misery to their subjects, had grown on Solomon; and as his later days were harassed by war, and he had lost the safe defence of God’s arm, Jerusalem had to be enclosed by a wall. His father had been able to leave a ‘breach’ because the Lord was a wall round him and his city; and if Solomon had kept in his paths, he would have had no need to add to the fortifications. The preservation of ancestral piety is for nations and individuals a surer protection than the improvement of ancestral outward defences. Jeroboam made himself conspicuous by his energy for that rather than ‘valour’ must be the meaning of the word, and so got promotion. It was natural, but at the same time dangerous, to put him in command of the forced labour of his own tribe, as the narrative shows us was done; for ‘the house of Joseph’ is the tribe of Ephraim, to which, according to the correct translation of 1Ki 11:26 , he belonged. In such an office he would be thrown among his kinsmen, and would at once gain influence and learn to sympathise with their discontent, or, at any rate, to know where the sore places were, if he ever wanted to inflame them. One can easily fancy the grumblings of the Ephraimites dragged up to Jerusalem to the hated labour, which Samuel had predicted 1Sa 8:16, and how facile it would be for the officer in charge to fan discontent or to win friends by judicious indulgence. How long this went on we do not know, but the fire had smouldered for some time under the unconscious king’s very eyes, when it was fanned into a flame by Ahijah’s breath.
That is the second stage in the story,-the spark on the tinder. We have heard nothing of prophets during Solomon’s reign; but now this man from Shiloh, the ancient seat of the Tabernacle, meets the ambitious young officer in some solitary spot, with the message which answered to his secret thoughts and made his heart beat fast. The symbolic action preceding the spoken word, as usual, supplied the text, of which the word was the explanation and expansion. How pathetic is the newness of the garment! Unworn, strong, and fresh, it yet is rent in pieces. So the kingdom is so recent, with such possibilities of duration, and yet it must be shattered! Thus quickly has the experiment broken down! It is little more than a century since Saul’s anointing, little more than seventy years since the choice of David, and already the fabric, which had such fair promise of perpetuity, is ready to vanish away. If we may say so, that ‘new garment’ represents the divine disappointment and sorrow over the swift corruption of the kingdom. It was probably merely some loose square of cloth which Ahijah tore, with violence proportioned to its newness, into twelve pieces, ten of which he thrust into the astonished Jeroboam’s hands. The commentary followed.
Ahijah’s prophecy is substantially the same as the previous threatenings to Solomon, which had done no good. Their incipient fulfilment in the wars with Edom and Syria had been equally futile; and therefore God, who never strikes without warning, and never warns without striking if men do not heed, now drops the message into ears that were only too ready to hear. The seed fell on prepared soil, and Jeroboam’s half-formed plans would be consolidated and fixed. The scene is like that in which the witches foretell to Macbeth his dignity. Slumbering ambitions are stirred, and a half-inclined will is finally determined by the glimpse into the future. How easily men are persuaded that God speaks, and how willing they are to obey, when their inclinations jump with Heaven’s commandments! The prophet’s message makes the separation of the kingdoms a direct divine act, and yet it was the breaking up of a divine institution. God’s dealings have to be shaped according to facts, and He changes His methods, and lets the feebleness of His creatures and their sins mould His august procedure. The divine Potter, like mere human artisans, has His spoiled pieces of work, and, with infinite resource and patience as infinite, re-shapes the clay into other forms. The separation of the kingdoms was a divine act, and yet it is treated often in the later books as a crime and rebellion. God works out His purposes through men’s deeds, and their motives determine whether their acts are sins or obedience. A man may be a rebel while he is doing the will of God, if what he does be done at the bidding of his own selfishness. The separation of the kingdoms was God’s doing, but it was brought about by the free action of men obeying most secular impulses of political discontent, and led by a cunning, self-seeking schemer.
Note that the prophecy is in three parts. First, 1Ki 11:31 – 1Ki 11:33 announce the punishment, with the reservation of a dwindled dominion to the Davidic house, for the sake of their great ancestor and of God’s choice of Jerusalem, and solemnly charge on the people the idolatry which the king had introduced. The second part 1Ki 11:34 – 1Ki 11:36 postpones the execution of the sentence till after Solomon’s death, and assigns the same two reasons for this further forbearance. The third part 1Ki 11:37 – 1Ki 11:39 promises Jeroboam the kingdom, and lays down the conditions on which the favours promised to David and his house may be his. The whole closes with the assurance that the affliction of the seed of David is not to be for ever.
The punishment was heavy; for the disruption of the kingdom meant the wreck of all the prosperity of Solomon’s earlier days, the hopeless weakness of the divided tribes as against the formidable powers that pressed in on them from north and south, frequent intestine wars, bitter hatred instead of amity. Yet there was another side to it; for the very failure of the human kings made the Messianic hope the more bright, like a light glowing in the deepening darkness, and tumult and oppression might teach those whom prosperity and peace had only corrupted. The great lesson for us is the ruin which follows on departure from God. We do not see national sins followed with equal plainness or swiftness by national judgments; but the history of Israel is meant to show on a large scale what is always true, in the long run, both for nations and for individuals, that ‘it is an evil thing and a bitter’ to depart from the living God.
Mark, too, that the judgment is wrought out by perfectly natural causes. The separation follows old lines of cleavage. The strength of David’s kingdom lay in the south; and Ephraim was too powerful a tribe and too proud of its ancient glories, to acquiesce cheerfully in the pre-eminence of Judah. The oppression of forced labour and heavy taxation was put forward as the reason for the revolt, and, no doubt, was the reason for the readiness with which the ten tribes rallied to Jeroboam’s flag. There are two ways of writing history. You can either leave God out, or trace all to Him. The former way calls itself ‘scientific’ and ‘positive.’ The latter is the Bible way. Perhaps, if modern history were written on the same principles as the Books of Kings, the divine hand would be as plainly visible,-only it requires an inspired historian to do it. The way of bringing about the judgment for departing from God has changed, but the judgment remains the same to-day as when Ahijah rent his garment.
Between 1Ki 11:39 – 1Ki 11:40 we must suppose an attempt at armed rebellion by Jeroboam. That is implied by the expression that he ‘lifted his hand against the king’ 1Ki 11:26 – 1Ki 11:27. That attempt must have been put down by Solomon. And that it should have been made shows how little Jeroboam was influenced by religious motives. The prophet’s words had set him all afire with ambitious hopes, and he paid no heed to the distinct assurance that Solomon was to be ‘prince all the days of his life.’ He stretched out a rash, self-willed hand to snatch the promised crown, and broke God’s commandment even while he pretended to be keeping it. How different David’s conduct in like circumstances! He took no steps to bring about the fulfilment of Samuel’s promise at his anointing, but patiently waited for God to do as He had said, in His own time, and meantime continued his lowly work. God’s time is the best time; and he who greedily grasps at a premature fulfilment of promised good will have to pay for it by defeat and exile from the modest good that he had.
Jeroboam’s flight to Egypt brings that ill-omened name on the page for the first time since the Exodus. It has given occasion to an extraordinary addition to the Septuagint, professing to tell his adventures there,-how he was high in Shishak’s favour, and married a princess. That is apparently pure legend; but his residence there was important, as the beginning of Egypt’s interference in Israel’s affairs. It is an old trick of aggressive nations to side with a pretender to the throne of a country which they covet, and benevolently to strengthen him that he may weaken it. No doubt it was as Jeroboam’s ally that Shishak invaded Judah in the fifth year of Rehoboam, and plundered the Temple and the palace. It was a bad beginning for a king of Israel to be a pensioner of Egypt.
The narrative closes with the sad, reticent formula which ends each reign, and in Solomon’s case hides so much that is tragic and dark. This was all that could be said about the end of a career that had begun so nobly. If more had been said, the record would have been sadder; and so the pitying narrative casts the veil of the stereotyped summary over the miserable story. There are many instances in history of lives of genius and enthusiasm, of high promise and partial accomplishment, marred and flung away, but none which present the great tragedy of wasted gifts, and blossoms never fruited, in a sharper, more striking form than the life of the wise king of Israel, who ‘in his latter days’ was ‘a fool.’ The goodliest vessel may be shipwrecked in sight of port. Solomon was not an old man, as we count age, when he died; for he reigned forty years, and was somewhere about twenty when he became king. But it was ‘when he was old’ that he fell, and that through passion which should have been well under control long before. The sun went down in a thick bank of clouds, which rose from undrained marshes in his soul, and stretched high up in the western horizon. His career, in its glory and its shame, preaches the great lesson which the Book of Ecclesiastes puts into his mouth as ‘the conclusion of the whole matter’: ‘Fear God, and keep His commandments; for this is the whole duty of man.’
Fuente: Expositions Of Holy Scripture by Alexander MacLaren
Ephrathite = Ephraimite, as in 1Sa 1:1. Not a Bethlehemite, as in Rth 1:2. Zealous therefore for his tribe as against Judah.
a widow. One of the nine widows mentioned in Scripture. See note on Gen 38:19.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the Kingdom Promised to His Servant
1Ki 11:26-40
The opening chapters of Jeroboams life were very promising. He sprang from the ranks of the toilers, but his business talent attracted the notice of Solomon, who set him over the forced labor which was levied from the great tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim, Whether Jeroboam had entertained the prospect of rulership before the prophet met him, we cannot tell, but after that interview his whole life was altered. And if only he had observed the injunction of 1Ki 11:38, he might have lifted Israel to a level of prosperity and glory that would have blessed the world. But, alas! he sinned, and made Israel to sin- 1Ki 12:30; 1Ki 13:34; 1Ki 14:16; 1Ki 16:2; 1Ki 16:9; 1Ki 16:26, etc.
When God has given you your place, do not devise things out of your own heart, in order to retain it, 1Ki 12:33. The plans that Jeroboam laid to secure the stability of his throne led to its undoing, and covered his name with undying infamy. Trust in the Lord and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land. Fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. Thou maintainest my lot. Let those who feel compelled to do wrong in order to keep their business or position, dare to stand with God against the temptation. He will honor those who honor Him, 2Sa 2:30.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Jeroboam
(Whose people is many)
1Ki 11:26-40; 12-14:20; 2 Chron. 10; 13:1-20.
Contemporary Prophets: Ahijah; The Man Of God Out Of Judah; The Old Prophet Of Bethel.
The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.-Pro 10:7
Jeroboam is an example of what is not at all uncommon in the East-a man exalted from a comparatively low station in private or public life to the highest, or one of the highest, positions in the land. We have scripture instances of this; as Joseph, Moses, etc.; and secular history mentions not a few. Let us see how Jeroboams elevation came about: And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomons servant, whose mothers name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king. And this was the cause that he lifted up his hand against the king:Solomon built Millo [LXX, the citadel], and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father. And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him ruler over all the charge [or, levy] of the house of Joseph (i.e., Ephraim and Manasseh).
This naturally gave him a place of importance in the eyes of his fellow-countrymen, and prepared the way for what was soon to follow. They evidently resented this enforcement of labor. Thy father, they afterwards said to Rehoboam, made our yoke grievous. They spoke of it, too, as a heavy yoke (1Ki 12:4). There is no certain evidence that this was really so. What was being done by their labor was for the glory and security of the kingdom, whose prosperity all were supposed to profit by. See 1Ki 4:25. It is possible, however, that they were set to work on what served only for self-gratification; for when men depart from the right way, as Solomon did, they soon become oppressive. This would furnish some justification for their discontent, which Jeroboam, it is quite certain, would take no pains to allay. He probably had discernment sufficient to see to what final event circumstances were gradually shaping themselves, and had his own personal ambitions in mind, as shall be presently seen.
And it came to pass at that time when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him in the way; and he had clad himself with a new garment; and they two were alone in the field. And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces: and he said to Jeroboam, Take thee ten pieces: for thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, Behold, I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will give ten tribes to thee: (but he shall have one tribe for My servant Davids sake, and for Jerusalems sake, the city which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Is- rael:) because that they have forsaken Me, and have worshiped Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Milcom the god of the children of Amnion, and have not walked in My ways, to do that which is right in Mine eyes, and to keep My statutes and My judgments, as did David his father. Howbeit I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand: but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David My servants sake, whom I chose, because he kept My commandments and My statutes: but I will take the kingdom out of his sons hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes. And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David My servant may have a light alway before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen Me to put My name there. And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel. And it shall be, if thou wilt harken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in My ways, and do that is right in My sight, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as David My servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel unto thee. And I will for this afflict the seed of David, but not forever. It was a solemn word, to which Jeroboam ought to have given earnest heed. Had he done so, he would never have come to his own melancholy end, nor would his dynasty have been so suddenly and violently terminated-ere the second generation had barely begun.
Whether intelligence of Ahijahs prophecy reached the ears of Solomon, or the elated Jeroboam betrayed the secret by some overt act of rashness or insubordination, we are not told; but we read, Solomon sought therefore to kill Jeroboam. And Jeroboam arose, and fled into Egypt, unto Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon. He lifted up his hand against the king, it says. Some abortive attempt on his part to raise rebellion, it may have been, to hasten the fulfilment of the prophecy concerning him. Comp. 2Sa 20:21. How unlike David, the man after Gods own heart, who, though even anointed and chosen by the prophet Samuel to supercede Saul, would not injure a hair of the condemned kings head, or raise a finger to bring the kingdom to himself! David was a man of faith; and faith-that precious gift of God!-ever waits on God-waits for His time and way to fulfil His promises.
But Jeroboam knew nothing of faith. He had aspired secretly after power over his brethren (as the expression, according to all that thy soul desireth clearly shows), and probably sought the accomplishment of Ahijahs prophecy with prides feverish haste, for which he was compelled to seek an asylum in Egypt, under the protection of Shishak, who had but recently overthrown the late dynasty with which Solomon had unlawfully allied himself by marriage. Ahijah had distinctly said that Solomon should be prince all the days of his life, and it was only out of his sons hand that the kingdom should be taken and transferred to Jeroboam. But, like a wilful, impatient child, he could not wait, and must needs take the case out of Gods hand and undertake for himself.
How long Jeroboam remained in Egypt is not known; but we read that on the death of Solomon he returned, and was present at Rehoboams coronation, when the rebellion was consummated. And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it,that they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, etc. The time was ripe. Solomons incompetent son and successor, instead of heeding his fathers wholesome proverb, A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger, displayed his lack of wisdom and fitness to govern a liberty-loving people; and, as a consequence, he precipitated the separation of the already alienated northern tribes, to the weakening and almost ruin of a kingdom that had but recently extended from the Nile to the Euphrates, a distance of more than four hundred and fifty miles, and acknowledged by the surrounding nations as one of the most powerful empires of the earth.
The details of that memorable schism need not be entered into here, having been already gone over in the Kings of Judah. (See Rehoboam.) We have dwelt on the cause from the human, or circumstantial, side chiefly; the divine side is also given: Wherefore the king (Rehoboam) harkened not unto the people; for the cause was from the Lord, that He might perform His saying, which the Lord spake by Ahijah the Shilonite unto Jeroboam the son of Nebat.
Jeroboam now becomes the spokesman of the disaffected tribes in the presentation of their petition, whose rejection snapped the already overstrained link that bound the tribes together. Though only presenting the peoples petition, it is nevertheless probable that Jeroboam was not idle, but, like an artful politician, busy behind the scenes, till the coveted crown became his: And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again, that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all Israel. He made historic Shechem his capital, and fortified it. He also made Penuel ( the face of God-which should have reminded him of Gods past dealings with the scheming Jacob) an important strategic point. Of Shechem one writes: The situation is lovely; the valley runs west, with a soil of rich, black vegetable mould, watered by fountains, sending forth numerous streams, flowing west: orchards of fruit, olive groves, gardens of vegetables, and verdure on all sides, delight the eye-the very spot for a man bent on self-pleasing, and aspiring to a life of luxury.
But the newly-crowned king quickly manifested that he did not hold his kingdom in faith as a trust from God. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David (the all-seeing Eye tells us what was going on in his heart, mark, which had never been anything but an evil heart of unbelief): and, he continues, if this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. This man has neither trust in God, nor confidence in his fellows. He was like a former king (Saul), who, departing from God, began to be suspicious of everybody about him. Jeroboam evidently felt that he had no real hold upon the peoples affections, and that his tenure of the crown was very precarious. He therefore wickedly devised a plan (which, alas, proved all too successful) to prevent a return of the tribes to their former allegiance to the house of David. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. The old limits of the land were from Dan to Beersheba. Bethel lay near the southern border of Jeroboams kingdom, and about twelve miles north of Jerusalem; while Dan was in the far north, at the sources of the Jordan. Thus by placing the calves at these extreme limits of his dominion, with the pretext of giving to all an easy access to a place of worship, the uneasy king hoped to prevent their return to Judahs God and kingdom. His kingdom, unlike Judah, with its temple at Jerusalem, had no divine centre. It was, in fact, a circumference without a centre, and its worship a matter of convenience and expediency.
And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan (Bethel was taken from Jeroboam by Abijah. See 2Ch 13:19). And he made a house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi. This was a direct violation of the law of God in reference to the priesthood. See Num 18:1-7. And he did not stop there; regarding the legitimate priests and the Levites with special suspicion evidently, and rejected their services. For Jeroboam and his sons, we read, had cast them off from executing the priests office unto the Lord: and he ordained him priests for the high places, and for the devils, and for the calves which he had made (2Ch 11:14, 15). Abijah, in his speech before the battle with Jeroboam, says to him and his followers, Have ye not cast out the priests of the Lord, the sons of Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you priests after the manner of the nations of other lands? so that whosoever cometh to consecrate himself with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a priest of them that are no gods. Rome, since the Reformation, has been fond of comparing that glorious and undoubted work of God to Israels secession under Jeroboam, and likening this voluntary consecration of unauthorized persons to the ordination of Protestant ministers. While the utter falsity of the application of the former illustration is at once apparent, there is doubtless some truth in the latter. But the force of the figure recoils upon themselves, for the ranks of their own priesthood are recruited entirely by volunteer candidates from all classes and conditions of men. The mistake of Protestantism is the confounding of priesthood with ministry (two entirely different things in Scripture); Romes error is the assumption of all priestly functions by a humanly-consecrated few, to the exclusion of every member of the Church, every one of which is a priest, according to the testimony of Scripture. See 1Pe 2:5, 9, etc. This is not a continuation, nor yet an amplification, of the Jewish priesthood, but one of an entirely different order-a royal priesthood. Christ is the great High Priest, of whom Aaron was the type; and every true believer a priest of the same spiritual family, typified by Aarons sons. Heb 5:4 has its direct application to the high priesthood only, though the principle may be applied to ministry; but to Christian priesthood proper the verse has no application whatever, for a believer is a priest, not by special call, but solely in virtue of his link with Christ by faith.
Lessons from Jeroboams act as to the priesthood can surely be learned by both Romanism and Protestantism, but the right of a class among Gods people to the exclusive exercise of priestly functions is certainly not one of them. On the contrary, his action illustrates just what they themselves have done-shutting out the body of those who are truly the children of God, and therefore truly priests, and consecrating to the office men who have never been born of God, and have no right or qualification whatever therefore to the privilege.
Viewed even as a stroke of policy, this ejection of the Lords priests and the Levites was a blunder. They went over in a body, almost, to Jeroboams rival, and thereby strengthened the kingdom of Judah. By being over-anxious to preserve his power, he lost what was, no doubt, the choice part of his kingdom. Similar to this was the banishment of the Huguenots from France-the most intelligent, enterprising and God-fearing portion of its citizens-an act from which that country has never yet fully recovered, and, perhaps, never will. So, too, of the persecution of the Reformed in the Netherlands, and elsewhere on the Continent. And England, of all her stalwart sons, possessed none more stanch and true than those who, for conscience sake, forsook the land they loved, and sought an asylum among the desolate wildernesses of America.
Other unlawful innovations were introduced by Jeroboam. And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar [in imitation of Solomon]. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense. This feast, of Jeroboams, was in imitation of the feast of tabernacles, which God had commanded to be observed in the seventh month: the eighth was the month which Jeroboam had devised of his own heart-always deceitful and desperately wicked. And how many practices and customs in Christendom have been devised of mens own hearts which have no foundation in Scripture! For many seem to imagine that it is quite permissible in spiritual things to do every man that which is right in his own eyes, instead of Thus saith the Lord. God condemned Israel for doing that which, He says, I commanded them not, neither came it into My heart (Jer 7:31; also, 19:5; 32:35). It is the thoughts of Gods heart, not mine, that I am to heed and put into practice. These He has revealed in His Word, and it is our happiness and wisdom to heed that, and not commandments and doctrines of men.
And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the Lord unto Bethel: and Jeroboam stood by the altar to burn incense. If Jeroboam would not have Jehovahs priests, God sends His prophet into his land. And he cried against the altar in the word of the Lord, and said, O altar, altar, thus saith the Lord: Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee, and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee. And he gave a sign the same day, saying, This is the sign which the Lord hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. It was a bold message, but delivered in faithfulness. It was directed, not against the king, but the priests, though the king seemed to feel the force of its application to himself. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the Lord. Jeroboam had forgotten, or ignored, the reproof ad- ministered by God to kings almost a thousand years before; Touch not Mine anointed, and do My prophets no harm(Psa 105:14, 15). He was quickly reminded of his error, and entreated pardon. And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored me again. But it was his heart that had need of healing, rather than his hand. In this he was like the mass of men today, who look more to the hand and its deeds than the heart of sin that prompted the evil acts. The penitent publican smote upon his breast, as if to express that there, from within, came all the transgression, iniquity, and sin.
Jeroboam, however, is in a measure humbled, and his appeal for the prophets intercession is regarded: And the man of God besought the Lord, and the kings hand was restored him again, and became as it was before. Then he who would have persecuted a while ago, now would entertain and give a reward for his healing. And the king said unto the man of God, Come home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. But, like Daniel, who nobly answered king Belshazzar, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another (Dan 5:17), so also the man of God refuses here to be patronized (oh, mark it, all ye servants of the living God), saying, If thou wilt give me half thy house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place: for so it was charged me by the word of the Lord, saying, Eat no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou earnest. So he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to Bethel.
It is not our purpose to follow the history of the man of God, who was seduced to his death by the lie of the apostate old prophet of Bethel, but the narrative is full of wholesome instruction for us all, to adhere strictly to the word of God, and not be seduced from the simple path of obedience by the sophistries of men, professed prophets though they be; yea, be it an angel from heaven even, let him be accursed that perverts or contradicts the word of God. Reader, ponder well 1Ki 13:11-32; for, like all things written aforetime, it was written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages are come, with all their attendant difficulties and dangers.
Jeroboam derived no lasting profit from the prophets faithful testimony, or the mercy shown him in the restoration of his withered hand, for we read, After this thing [the prophets death?] Jeroboam returned not from his evil way, but made again of the lowest of the people priests of the high places: whosoever would, he consecrated him, and he became one of the priests of the high places. And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam, even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth (1Ki 13:33, 34).
The threatened destruction of Jeroboams house now begins. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people. And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child. Jeroboams troubled spirit does not turn to the old prophet of Bethel, or to others like him in Israel, but turns, in his distress, to Jehovahs prophet-a not uncommon thing with sinners, and a striking witness of the power of conscience, as well as a testimony to the influence of a righteous man in the midst of abounding evil. Ashamed, probably, to have it known among his subjects that he preferred to consult a prophet of Jehovah before those of his own idolatrous system, he sends his wife in disguise; or, as Shiloh, with Bethel, and other neighboring towns, had been taken by Abijah king of Judah (see 2Ch 13:19), it would then be in the realm of his enemy. Or, could it be that, conscious of guilt, and afraid of bad news, he hoped to deceive the prophet?
And Jeroboams wife did so, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age. And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman. And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings-alas, poor mother!-Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over My people Israel, and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments, and who followed Me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in Mine eyes; but thou hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke Me to anger, and hast cast Me behind thy back-fearful indictment!-therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone. Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it. Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.
Heavy tidings these were indeed to a mothers heart! She was possibly a good woman, to have a son in whom God saw some good thing toward the Lord. Sad indeed must have been her journey back to the city, and her dwelling, on entering which her son would die! And Jeroboams wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died; and they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, accord- ing to the word of the Lord, which He spake by the hand of His servant Ahijah the prophet. Dear child, Abijah {Jehovah is my Father) was his name; and his heavenly Father called him home. It was an instance of the righteous being taken away from the evil to come. And, it is written, He shall enter into peace: they shall rest in their beds, each one walking in his uprightness (Isa 57:1, 2). We shall expect to meet and greet thee, Jehovahs little child, in that bright morning when for those who have part in the first resurrection there shall be rib more evil to come.
Jeroboams battle with king Abijah, and his crushing defeat, have been entered into elsewhere (see Abijah), so need not be repeated here. Both the battle and his childs death must have occurred toward the close of his reign. See 2Ch 13:1. Thus disaster and sorrow would combine to help hasten his end; and we read, Neither did Jeroboam recover strength again in the days of Abijah: and the Lord struck him, and he died. God chastened him through two Abijahs; one, of his own house; and the other, of the house of David-terribly significant to him who had cast that same Jehovah behind his back.
And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. This is that Jeroboam who drave Israel from following the Lord, and made them sin a great sin (2Ki 17:21). God has placed the stamp of eternal infamy on his name.
Fuente: Commentaries on the New Testament and Prophets
Jeroboam: 1Ki 11:11, 1Ki 11:28, 1Ki 12:2, 1Ki 12:20-24, 1Ki 13:1-10, 1Ki 14:16, 1Ki 15:30, 1Ki 16:3, 1Ki 21:22
an Ephrathite: Gen 35:16, Rth 1:2, 1Sa 1:1, 1Sa 17:12, 1Ch 2:19
Solomon’s servant: 1Ki 9:22, 2Ch 13:6
Reciprocal: 1Ki 11:37 – according 2Ki 8:15 – And it came 1Ch 5:17 – Jeroboam 2Ch 10:2 – Jeroboam
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 11:26-28. Even he lifted up his hand against the king Probably made some secret attempts to raise a dissatisfaction against Solomon; for we do not read of any open attempt. And this was the cause, &c. This was the occasion of Jeroboams advancement, as it follows in the next verse. Solomon built Millo, &c. Solomon, being engaged in many buildings, made choice of such as he judged were fit persons to oversee his works; among whom Jeroboam was one. A mighty man of valour Of great courage and strength of body. Solomon seeing that he was industrious Very diligent in the business wherein he had employed him, of overlooking his works. He made him ruler, &c. Set him over those of the tribe of Benjamin who were employed in carrying stones, &c., for Solomons buildings; or over the taxes and tributes which were to be collected of the house of Joseph, that is, of Ephraim and Manasseh, or of Ephraim only, termed here, as often elsewhere, the house of Joseph.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Solomon’s internal adversary 11:26-40
Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (1Ki 11:26).
Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (1Ki 11:32; cf. 1Ki 12:21; 2Ch 11:1; 2Ch 11:10; 2Ch 15:2; 2Ch 15:9; Ezr 4:1). Really parts of two tribes joined the kingdom of Judah: Simeon and Benjamin. The reference to 10 northern tribes evidently included the nine remaining tribes plus either Benjamin or Simeon, whichever provided the majority of its tribe to support the Northern Kingdom. This appears to have been Simeon (cf. 2Ch 15:9; 2Ch 34:6). Levi did not figure in either group.
"Ten as the number of completeness and totality is placed in contrast with one, to indicate that all Israel was to be torn away from the house of David, as is stated in ch. xii. 20 . . ." [Note: Keil, p. 179.]
David’s lamp (1Ki 11:36) refers to his descendant on the throne (cf. 2Sa 21:17). [Note: Ibid., p. 181; Gray, p. 297.] God’s conditional promise to Jeroboam was similar to His promises to Saul (1Sa 13:13), to David (2Sa 7:11; 2Sa 7:27), and to Solomon (1Ki 9:4-7). God would afflict the descendants of David (1Ki 11:39) until He raised up Messiah, when all Israel would come under His authority, as it had been under David and Solomon’s authority. [Note: For a good literary analysis of the chiastic structure of the Jeroboam narrative (11:26-14:20), see Robert L. Cohn, "Literary Techniques in the Jeroboam Narrative," Zeitschrift für die Alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 97 (1985):23-35.] The reference to Shishak king of Egypt (1Ki 11:40) is the first to identify a Pharaoh by name in the Bible. Shishak later invaded Jerusalem during Rehoboam’s reign (1Ki 14:25-26).