Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 11:28
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 of the house of Joseph.
28. and Solomon seeing ] The verb is finite, therefore render (with R.V.) saw.
was industrious ] Literally ‘did work.’
he made him ruler over all the charge of, &c.] Better (with R.V., and he gave him charge over all the labour ( Heb. burden) of the house of Joseph, i.e. the tribe of Ephraim. The labour here spoken of is that compulsory work, which the Israelites did by turns for parts of the year, and which the tributary subject-population were constantly employed upon. It is not difficult to conceive circumstances under which such duty might become very distasteful to the northern section of the kingdom. For between them and the people of Judah there was a pronounced opposition even in David’s time. And the compulsory labour on the walls of Jerusalem was just the sort of occupation to aggravate this old enmity. Jeroboam saw this and took advantage of it.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
A mighty man of valor – Here a man of strength and activity. It is a vague term of commendation, the exact force of which must be fixed by the context. See Rth 2:1; 1Sa 9:1, etc.
Solomon made Jeroboam superintendent of all the forced labor (the charge) exacted from his tribe – the tribe of Ephraim – during the time that he was building Millo and fortifying the city of Jerusalem 1Ki 9:15.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
A mighty man of valour, or, a man of great strength of body, or courage of mind, or both.
Industrious; ingenious, and diligent, and active, and every way fit for business and for command.
Over all the charge, i.e. the taxes and tributes which were to be gathered of the people by his power and authority.
Of the house of Joseph; either of Ephraim and Manasseh, who were jointly comprehended under this name, Jos 17:17; or of Ephraim only, who elsewhere comes under that name, as 1Ch 5:1; Psa 78:67; Eze 37:6. And it seems most probable that each tribe had a several ruler.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valour,…. A man of great strength of body, and fortitude of mind:
and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious; in what he was set about in the above buildings and repairs:
he made him ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph; the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, to be a prince or a deputy governor of them; or rather to collect the king’s tax from them, or the revenues of that part of the country, see Pro 22:29.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(28) A mighty man of valour.The phrase, like the mighty valiant man, applied to the young David (1Sa. 16:18), has nothing to do with war, but simply signifies strong and capable.
The charge (or in margin the burden), is, of course, the taskwork assigned to the levy from the tribe of Ephraim (and possibly Manasseh with it). It is clear from this that the levy for the Templeperhaps originally exceptionalhad served as a precedent for future burdens, not on the subject races only, as at first (1Ki. 9:21-22), but on the Israelites also. The LXX. addition makes Jeroboam build for Solomon Sarira in Mount Ephraim also.
Ahijah the Shilonite.In the person of Ahijah, prophecy emerges from the abeyance, which seems to overshadow it during the greatness of the monarchy. Even in Davids old age, the prophet Nathan himself appears chiefly as a mere counsellor and servant of the king (see 1 Kings 1), and from the day of his coronation of Solomon we hear nothing of any prophetic action. Solomon himself receives the visions of the Lord (1Ki. 3:5; 1Ki. 3:2); upon him, as the Wise Man, rests the special inspiration of God; at the consecration of the Temple he alone is prominent, as the representative and the teacher of the people. Now, however, we find in Ahijah the first of the line of prophets, who resumed a paramount influence like that of Samuel or Nathan, protecting the spirituality of the land and the worship of God, and demanding both from king and people submission to the authority of the Lord Jehovah.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1Ki 11:28 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.
Ver. 28. A mighty man of valour. ] Able and also active, and so the fitter to be the head of a faction.
And Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
made him ruler = gave him oversight, which gave him opportunity to oppress and create disaffection.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
was industrious: Heb. did work, Pro 22:29
he made: 1Ki 5:16
charge: Heb. burden, Deu 1:12, Isa 14:25, Mat 11:30
the house: Jos 18:5, Jdg 1:22, Jdg 1:23, 2Sa 19:20, Amo 5:6, Zec 10:6
Reciprocal: 1Ki 11:26 – Jeroboam 2Ch 10:2 – Jeroboam Pro 12:24 – hand
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
AN INDUSTRIOUS YOUTH
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.
1Ki 11:28
It is interesting to observe the beginning of Jeroboams prosperity. It commenced in merit, and it was advanced by the same cause. Industry and activity commended the young man to the attention and confidence of his superiors. If his moral principles had been equal to his ability and diligence, Jeroboam would have occupied an honourable position in the Hebrew chronicles, and to his name there would not have attached the stigma, he made Israel to sin.
I. Ability and diligence in the young are deserving of admiration.To a certain extent men are not accountable for their ability; the capacity and faculty are inborn, are the bestowment of Divine Providence. But natural gifts are increased by use. To him that hath shall be given. Most young people are endowed with such a measure of ability that, if cultivated earnestly and faithfully, it may enable them to render good service to their generation.
II. Ability and diligence lead to promotion.Men intrust more to those who make a good use of what they have. There is no department of life in which merit is so superabundant that it will be left unheeded and unemployed. The opportunity, the time for advancement, comes to most young men who have prepared for it.
III. Ability and diligence may be either wisely used or shamefully abused.In the service of sin men work hard, and they have their reward. But none can seek and serve the Lord without finding in Him a gracious Master ready to acknowledge devotedness and to recompense service, beyond desert or expectation.
Illustration
The instrument for shattering Solomons 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. 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 verse 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.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
11:28 And the man Jeroboam [was] a mighty man of valour: and Solomon seeing the young man that he was industrious, he made him {o} ruler over all the charge of the house of Joseph.
(o) He was overseer of Solomon’s works for the tribe of Ephraim and Manasseh.