1 Kings 14:8
in 1 Kings 14I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
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,
KJV
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;
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This verse in 1 Kings 14
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
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.
This site's exposition
I raised you up from among the people
on 1 Kings 14:7-9
The oracle opens with Jeroboam's rise, “I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel”. The language is that of 2 Samuel 7, spoken to David. Verse 8 measures him against David, the standard this book applies to the kings after him.
This site's exposition
you were not like My servant David
David also sinned, and John Wesley names the difference: David kept to the true worship of God and repented of his sins. Jeroboam left that worship and held to his course. The kings of Judah are measured against David in the same way, at 15:3 and 15:11.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"The Lord is compassionate and merciful, long-suffering and plenteous in mercy." "The Lord is sweet to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." You hear that his mercies are so great, and do you dare to put your trust in your own virtue? "Let all your works, O Lord, confess to you." If people are also part of his works, then all people should confess their sins.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 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.
): Thou hast not been as my servant David, who, though he had his faults and some bad ones, yet never forsook the worship of God nor grew loose nor cold to that; his faithful adherence to that gained him this honourable character, that he followed God with all his heart, and herein he was proposed for an example to all his successors.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee,.... Even ten parts out of twelve: 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; who never was guilty of idolatry, but always constantly and cordially attended the pure worship of God, and was careful to do everything in that according to the will of God, whatever else he might be deficient in.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
thou hast not been as my servant David--David, though he fell into grievous sins, repented and always maintained the pure worship of God as enjoined by the law.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
And rent the kingdom away from the house of David - That is, permitted it to be rent, because of the folly and insolence of Rehoboam.
The words behind it
23 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וָאֶקְרַ֤ע | vaekra' | and I tore away | H7167 → | 63 times |
| אֶת־ | ʾet- | <obj.> | H853 → | 10935 times |
| הַמַּמְלָכָה֙ | hamamlakhah | the kingdom | H4467 → | 117 times |
| מִבֵּ֣ית | mibeit | from [the] house of | H1004 → | 2046 times |
| דָּוִ֔ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| וָאֶתְּנֶ֖הָ | vaeteneha | and I gave it | H5414 → | 2011 times |
| לָ֑ךְ | lakh | to you | ||
| וְלֹֽא־ | velo'- | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| הָיִ֜יתָ | hayita | you have been | H1961 → | 3559 times |
| כְּעַבְדִּ֣י | keavdi | like servant my | H5650 → | 799 times |
| דָוִ֗ד | david | David | H1732 → | 999 times |
| אֲשֶׁר֩ | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| שָׁמַ֨ר | shamar | he kept | H8104 → | 468 times |
| מִצְוֹתַ֜י | mitzvotai | commandments my | H4687 → | 181 times |
| וַאֲשֶׁר־ | vaasher- | and who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| הָלַ֤ךְ | halakh | he walked | H1980 → | 1546 times |
| אַחֲרַי֙ | ʾacharai | after me | H310 → | 715 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | with all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| לְבָב֔וֹ | levavo | heart his | H3824 → | 252 times |
| לַעֲשׂ֕וֹת | laasot | to do | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| רַ֖ק | rak | only | H7535 → | 109 times |
| הַיָּשָׁ֥ר | haiyashar | the right | H3477 → | 119 times |
| בְּעֵינָֽי׃ | beeinai | in view my | H5869 → | 887 times |
וָאֶקְרַ֤עand I tore away
vaekra'H7167 →63 times
אֶת־<obj.>
ʾet-H853 →10935 times
הַמַּמְלָכָה֙the kingdom
hamamlakhahH4467 →117 times
מִבֵּ֣יתfrom [the] house of
mibeitH1004 →2046 times
דָּוִ֔דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
וָאֶתְּנֶ֖הָand I gave it
vaetenehaH5414 →2011 times
לָ֑ךְto you
lakh
וְלֹֽא־and not
velo'-H3808 →5168 times
הָיִ֜יתָyou have been
hayitaH1961 →3559 times
כְּעַבְדִּ֣יlike servant my
keavdiH5650 →799 times
דָוִ֗דDavid
davidH1732 →999 times
אֲשֶׁר֩who
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
שָׁמַ֨רhe kept
shamarH8104 →468 times
מִצְוֹתַ֜יcommandments my
mitzvotaiH4687 →181 times
וַאֲשֶׁר־and who
vaasher-H834 →5497 times
הָלַ֤ךְhe walked
halakhH1980 →1546 times
אַחֲרַי֙after me
ʾacharaiH310 →715 times
בְּכָל־with all
bekholH3605 →5413 times
לְבָב֔וֹheart his
levavoH3824 →252 times
לַעֲשׂ֕וֹתto do
laasotH6213 →2628 times
רַ֖קonly
rakH7535 →109 times
הַיָּשָׁ֥רthe right
haiyasharH3477 →119 times
בְּעֵינָֽי׃in view my
beeinaiH5869 →887 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 13:22After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 13:13–14
“You have acted foolishly,” Samuel declared. “You have not kept the command that the LORD your God gave you; if you had, the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time.
- 1 Kings 15:5
For David had done what was right in the eyes of the LORD and had not turned aside from anything the LORD commanded all the days of his life, except in the matter of…
- Psalms 78:70–72
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
- 1 Samuel 16:13
So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. Then Samuel set out and…
- 1 Samuel 16:1
Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long are you going to mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending…
- 1 Samuel 13:13–14
Through
Acts 13:36For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep. His body was buried with his fathers and saw decay.
it leads to
- Acts 2:29
Brothers, I can tell you with confidence that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.
- 2 Samuel 7:12
And when your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom.
- 1 Kings 2:10
Then David rested with his fathers and was buried in the City of David.
- Acts 2:29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About 1 Kings
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Against the Pelagians 2.20; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.