1-5 The Israelites, assembled at Shechem to crown Rehoboam, by Jeroboam make a suit of relaxation unto him 6-15 Rehoboam, refusing the old men's counsel, answers them roughly 16-20 Ten tribes revolting, kill Adoram, and make Rehoboam flee 21-24 Rehoboam, raising an army, is forbidden by Shemaiah 25 Jeroboam strengthens himself by cities 26-33 and by idolatry of the two calves

Rehoboam 1Ki 11:43 2Ch 10:1

Shechem Ge 12:6

Sichem Ge 33:18,19 Jos 20:7 24:1,32 Jud 9:1 Ps 60:6 Ac 7:16

Sychem

2 And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it, (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt;)

Jeroboam the son of Nebat 1Ki 11:26-31,40 2Ch 10:2,3

3 That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying,

4 Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.

our yoke 1Ki 4:7,20,22,23,25 9:15,22,23 1Sa 8:11-18 2Ch 10:4,5 Mt 11:29,30 23:4 1Jo 5:3

5 And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.

6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?

consulted 2Sa 16:20 17:5 Job 12:12 32:7 Pr 27:10 Jer 42:2-5 43:2

7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever.

If thou wilt 2Ch 10:6,7 Pr 15:1 Mr 10:43,44 Php 2:7-11

speak good 1Ki 12:13 2Sa 15:3-6 Ec 10:4 Zec 1:13

8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:

2Ch 10:8 25:15,16 Pr 1:2-5,25,30 19:20 25:12 Ec 10:2,3

9 And he said unto them, What counsel give ye that we may answer this people, who have spoken to me, saying, Make the yoke which thy father did put upon us lighter?

1ki 22:6-8 2sa 17:5,6 2ch 10:9 18:5-7

10 And the young men that were grown up with him spake unto him, saying, Thus shalt thou speak unto this people that spake unto thee, saying, Thy father made our yoke heavy, but make thou it lighter unto us; thus shalt thou say unto them, My little finger shall be thicker than my father's loins.

Thus shalt thou 2Sa 17:7-13

My little finger A proverbial mode of expression: `My little finger is thicker than my father's thigh.' As much as the [thigh] surpassed the [little finger] in thickness, so much does my power exceed that of my father; and the use I shall make of it to oppress and tax you shall be in proportion. 2Ch 10:10,11 Pr 10:14 18:6,7 28:25 29:23 Isa 47:6

11 And now whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke: my father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

I will add Ex 1:13,14 5:5-9,18 1Sa 8:18 2Ch 16:10 Isa 58:6 Jer 27:11 28:13,14

but I will chastise Should you rebel or become disaffected, my father's {whip} shall be a {scorpion} in my hand. His was {chastisement}, mine shall be {punishment}. Celsius and Hiller conjecture that {akrabbim} denotes a thorny kind of shrub, whose prickles are of a venomous nature, called by the Arabs {scorpion thorns}, from the exquisite pain which they inflict. But the Chaldee renders it {margenin}, and the Syriac {moragyai}, i.e., () scourges; and in the parallel place of Chronicles the Arabic has {saut, a scourge}. Isidore, and after him Calmet and others, assert that the {scorpion} was a sort of severe {whip}, the lashes of which were armed with knots or points that sunk into and tore the flesh.

scorpions 1Ki 12:14 Eze 2:6 Re 9:3-10

12 So Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam the third day, as the king had appointed, saying, Come to me again the third day.

come to me again 1Ki 12:5 2Ch 10:12-14

13 And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men's counsel that they gave him;

answered 1Ki 20:6-11 Ge 42:7,30 Ex 5:2 10:28 Jud 12:1-6 1Sa 20:10,30,31 25:10,11 2Sa 19:43 Pr 10:11,32 15:1 18:23 Ec 10:12 Jas 3:17

roughly [heb] hardly Ge 16:6

forsook Pr 13:20

14 And spake to them after the counsel of the young men, saying, My father made your yoke heavy, and I will add to your yoke: my father also chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.

the counsel 2Ch 22:4,5 Es 1:16-21 2:2-4 Pr 12:5 Isa 19:11-13 Da 6:7

My father made 1Ki 12:10,11 Pr 13:10 16:18 17:14 Ec 7:8 Jas 3:14-18 4:1,2

15 Wherefore the king hearkened 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.

the cause The cause of all this confusion and anarchy was Rehoboam's folly, cruelty, and despotic tyranny, and this was certainly not `from the Lord,' nor does the original text speak this doctrine. See an elucidation of a similar passage at 2Sa 24:1. It says, {sibbah}, (from {savav}, to turn, change,) `the change or REVOLUTION was from the Lord;' which is consistent with all the preceding declarations. God stirred up the people to revolt from a man who had neither skill nor humanity to govern them. God serves his own wise and righteous purpose by the imprudences and iniquities of men, and snares sinners in the work of their own hands. `He maketh the wrath of man to praise him.' 1Ki 12:24 22:23 De 2:30 Jud 14:4 2Ch 10:15 22:7 25:16,20 Ps 5:10 Am 3:6 Ac 2:23 4:28

that he might 1Ki 11:11,29-38 1Sa 15:29 2Sa 17:14 2Ki 9:36 10:10 Isa 14:13-17 46:10,11 Da 4:35 Joh 19:23,24,28,29,32-37 Ac 3:17 13:27-29

16 So when all Israel saw that the king hearkened not unto them, the people answered the king, saying, What portion have we in David? neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse: to your tents, O Israel: now see to thine own house, David. So Israel departed unto their tents.

What portion 2Sa 20:1 2Ch 10:16

to your tents 1Ki 22:17,36

now see 1Ki 11:13,34,36,39 2Sa 7:15,16 Ps 2:1-6 76:10 89:29-37 132:17 Isa 7:2,6,7 9:6,7 Jer 23:5,6 33:15,16,21 Lu 19:14,27

So Israel Jud 8:35 2Sa 15:13 16:11

17 But as for the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them.

the children 1Ki 11:13,36 2Ch 10:17 11:13-17

18 Then king Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the tribute; and all Israel stoned him with stones, that he died. Therefore king Rehoboam made speed to get him up to his chariot, to flee to Jerusalem.

Adoram 1Ki 4:6 5:14

Adoniram 2Sa 20:24 2Ch 10:18

Hadoram
all Israel Ex 17:4 Nu 14:10 2Ch 24:21 Ac 5:26 7:57,58

made speed [heb] strengthened himself
flee to Jerusalem 1Ki 20:18-20 Pr 28:1,2 Am 2:16

19 So Israel rebelled against the house of David unto this day.

Israel 1Sa 10:19 2Ki 17:21 2Ch 10:19 13:5-7,17 Isa 7:17

rebelled. or, fell away
he 6:6
unto this day Jos 4:9

20 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: there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah only.

and made him 1Sa 10:24 Ho 8:4

none that followed 1Ki 12:17 11:13,32 Ho 11:12

21 And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon.

when Rehoboam 2Ch 11:1-3

an hundred 1Ch 21:5 2Ch 14:8,11 17:14-19 Pr 21:30,31

22 But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God, saying,

Shemaiah 2Ch 11:2 12:5,7

the man 1Ki 13:1,4,5,11 17:18,24 De 33:1 2Ki 4:16,22,25,27 1Ti 6:11

23 Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,

24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

Ye shall not go up Nu 14:42 2Ch 11:4 25:7,8 28:9-13

for this thing 1Ki 12:15 11:29-38 Ho 8:4

They hearkened 2Ch 25:10 28:13-15

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

built 1Ki 9:15,17,18 15:17 16:24 2Ch 11:5-12

Shechem 1Ki 12:1 Jud 9:1,45-49

Penuel Ge 32:30,31 Jud 8:8,17

26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:

said in his heart Ps 14:1 Mr 2:6-8 Lu 7:39

Now shall 1Ki 11:38 1Sa 27:1 2Ch 20:20 Isa 7:9 Jer 38:18-21 Joh 11:47-50 12:10,11,19 Ac 4:16,17

27 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.

go up 1Ki 8:29,30,44 11:32 De 12:5-7,14 16:2,6

and they shall Ge 12:12,13 26:7 Pr 29:25 1Co 1:19,20

28 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.

took counsel 1Ki 12:8,9 Ex 1:10 Isa 30:1

two calves of gold He invented a political religion, and instituted feasts in his own times, different from those appointed by Jehovah; gave the people certain objects of adoration, and pretended to think that it would be both inconvenient and oppressive to them to go up to Jerusalem to worship. These calves were doubtless of the same kind as the calf which was set up by Aaron; and it is remarkable, that in pointing them out to the people he should use the same words that Aaron used on that occasion, when they must have heard what terrible judgments fell upon their forefathers for this idolatry. Solomon's idolatry, however, had prepared the people for Jeroboam's abominations. Ex 20:4 De 4:14-18 2Ki 10:29 17:16 2Ch 11:15 Ho 8:4-7 10:5,6

It is too much Isa 30:10 2Pe 2:19

behold Ex 32:4,8

29 And he set the one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan.

Beth-el Ge 12:8 28:19 35:1 Ho 4:15

Dan Ge 14:14 De 34:1 Jud 18:29-31 20:1 2Ki 10:29 Jer 8:16 Am 8:14

30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.

became a sin 1Ki 13:34 2Ki 10:31 17:21

31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.

an house 1Ki 13:24,32 De 24:15 Eze 16:25 Ho 12:11

priests 1Ki 13:33 Nu 3:10 2Ki 17:32 2Ch 11:14,15 13:9 Eze 44:6-8

32 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. 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.

like unto 1Ki 8:2,5 Le 23:33,34 Nu 29:12 Eze 43:8 Mt 15:8,9

offered upon the altar. or, went up to the altar
sacrificing. or, to sacrifice
he placed Am 7:10-13

33 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.

offered upon the altar. or, went up to the altar 1Ki 12:32

in the month Nu 15:39 Ps 106:39 Isa 29:13 Mt 15:6 Mr 7:13

he offered 1Ki 13:1 1Sa 13:12 2Ch 26:6

and burn incense [heb] to burn incense