Jeroboam

How Nave’s arranged it

• 1. First king of Israel after the revolt
• Promoted by Solomon1 Kings 11:28
• Ahijah's prophecy concerning1 Kings 11:29–391 Kings 14:5–16
• Flees to Egypt to escape from Solomon1 Kings 11:26–40
• Recalled from Egypt by the ten tribes on account of disaffection toward Rehoboam, and made king1 Kings 12:1–202 Chronicles 10:12–19
• Subverts the religion of Moses1 Kings 12:25–331 Kings 13:331 Kings 13:341 Kings 14:91 Kings 14:161 Kings 16:21 Kings 16:261 Kings 16:312 Chronicles 11:142 Chronicles 13:82 Chronicles 13:9
• Hand of, paralyzed1 Kings 13:1–10
• His wife sent to consult the prophet Ahijah concerning her child1 Kings 14:1–18
• His wars with Rehoboam1 Kings 14:191 Kings 14:301 Kings 15:62 Chronicles 11:1–4
• His war with Abijah1 Kings 15:72 Chronicles 13
• Death of1 Kings 14:202 Chronicles 13:20
• 2. King of Israel

The passages, in Bible order (34)

The same references, sorted Genesis to Revelation. The first 16 are quoted in full; the rest are one click beneath them, book by book.

1. 1 Kings 11:26–40

   Now Jeroboam son of Nebat was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam was a servant of Solomon, but he rebelled against the king,

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 11:26–402 voices

   “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.

   “He was a young man of talent and energy, who, having been appointed by Solomon superintendent of the engineering works projected around Jerusalem, had risen into public notice, and on being informed by a very significant act of the prophet Ahijah of the royal destiny which, by divine appointment, awaited him, his mind took a new turn.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 11:26–40→

   Verse page →Original language →

2. 1 Kings 11:28

   Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 11:282 voices

   “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.

   “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.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 11:28→

   Verse page →Original language →

3. 1 Kings 11:29–39

   During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 11:29–392 voices

   “The heavy exactions and compulsory labor (1Ki 11:28) which Solomon latterly imposed upon his subjects, when his foreign resources began to fail, had prepared the greater part of the kingdom for a revolt under so popular a demagogue as Jeroboam.

   “At that time - Probably after Jeroboam’s return from Egypt (see 1Ki 11:40). The Shilonite - An inhabitant of Shiloh in Mount Ephraim, the earliest and most sacred of the Hebrew sanctuaries (Jos 18:10; Jdg 18:31; 1Sa 4:3, etc.)

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 11:29–39→

   Verse page →Original language →

4. 1 Kings 12:1–20

   Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 12:1–202 voices

   “When all Israel came to make him king, it was not to exercise their old right of election (1Sa 10:19-21), for, after God's promise of the perpetual sovereignty to David's posterity, their duty was submission to the authority of the rightful heir; but their object was, when making him king, to renew the conditions and stipulations to which their constitutional kings were subject (1Sa 10:25).

   “The first step taken by the new king was a most judicious one. If anything could have removed the disaffection of the Ephraimites, and caused them to submit to the ascendancy of Judah, it would have been the honor done to their capital by its selection as the scene of the coronation. Shechem (now Nablous) lay on the flank of Mount Gerizim, directly opposite to Mount Ebal, in a position second to none in all Palestine.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 12:1–20→

   Verse page →Original language →

5. 1 Kings 12:25–33

   Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And from there he went out and built Penuel.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 12:25–332 voices

   “It was rebuilt, and perhaps fortified, by Jeroboam, as a royal residence. built Penuel--a ruined city with a tower (Jud 8:9), east of Jordan, on the north bank of the Jabbok. It was an object of importance to restore this fortress (as it lay on the caravan road from Gilead to Damascus and Palmyra) and to secure his frontier on that quarter.

   “We have learned in the books of Kings that under Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, Jeroboam, the son of Nabat, made a division among the people and led ten tribes into Samaria. The tribes of Judah and Benjamin, however, remained under the rule of Rehoboam; and many likewise from the tribe of Levi who were dwelling in Jerusalem as priests and Levites—as it is written in Paralipomenon—returned to the temple of God, that is, to Jerusalem.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 12:25–33→

   Verse page →Original language →

6. 1 Kings 13:1–10

   Suddenly, as Jeroboam was standing beside the altar to burn incense, there came a man of God from Judah to Bethel by the word of the LORD.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 13:1–101 voice

   “Rather, “in the word of the Lord.” The meaning seems to be, not merely that the prophet was bid to come, but that he came in the strength and power of God’s word, a divinely inspired messenger. (Compare 1Ki 13:2, 1Ki 13:5,1Ki 13:32.) By the altar - “On the altar;” i, e. on the ledge, or platform, halfway up the altar, whereupon the officiating priest always stood to sacrifice. Compare 1Ki 12:32 note.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 13:1–10→

   Verse page →Original language →

7. 1 Kings 13:33

   Even after these events, Jeroboam did not repent of his evil ways, but again he appointed priests for the high places from every class of people. He ordained anyone who desired to be a priest of the high places.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 13:332 voices

   “For you know undoubtedly that those that are by us named bishops, and presbyters, and deacons, were made by prayer, and by the laying on of hands; and that by the difference of their names is showed the difference of their employments. For not every one that will is ordained, as the case was in that spurious and counterfeit priesthood of the calves under Jeroboam; [1 Kings 13:33] but he only who is called of God. For if there were no rule or distinction of orders, it would suffice to perform all the offices under one name.

   “Whosoever would, he consecrated him - i. e., he exercised no discretion, but allowed anyone to become a priest, without regard to birth, character, or social position. We may suspect from this that the office was not greatly sought, since no civil governor who cared to set up a priesthood would wish to degrade it in public estimation. Jeroboam did impose one limitation, which would have excluded the very poorest class. The candidate for consecration was obliged to make an offering consisting of one young bullock and seven rams 2Ch 13:9.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 13:33→

   Verse page →Original language →

8. 1 Kings 13:34

   And this was the sin of the house of Jeroboam that led to its extermination and destruction from the face of the earth.

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 13:342 voices

   “And this thing became sin unto the house of Jeroboam,.... All the above things were sins in themselves, as building high places, and putting priests in them, whoever would; but the sense is, that these were the causes of punishment, or of evil things being inflicted on Jeroboam's family; sin is put for the punishment of sin, as it often is: even to cut it off, and to destroy it from off the face of the earth; so that it become utterly extinct; and the next thing we hear of is the sickness and death of his son.

   “Note, The diminution, disquiet, and desolation of families, are the fruit of sin; he promised himself that the calves would secure the crown to his family, but it proved they lost it, and sunk his family. Those betray themselves that think by any sin to support themselves.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 13:34→

   Verse page →Original language →

9. 1 Kings 14:1–18

   At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill,

   ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:1–182 voices

   “At that time - The phrase here connects the narrative which follows with Jeroboam’s persistence in his evil courses. The event related is the first judgment upon him for his obduracy, the beginning of the cutting off of his house from the face of the earth. Abijah - We see by this name that Jeroboam did not intend to desert the worship of Yahweh, since its signification is “Yahweh is my father,” or “Yahweh is my desire” Job 34:36.

   “It is probable that he was his eldest son, and heir-apparent to the crown; for at his death all the kingdom went into mourning for him, ch. xiii. His dignity as a prince, his age as a young prince, and his interest in heaven as a pious prince, could not exempt him from sickness, dangerous sickness.

   Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:1–18→

   Verse page →Original language →

10. 1 Kings 14:5–16

    But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:5–162 voices

    “And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him--This was a present in unison with the peasant character she assumed. Cracknels are a kind of sweet seed-cake.

    “Feign herself to be another woman - literally, “she shall make herself strange,” i. e., “she shall come in disguised.” So 1Ki 14:6.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:5–16→

    Verse page →Original language →

11. 1 Kings 14:9

    You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:92 voices

    “David - Who though he fell into some sins, yet, first, he constantly persevered in the true worship of God; from which thou art revolted. Secondly, he heartily repented of, and turned from all his sins whereas thou art obstinate and incorrigible.

    “And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him--This was a present in unison with the peasant character she assumed. Cracknels are a kind of sweet seed-cake.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:9→

    Verse page →Original language →

12. 1 Kings 14:16

    So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:162 voices

    “This was fulfilled in the captivity of the ten tribes by the king of Assyria. Families and kingdoms are ruined by sin, ruined by the wickedness of the heads of them. Jeroboam did sin, and made Israel to sin.

    “David - Who though he fell into some sins, yet, first, he constantly persevered in the true worship of God; from which thou art revolted. Secondly, he heartily repented of, and turned from all his sins whereas thou art obstinate and incorrigible.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:16→

    Verse page →Original language →

13. 1 Kings 14:19

    As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:192 voices

    “The wars of Jeroboam may be divided into: (1) his wars with Rehoboam (see 1Ki 14:25, 1Ki 14:30); and (2) his war with Abijam (see the marginal reference). The book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel - (of Judah, 1Ki 14:29). See the Introduction.

    “The chronicles - not that canonical book of chronicles; for that was written long after this book: but a book of civil records, the annals, wherein all remarkable passages were recorded by the king's command from day to day; out of which the sacred penman by the direction of God's spirit, took those passages which were most useful for God's honour, and mens edification.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:19→

    Verse page →Original language →

14. 1 Kings 14:20

    And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:201 voice

    “And the days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years,.... So that he outlived Rehoboam five years, and lived to the second year of the reign of his grandson Asa: and he slept with his fathers; or died as they did: and Nadab his son reigned in his stead; who perhaps was younger than Abijah, whose sickness and death are before related.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:20→

    Verse page →Original language →

15. 1 Kings 14:30

    There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 14:302 voices

    “Was war - Not an invasive war with potent armies, which was forbidden, chap. xii, 24, and not revived 'till Abijam's reign, 2 Chron. xiii, 1-3, but a defensive war from those hostilities which by small parties and skirmishes they did to one another.

    “It was strange that David would marry his son Solomon to an Ammonitess (for it was done while he lived), but it is probable that Solomon was in love with her, because she was Naamah, a beauty (so it signifies), and his father was loth to cross him, but it proved to have a very bad influence upon posterity.

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 14:30→

    Verse page →Original language →

16. 1 Kings 15:6

    And there was war between the houses of Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of Abijam’s life.

    ›Commentary on 1 Kings 15:62 voices

    “And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life. Not the days of Rehoboam, though that was true, and is observed, 1Ki 14:30, but all the days of Abijam, before he came to the throne, and in which, when a young man, he was concerned, and which still continued between him and Jeroboam; though some think he is called by his father's name, as Rehoboam is called David, 1Ki 12:16.

    “There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam - This was mentioned in the preceding chapter, 1Ki 14:30, and it can mean no more than this: there was a continual spirit of hostility kept up between the two kingdoms, and no doubt frequent skirmishing between bordering parties; but it never broke out into open war, for this was particularly forbidden. See 1Ki 12:24. Hostility did exist, and no doubt frequent skirmishes; but open war and pitched battles there were none. But why is this circumstance repeated, and the history of Abijam interrupted by the repetition?

    Everything gathered on 1 Kings 15:6→

    Verse page →Original language →