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1 KINGS 12

PARAGRAPH DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT THE PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects. Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

1. First paragraph
2. Second paragraph
3. Etc.

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:1-5
  ¹Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. ²Now when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it, he was living in Egypt (for he was yet in Egypt, where he had fled from the presence of King Solomon). ³Then they sent and called him, and Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, ⁴"Your father made our yoke hard; now therefore lighten the hard service of your father and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you." ⁵Then he said to them, "Depart for three days, then return to me." So the people departed.

12:1 "Rehoboam" Solomon had many sons but Rehoboam was

1. his oldest
2. by his favorite wife
3. his choice among many

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE DIVIDED MONARCHY

▣ "to Shechem" The name (BDB 1014 II) probably means "shoulder blade" because Shechem was between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. There are several possible reasons why Rehoboam chose Shechem.

1. It was the largest northern city and on the border between Ephraim and Manasseh (i.e., "house of Joseph," 1 Kgs. 11:28).
2. It was the site of patriarchal sacrifices.
   1. Abraham ‒ Gen. 12:6-9
   2. Jacob ‒ Gen. 33:18-20
3. It was the site of Joshua's altar and the reading of the cursings and blessings (i.e., Deuteronomy 27-28) ‒ Deut. 11:29; 27:4,13; Josh. 8:30,33.
4. It was the site of Joseph's tomb ‒ Exod. 13:19.
5. It was later the site of Abimelech's conspiracy to become king ‒ Judges 9.

▣ "all Israel" Here and in 1 Kgs. 11:42 it refers to all the tribes; the sons of Jacob. But in vv. 3,18, it starts to refer to the ten northern tribes (cf. v. 16g), who go by the names

1. Israel
2. Ephraim (largest tribe)
3. Samaria (the capital)

SPECIAL TOPIC: ISRAEL (THE NAME)

▣ "to make him king" There was always a public coronation. Rehoboam chose Shechem hopefully to please the northern tribes and keep the united monarchy. There was always jealousy and tension between Judah and the north.

12:2 The text does not specify if the "it" refers to

1. Solomon's death (Vulgate)
2. Rehoboam's coronation (1 Kgs. 14:21 says he was 41 years old and reigned seventeen years)

▣ "yet in Egypt" Both Hadad the Edomite and Jeroboam fled to Egypt for safety. At the beginning of Solomon's reign, there was an alliance with Egypt, but apparently

1. it was only political
2. there was a new Pharaoh

The MT has "dwelt in Egypt." The UBS Text Project, p. 318, gives this a "C" rating (considerable doubt) because the alternate is found in 1 Chr. 10:2 and the Vulgate.

12:3 "they" This must refer to the leaders of the northern ten tribes.

12:4 "yoke. . .heavy yoke" This refers to

1. the large amount of food needed by the royal court
2. the large amount of laborers needed for Solomon's building projects
3. the draft into military service
4. taxation of various kinds

The ADJECTIVE "heavy" (BDB 458) is a special connotation of the word kabod, which is normally used of YHWH's "glory." Its basic meaning is something heavy (cf. vv. 10,11,14) and, therefore, valuable, like gold.

Special Topic: SPECIAL TOPIC: GLORY (kabod, OT)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:6-11
  ⁶King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?" ⁷Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever." ⁸But he forsook the counsel of the elders which they had given him, and consulted with the young men who grew up with him and served him. ⁹So he said to them, "What counsel do you give that we may answer this people who have spoken to me, saying, 'Lighten the yoke which your father put on us'?" ¹⁰The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! ¹¹Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

12:6 "the elders" This seems to refer to royal advisers not tribal leaders but it may have been that Solomon chose advisors from each tribe.

SPECIAL TOPIC: ELDERS

12:7 This was good political advice but YHWH's prophetic pronouncement was active (cf. v. 15).

12:8 The Hebrew Bible says he was 41 (cf. 1 Kgs. 14:21; 2 Chr. 12:13) at his ascension but the LXX says 16 (note 2 Chr. 13:7).

12:10 Rehoboam listened to his peers at court and even exaggerated the issues of supplies, labor, and taxation (i.e., the idiomatic phrase at the end of v. 10).

The term "finger" is not in the text but is assumed. It could be a sexual euphemism.

12:11 "whips. . .scorpions" There has never been agreement among commentators about the meaning of "scorpions" (BDB 875). Jewish scholars suggest it is a whip that hurts worse than a normal whip, possibly like the whip of the later Romans with pieces of bone or metal tied to the end of the leather thongs.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:12-15
  ¹²Then Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day as the king had directed, saying, "Return to me on the third day." ¹³The king answered the people harshly, for he forsook the advice of the elders which they had given him, ¹⁴and he spoke to them according to the advice of the young men, saying, "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions." ¹⁵So the king did not listen to the people; for it was a turn of events from the Lord, that He might establish His word, which the Lord spoke through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.

12:15 This is the worldview of Scripture (cf. 2 Chr. 10:15; 11:4; 16:16,20). YHWH is in control of history. There is a divine plan moving to fulfillment (i.e., v. 24; Acts 2:23; 3:18; 4:28).

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE BIBLE (its uniqueness and inspiration)

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN

▣ "Ahijah" This prophecy is recorded in 1 Kgs. 11:31-36.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:16-19
¹⁶When all Israel saw that the king did not listen to them, the people answered the king, saying,
 "What portion do we have in David?
 We have no inheritance in the son of Jesse;
 To your tents, O Israel!
 Now look after your own house, David!"
So Israel departed to their tents. ¹⁷But as for the sons of Israel who lived in the cities of Judah, Rehoboam reigned over them. ¹⁸Then King Rehoboam sent Adoram, who was over the forced labor, and all Israel stoned him to death. And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem. ¹⁹So Israel has been in rebellion against the house of David to this day.

12:16 This attitude and response is similar to 2 Sam. 20:1. This verse is a rhetorical question that expects a negative answer (NIDOTTE, vol. 4, p. 1034). There was always tension between the tribes.

Josephus (Antiq. 8.8.3) says "By these words the people were struck, as it were, by an iron hammer, and were so grieved at the words, as if they had already felt the effects of them."

▣ "tents" This is an anachronism from the exodus period.

12:17 Judah, at this period, was made up of several tribes.

1. Judah
2. Simeon
3. Benjamin
4. Levi

12:18 "Adoram" The MT has "Adoram" (BDB 12), which is the same name as a person in David's administration who also was over "forced labor" (cf. 2 Sam. 20:24).

1 Kings 4:6; 5:14 mention a man named "Adoniram" (BDB 12) who was also over "forced labor." This name is found in this verse in the LXX and Peshitta.

The parallel in 2 Chr. 10:18 has "Hadoram."

Probably these are different people but perhaps of the same family and vocation.

▣ "all Israel stoned him to death" This illustrates the northern tribes' pent-up anger. Josephus (Antiq. 8.5.3.) says Adoram was sent to apologize for the king's rash statements.

SPECIAL TOPIC: STONE TO DEATH

▣ "And King Rehoboam made haste to mount his chariot to flee to Jerusalem" Several things seem unusual about this verse.

1. Rehoboam would send a person involved in "forced labor" to try to solve the problem of "forced labor."
2. That Rehoboam would have accompanied his representative.

Most scholars assume the Hithpael PERFECT VERB (BDB 54, KB 65, "made haste") refers to the previous encounter of vv. 12-14.

12:19 "to this day" This is a literary marker of a later editor. Since the northern ten tribes lost their freedom and national identity by the Assyrians in 722 b.c., the document must have been written between 922 b.c. (tribes split) and 722 b.c.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:20
  ²⁰It came about when all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.

12:20-21 "None but the tribe of Judah followed the house of David" "House" means dynasty. This seems to conflict with vv. 21,23. It is unusual that Judah is called "the house of" but Benjamin is called "the tribe of." Some scholars have theorized that only the southern part of Benjamin went with Judah. This is only speculation. See note at v. 17.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:21-24
  ²¹Now when Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, 180,000 chosen men who were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel to restore the kingdom to Rehoboam the son of Solomon. ²²But the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying, ²³"Speak to Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and to all the house of Judah and Benjamin and to the rest of the people, saying, ²⁴'Thus says the Lord, "You must not go up and fight against your relatives the sons of Israel; return every man to his house, for this thing has come from Me."'" So they listened to the word of the Lord, and returned and went their way according to the word of the Lord.

12:21 "180,000" This number seems too large. It probably is related to the use of "thousand" (eleph) as a military unit. The LXX has "120,000."

SPECIAL TOPIC: THOUSAND (eleph)

12:22 "the word of God" In the parallel of 2 Chr. 11:3, it is "the word of YHWH." The LXX, Peshitta, and Aramaic Targums put YHWH here.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C. and D.

▣ "the man of God" This was one designation of a prophet. In 1 Chr. 12:5 he is called a prophet. The title "Ish of Elohim" (BDB 35) is used 76 times in the OT.

1. of Moses ‒ Deut. 33:1; Josh. 14:6; Ezra 3:2
2. of David ‒ 2 Chr. 8:14
3. various prophets (selected list) ‒ 1 Sam. 9:6; 1 Kgs. 13:1; 17:18; 2 Kgs. 4:7,19; 5:8

SPECIAL TOPIC: PROPHET (the different Hebrew terms), #5

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

12:23 "the rest of the people" It is uncertain to whom this refers, to the people of v. 17 who were not of the tribe of Judah, or Benjamin.

12:24 "for this thing has come from Me" See note at v. 15.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 12:25-33
  ²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁶Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. ²⁷If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will return to their lord, even to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah." ²⁸So the king consulted, and made two golden calves, and he said to them, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem; behold your gods, O Israel, that brought you up from the land of Egypt." ²⁹He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. ³⁰Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. ³¹And he made houses on high places, and made priests from among all the people who were not of the sons of Levi. ³²Jeroboam instituted a feast in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast which is in Judah, and he went up to the altar; thus he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made. And he stationed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made. ³³Then he went up to the altar which he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised in his own heart; and he instituted a feast for the sons of Israel and went up to the altar to burn incense.

12:25 There is a large insertion in the LXX found after 1 Kgs. 12:24 and no where else. It is labeled 1 Kgs. 24_a-2.

▣ "Shechem" This was Jeroboam's first capital. It seems, from 1 Kgs. 14:17-18, that later Tirzah became the capital (cf. 1 Kgs. 15:33; 16:8). It was not until the reign of Omri that Samaria became the capital (cf. 1 Kgs. 16:24,28,29,32),

12:26-27 Jeroboam I feared that his subjects going to Jerusalem every year for feast days and required religious rituals would cause them to desire to reunify with Judah. His answer to this was a terrible sin (cf. v. 30; i.e., setting up rival temples at Bethel and Dan).

12:28 "the two golden calves" There was one in each temple (cf. v. 29). These seem to be related to Exodus 32. There is some discussion if they

1. were merely stands for YHWH's visible presence
2. a fertility symbol (i.e., common in Ba'al worship)

Initially it must be stated that Jeroboam did not intend these to be idolatrous, but simply rival worship sites. However, this violated several Mosaic Laws. The people's proclivity to fertility worship morphed these sites into terrible idolatry. This eventually caused the exile of Israel by Assyria in 722 b.c.

It is possible that as the cherubim above the ark was the dwelling place of YHWH, so too, these calves were merely places where YHWH was to dwell above them. If so, these calves would function in place of the ark, which was a sacred object Jeroboam could not duplicate.

12:30-33 Jeroboam sinned in several ways.

1. rejected the prophecy of Ahijah ‒ 1 Kgs. 11:38
2. built rival temples
3. had a visible image of YHWH
4. v. 31 could refer to
   1. the rival temples at Bethel and Dan
   2. local high places
5. appointed non-Levite priests (v. 31)
6. changed the date or started a new annual feast (vv. 32,33)
7. offered non-Levitical incense (possibly sacrifices) on the altar himself

12:31 "he made high places" This probably refers to the two rival temples, but could refer to local Bamah (i.e., high places, cf. 1 Kgs. 11:5-8; 2 Kgs. 17:9; 23:13). In all probability the name for Ba'al worship (i.e., Bamah) was used in a derogatory way for Jeroboam's temples (JPSOA, "cultic places").

▣ "made priests from among the people" This is a specialized use of the NOUN "end" or "extremity" (BDB 892; NIDOTTE, vol. 3, p. 958, #8). Here, it denotes the people as a whole (i.e., a metonymy). It does not refer to poor or disenfranchised people. This same specialized idiomatic usage is found in Jdgs. 18:2; 2 Kgs. 17:32. Apparently the Levites rejected these temples and even their ancestral lands and homes and returned to Judah (cf. 2 Chr. 11:13-14).

SPECIAL TOPIC: LEVITICAL PRIESTS

12:32 This new feast of the eighth month was meant to mimic

1. the Feast of Tabernacles (i.e., seventh month)
2. Solomon's Feast of Dedication (1 Kgs. 8:2)

12:33 This verse contextually should go with chapter thirteen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why did Rehoboam go to Shechem for his coronation?
2. Define the word "yoke."
3. What does the idiomatic/proverbial phrase at the end of v. 10 mean?
4. What does "scorpion" in v. 11 mean?
5. Why is v. 15 so theologically significant (cf. v. 24)?
6. Did Adoram serve David, Solomon, and Rehoboam?
7. What does the phrase "to this day" in v. 19 imply?
8. How can v. 19 say "none but the tribe of Judah" but vv. 20-21 mention Benjamin?
9. What does v. 26 imply?
10. Were the "golden calves" originally idols?
11. To what does the PLURAL "high places" of v. 31 refer?

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