Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Kings 11:37
And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
37. according to all that thy soul desireth ] Or (as margin R.V.) ‘over all &c.’ The prophet was, as it appears, aware of Jeroboam’s ambition. Events were leading up to the coming separation of the kingdoms, and there may have been many opportunities for Jeroboam to disclose his desires and aims.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 37. According to all that thy soul desireth] It appears from this that Jeroboam had affected the kingdom, and was seeking for an opportunity to seize on the government. God now tells him, by his prophet, what he shall have, and what he shall not have, in order to prevent him from attempting to seize on the whole kingdom, to the prejudice of the spiritual seed of David.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I will take thee, and place thee in the throne, as it follows.
According to all that thy soul desireth; he secretly taxeth him for his ambitious and aspiring mind.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And I will take thee,…. From the low estate in which he was, to be king:
and thou shall reign according to all that thy soul desireth; he being ambitious of the kingdom, and having already formed in his mind some designs upon it:
and shall be king over Israel; the ten tribes.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
37. According to all that thy soul desireth From this we may infer that Jeroboam already had an eye to the throne, and his soul yearned for regal power. His office of ruler of the house of Joseph (1Ki 11:28) had begotten within him lofty aspirations.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
“ And I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and will be king over Israel.”
So YHWH would take Jeroboam and make him reign in accordance with all the desires of his inner life, and establish him as king over Israel. If he fulfilled YHWH’s conditions he would have free rein and YHWH’s blessing.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
1Ki 11:37 And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth, and shalt be king over Israel.
Ver. 37. And thou shalt reign. ] This the bramble held a goodly business, not so the vine and fig tree. Jdg 9:8-15
According to all that thy soul desireth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
according: 1Ki 11:26, Deu 14:26, 2Sa 3:21
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Ki 11:37. I will take thee From the condition wherein thou art, and place thee on a throne, as here follows. Thou shalt reign according to all thy soul desireth According to thy utmost wishes and desires. It appears from this that he was a very aspiring and ambitious man, fond of power and pre-eminence; and it is not unlikely but he might at this time be plotting against Solomon, and contriving to rise to the throne. The Jews say, that when he was employed by Solomon in repairing and building Millo, as the expenses attending the work were very great, he took opportunities of reflecting upon Solomon as oppressive to his people, and of suggesting that which he thought would alienate them from his government, and infuse a spirit of sedition and revolt. He complained heavily, especially to his brethren of the tribe of Ephraim, of the hard labour to which they were forced to submit, and the taxes they were obliged to pay; and to represent the whole affair as a work of vanity, merely to gratify a proud foreign woman, and a silly, doting king; for Solomon filled up a part of the valley of Millo to build a palace for Pharaohs daughter. By these insinuations, it is thought, Jeroboam wrought in the people a disaffection to Solomon and his government. See Calmets Dict. under the word MILLO.