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Texts -- 1 Kings 11:21-43 (NET)

Context
11:21 While in Egypt Hadad heard that David had passed away and that Joab , the commander of the army , was dead . So Hadad asked Pharaoh , “Give me permission to leave so I can return to my homeland .” 11:22 Pharaoh said to him, “What do you lack here that makes you want to go to your homeland ?” Hadad replied , “Nothing , but please give me permission to leave .” 11:23 God also brought against Solomon another enemy , Rezon son of Eliada who had run away from his master , King Hadadezer of Zobah . 11:24 He gathered some men and organized a raiding band . When David tried to kill them, they went to Damascus , where they settled down and gained control of the city . 11:25 He was Israel’s enemy throughout Solomon’s reign and, like Hadad , caused trouble . He loathed Israel and ruled over Syria . 11:26 Jeroboam son of Nebat , one of Solomon’s servants , rebelled against the king . He was an Ephraimite from Zeredah whose mother was a widow named Zeruah . 11:27 This is what prompted him to rebel against the king : Solomon built a terrace and he closed up a gap in the wall of the city of his father David . 11:28 Jeroboam was a talented man ; when Solomon saw that the young man was an accomplished worker , he made him the leader of the work crew from the tribe of Joseph . 11:29 At that time , when Jeroboam had left Jerusalem , the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met him on the road ; the two of them were alone in the open country . Ahijah was wearing a brand new robe , 11:30 and he grabbed the robe and tore it into twelve pieces . 11:31 Then he told Jeroboam , “Take ten pieces , for this is what the Lord God of Israel says : ‘Look , I am about to tear the kingdom from Solomon’s hand and I will give ten tribes to you. 11:32 He will retain one tribe , for my servant David’s sake and for the sake of Jerusalem , the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel . 11:33 I am taking the kingdom from him because they have abandoned me and worshiped the Sidonian goddess Astarte , the Moabite god Chemosh , and the Ammonite god Milcom . They have not followed my instructions by doing what I approve and obeying my rules and regulations , like Solomon’s father David did. 11:34 I will not take the whole kingdom from his hand . I will allow him to be ruler for the rest of his life for the sake of my chosen servant David who kept my commandments and rules . 11:35 I will take the kingdom from the hand of his son and give ten tribes to you. 11:36 I will leave his son one tribe so my servant David’s dynasty may continue to serve me in Jerusalem , the city I have chosen as my home . 11:37 I will select you; you will rule over all you desire to have and you will be king over Israel . 11:38 You must obey all I command you to do, follow my instructions , do what I approve , and keep my rules and commandments , like my servant David did . Then I will be with you and establish for you a lasting dynasty , as I did for David ; I will give you Israel . 11:39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this , but not forever .” 11:40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam , but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt . He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died .
Solomon’s Reign Ends
11:41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions , are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon . 11:42 Solomon ruled over all Israel from Jerusalem for forty years . 11:43 Then Solomon passed away and was buried in the city of his father David . His son Rehoboam replaced him as king .

Pericope

NET

Bible Dictionary

  • Jeroboam

    [ebd] increase of the people. (1.) The son of Nebat (1 Kings 11:26-39), "an Ephrathite," the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B.C. 976-945). He was the son of a widow of Zereda, and while still ...
    [isbe] JEROBOAM - jer-o-bo'-am (yarobh`am; Septuagint Hieroboam, usually assumed to have been derived from riyb and `am, and signifying "the people contend," or, "he pleads the people's cause"): The name was borne by two kings of I...
    [smith] (whose people are many). The first king of the divided kingdom of Israel, B.C. 975-954, was the son of an Ephraimite of the name of Nebat. He was raised by Solomon to the rank of superintendent over the taxes and labors exac...
    [nave] JEROBOAM: 1. First king of Israel after the revolt. Promoted by Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:28. Ahijah's prophecy concerning, 1 Kin. 11:29-39; 14:5-16. Flees to Egypt to escape from Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:26-40. Recalled from Egypt by...

  • Ahijah

    [ebd] brother (i.e., "friend") of Jehovah. (1.) One of the sons of Bela (1 Chr. 8:7, R.V.). In A.V. called "Ahiah." (2.) One of the five sons of Jerahmeel, who was great-grandson of Judah (1 Chr. 2:25). (3.) Son of Ahitub (1 Sam. ...
    [isbe] AHIJAH - a-hi'-ja ('achiyah or 'achiyahu, "brother of Yahweh," "my brother is Yahweh," "Yah is brother." In the King James Version the name sometimes appears as Ahiah): (1) One of the sons of Jerahmeel the great-grandson of ...
    [nave] AHIJAH, called also Ahiah. 1. Son of Bela, 1 Chr. 8:7. 2. Son of Jerahmeel, 1 Chr. 2:25. 3. A priest in Shiloh, probably identical with Ahimelech, mentioned in 1 Sam. 22:11. Was priest in Saul's reign, 1 Sam. 14:3, 18. S...

  • SOLOMON

    [ebd] peaceful, (Heb. Shelomoh), David's second son by Bathsheba, i.e., the first after their legal marriage (2 Sam. 12). He was probably born about B.C. 1035 (1 Chr. 22:5; 29:1). He succeeded his father on the throne in early man...
    [isbe] SOLOMON - sol'-o-mun (shelomoh; New Testament Solomon): I. EARLY LIFE 1. Name and Meaning 2. Sources 3. Birth and Upbringing 4. His Accession 5. Closing Days of David II. REIGN OF SOLOMON 1. His Vision 2. His Policy 3. Its R...

  • God

    [nave] GOD. List of Sub-Topics Miscellany; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Access to; Compassion of; Creator; Creator of Mankind; Eternity of; Faithfulness of; Fatherhood of; Favor of; Foreknowledge of; Glory of; Goodness of...

  • Backsliders

    [nave] BACKSLIDERS. Lev. 26:14-42; Deut. 4:9; Deut. 8:11-14; Deut. 28:58, 59, 63 vs. 15-68;; 1 Kin. 9:6-9; Deut. 29:18 vs. 18-28.; Deut. 32:15-30; Josh. 24:27 vs. 20-27.; 2 Chr. 15:2-4; Ezra 8:22; Job 34:26, 27; Psa. 44:20, 21; Ps...

  • AHIAH, OR AHIJAH

    [smith] (friend of Jehovah). Son of Ahitub, grandson of Phinehas and great-grandson of Eli, succeeded his father as high priest in the reign of Saul. (1 Samuel 14:3,18) Ahiah is probably the same person as Ahimelech the son of Ah...

  • Promotion

    [nave] PROMOTION, Psa. 75:6, 7; 78:70, 71; 113:7, 8. As a reward of merit, 1 Chr. 11:6. Instances of Abraham, Gen. 12:2. Joseph, from imprisoned slave to prince, Gen. 41:1-45. Moses, from exile to lawgiver, See: Moses. Aaron...

  • Rezon

    [ebd] prince, son of Eliadah. Abandoning the service of Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, on the occasion of his being defeated by David, he became the "captain over a band" of marauders, and took Damascus, and became king of Syria (1...
    [isbe] REZON - re'-zon (rezon; Rhazon): Son of Eliadah, and a subject of Hadadezer, king of Zobah (1 Ki 11:23). The name appears to be given as chezyon; Hazein (1 Ki 15:18; see HEZION), where he is the father of Tabrimmon, whose so...
    [smith] (prince), son of Eliadah, a Syrian, who when David defeated Hadadezer king of Zobah, put himself at the head of a band of freebooters and set up a petty kingdom at Damascus. (1 Kings 11:23) He harassed the kingdom of Solom...
    [nave] REZON, king of Damascus. An adversary of Solomon, 1 Kin. 11:23-25.

  • ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF

    [ebd] (B.C. 975-B.C. 722). Soon after the death of Solomon, Ahijah's prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, was scarcely seated on his throne when ...
    [isbe] ISRAEL, KINGDOM OF - || I. THE FIRST PERIOD 1. The Two Kingdoms 2. The Ist Dynasty 3. The IInd Dynasty 4. Civil War II. PERIOD OF THE SYRIAN WARS 1. The IIIrd Dynasty 2. World-Politics 3. Battle of Karkar 4. Loss of Territor...
    [smith] I. the kingdom. --The prophet Ahijah of Shiloh, who was commissioned in the latter days of Solomon to announce the division of the kingdom, left one tribe (Judah) to the house of David, and assigned ten to Jeroboam. (1 Kin...

  • Canaan

    [nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...

  • Hadad

    [ebd] Adod, brave(?), the name of a Syrian god. (1.) An Edomite king who defeated the Midianites (Gen. 36:35; 1 Chr. 1:46). (2.) Another Edomite king (1 Chr. 1:50, 51), called also Hadar (Gen. 36:39; 1 Chr. 1:51). (3.) One of "the...
    [isbe] HADAD - ha'-dad: (1) (chadhadh, "sharpness"): One of the twelve sons of Ishmael (Gen 25:15, where the King James Version, following a mistake in Hebrew text, has "Hadar"; but "Hadad" is found in parallel passage 1 Ch 1:30; t...
    [nave] HADAD 1. A successor of Husham as king of Edom. Vanquished the Midianites on the field of Moab, Gen. 36:35; 1 Chr. 1:46. 2. A son of Ishmael, 1 Chr. 1:30. Called Hadar in Gen. 25:15. 3. Successor of Baal-hanan, king of Ed...

  • Citizenship

    [nave] CITIZENSHIP. Duties of Ex. 22:28 Acts 23:5. Num. 27:20; Ezra 6:10; Ezra 7:26; Ezra 10:8; Prov. 16:14, 15; Prov. 24:21; Prov. 25:6, 7, 15; Eccl. 8:2-4; Eccl. 10:4, 20; Jer. 29:7; Matt. 17:24-27; Matt. 22:17-21 Mark 12:14-17...

  • Damascus

    [ebd] activity, the most ancient of Oriental cities; the capital of Syria (Isa. 7:8; 17:3); situated about 133 miles to the north of Jerusalem. Its modern name is Esh-Sham; i.e., "the East." The situation of this city is said to b...
    [isbe] DAMASCUS - da-mas'-kus: 1. The Name 2. Situation and Natural Features 3. The City Itself 4. Its History (1) The Early Period (to circa 950 BC) (2) The Aramean Kingdom (circa 950-732 BC) (3) The Middle Period (732 BC-650 AD) ...
    [nave] DAMASCUS An ancient city, Gen. 14:15; 15:2. Capital of Syria, 1 Kin. 20:34; Isa. 7:8; Jer. 49:23-29; Ezek. 47:16, 17. Laid under tribute to David, 2 Sam. 8:5, 6. Besieged by Rezon, 1 Kin. 11:23, 24. Recovered by Jeroboam...

  • Rehoboam

    [ebd] he enlarges the people, the successor of Solomon on the throne, and apparently his only son. He was the son of Naamah "the Ammonitess," some well-known Ammonitish princess (1 Kings 14:21; 2 Chr. 12:13). He was forty-one year...
    [isbe] REHOBOAM - re-ho-bo'-am (rechabh`am, "the people is enlarged," or perhaps "Am is wide" Rhoboam; "Roboam," Mt 1:7 the King James Version): 1. The Disruption of the Kingdom 2. Underlying Causes of Disruption 3. Shemaiah Forbid...
    [smith] (enlarger of the people), son of Solomon by the Ammonite princess Naamah, (1 Kings 14:21,31) and his successor. (1 Kings 11:43) Rehoboam selected Shechem as the place of his coronation (B.C. 975), probably as an act of ...
    [nave] REHOBOAM Successor to Solomon as king, 1 Kin. 11:43; 2 Chr. 9:31. Refuses to reform abuses, 1 Kin. 12:1-15; 2 Chr. 10:1-15. Ten tribes, under leadership of Jeroboam, successfully revolt from, 1 Kin. 12:16-24; 2 Chr. 10:16-...

  • Zobah

    [isbe] ZOBAH - zo'-ba (tsobhah; Souba): The name is derived by Halevy from zehobhah as referring to its supplies of "bright yellow" brass; but this word might be more appropriately used to contrast its cornfields with white Lebanon...
    [nave] ZOBAH, called also Zoba; Aram-zobah; Hamath-zobah. A kingdom in the N. of Palestine, 1 Sam. 14:47. Conquest of, by David, 2 Sam. 8:3-8, 12; 1 Kin. 11:23, 24; 1 Chr. 18:2-9. Its inhabitants mercenaries of the Ammonites again...

  • ADVERSARY

    [ebd] (Heb. satan), an opponent or foe (1 Kings 5:4; 11:14, 23, 25; Luke 13:17); one that speaks against another, a complainant (Matt. 5:25; Luke 12:58); an enemy (Luke 18:3), and specially the devil (1 Pet. 5:8).
    [isbe] ADVERSARY - ad'-ver-sa-ri, ad'-ver-sa-ri: This word (in the singular or plural) is used in the Old Testament to render different Hebrew words. In thirty-two cases the word corresponds to the noun tsar, or the verb tsarar. Th...

  • Syria

    [smith] is the term used throughout our version for the Hebrew Aram , as well as for the Greek Zupia . Most probably Syria is for Tsyria , the country about Tsur or Tyre which was the first of the Syrian towns known to the Greeks. It...
    [nave] SYRIA, highlands lying between the river Euphrates and the Mediterranean Sea. Called Aram, from the son of Shem, Gen. 10:22, 23; Num. 23:7; 1 Chr. 1:17; 2:23. In the time of Abraham it seems to have embraced the region betwe...

  • Zeruah

    [ebd] stricken, mother of Jeroboam, the first king of the ten tribes (1 Kings 11:26).
    [isbe] ZERUAH - ze-roo'-a (tseru`ah, perhaps "leprous"): Mother of King Jeroboam I (1 Ki 11:26), the Septuagint, Codex Vaticanus and Lucian omit the name in 1 Ki 11:26, but the long the Septuagint after Massoretic Text of 12:24 rea...
    [smith] (full breasted), the mother of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. (1 Kings 11:26) (B.C. 973.)
    [nave] ZERUAH, mother of Jeroboam, 1 Kin. 11:26.

  • Pharaoh

    [ebd] the official title borne by the Egyptian kings down to the time when that country was conquered by the Greeks. (See EGYPT.) The name is a compound, as some think, of the words Ra, the "sun" or "sun-god," and the article phe,...
    [nave] PHARAOH 1. King of Egypt at the time of Abraham, Gen. 12:14-20; Psa. 105:14. 2. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the famine. See: Egypt; Israelites. 3. Ruler of Egypt at the time of the deliverance and exodus of the children ...

  • Millo

    [ebd] (Heb. always with the article, "the" Millo). (1.) Probably the Canaanite name of some fortification, consisting of walls filled in with earth and stones, which protected Jerusalem on the north as its outermost defence. It is...
    [isbe] MILLO - mil'-o. (millo generally interpreted to mean a "filling," e.g. a solid tower or an earth embankment; in Jdg 9:6,20; 2 Ki 12:20, we get beth millo', translated in English Versions of the Bible "House of Millo," which ...
    [smith] (a rampart, mound) a place in ancient Jerusalem. Both name and place seem to have been already in existence when the city was taken from the Jebusites by David. (2 Samuel 5:9; 1 Chronicles 11:8) Its repair or restoratio...
    [nave] MILLO 1. The house of Millo, possibly a clan at Shechem, Judg. 9:6, 20. 2. A name given to part of the citadel of Jerusalem, 2 Sam. 5:9; 1 Chr. 11:8. King Solomon raises a levy to repair, 1 Kin. 9:15, 24; 11:27. Repaired ...
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Arts

Questions

  • First, one needs to understand from the Old Testament, why the Law restricted marriage. Recall that it was the "seed of the woman" though whom salvation was to come (Genesis 3:15), and then this "seed" was further defined a...
  • Rehoboam reigned over one and Jeroboam over ten. (I Kings 11:31-35,12:21.) The tribe of Levi was not counted because it had no land possessions (Num. 18:20-24), except cities for dwellings, with their outlying fields for past...
  • They were descendants of Esau. They inhabited a fertile and rich country specially given to them (Deu. 2:5; Gen. 27:39). Their country was traversed by roads though it was mountainous and rocky (Num. 20:17; Jer. 49:16). They ...
  • The following material from The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia should be helpful here: III. Significant numbers Numbers are also used with a symbolical or theological significance. One is used to convey th...

Resources/Books

Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)

  • Moses recognized that when Israel settled in Canaan and took on the characteristics of other nations (e.g., a homeland, political organization, etc.) her people would desire a king. As he revealed the mind of God here a king ...
  • The Israelites' return to apostasy brought discipline from two different directions at the same time. In the east the Ammonites oppressed Israel while in the west God raised up the Philistines."The acuter pressure at this sta...
  • The Book of Samuel covers the period of Israel's history bracketed by Samuel's conception and the end of David's reign. David turned the kingdom over to Solomon in 971 B.C.3David reigned for 40 and one-half years (2 Sam. 2:11...
  • The Philistines, as we have already seen in Judges, were Israel's primary enemy to the west at this time. Samson, too, fought the Philistines (Judg. 13-16).52There are about 150 references to the Philistines in 1 and 2 Samuel...
  • Saul ("Asked [of God],"cf. 8:10) came from good Benjamite stock. His father was a man of property and influence. The same Hebrew expression, gibbor hayil, translated "valor,"describes Boaz in Ruth 2:1 and King Jeroboam I in 1...
  • The writer introduced the history of Saul's reign by referring to the king's age and possibly the length of his reign. Verse one contains a textual corruption in the Hebrew text.132There the verse reads, "Saul was . . . years...
  • "In the short pericope 13:7b-15a obedience was the stone on which Saul stumbled; here it is the rock that crushes him."147Chapter 15 records one of the battles Saul had with the Amalekites, Israel's enemy to the south (cf. 14...
  • The fact that this book opens and closes with death should be a clue as to its message.It opens with David's death, and it closes with Ahab's death. The intervening period of about a century and a half is a story of national ...
  • I. The reign of Solomon chs. 1-11A. Solomon's succession to David's throne 1:1-2:121. David's declining health 1:1-42. Adonijah's attempt to seize the throne 1:5-533. David's charge to Solomon 2:1-94. David's death 2:10-12B. ...
  • The Holy Spirit led the writer of Kings to give an interpretation of history, not just a chronologically sequential record of events. This is true of all the writers of the Old Testament historical books. Some of the events i...
  • The flowing narrative of chapters 1-2 now gives way to reports and lists that catalogue facts about Solomon's reign.The writer constructed the Solomon narrative (chs. 3-11), like so many others in the Old Testament, to draw a...
  • Should Solomon have married Pharaoh's daughter? In view of 11:1-2 and 2 Chronicles 8:1 there is no way we can say yes. Furthermore Solomon already had a wife when he married Pharaoh's daughter (14:21; cf. Gen. 2:24). Why then...
  • Hadad hated Solomon because of Joab's severe treatment of the Edomites. He may have been a relation of Solomon's by marriage. Pharaoh Siamun apparently gave his daughter to Solomon in marriage and his sister-in-law to Hadad (...
  • Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (v. 26).Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (v. 32; cf. 12:21; 2 C...
  • The writer of Kings referred to other ancient records (v. 41; cf. 14:19, 29). The Acts of Solomon was the first of these.120It is no longer extant.Solomon's long reign of 40 years (971-931 B.C.) ended with the king in decline...
  • Rehoboam's choice was whether he would regard himself as the people's servant under Yahweh's authority, as David and Solomon had done, or as the supreme authority in Israel, as Saul had done. His pride led to his downfall.The...
  • During its history the Northern Kingdom had three capitals: first Shechem (v. 25), then Tirzah (14:17; 15:33), and finally Samaria (16:23-24). Perhaps the king strengthened Penuel in west-central Gilead as a Transjordanian pr...
  • Whereas the prophecy of the young prophet from Judah dealt with Jeroboam's religious cult, this one predicted the fate of his descendants.Jeroboam probably sent his wife to see Ahijah because that prophet had previously given...
  • "The narrator introduces a new format and style at this point that enables him to state the essence of a king's reign with an economy of words. The introduction and conclusion of the account of each reign conform to a fixed p...
  • Abijam (or Abijah, lit. my father is Yah[weh]) reigned from 913-911 B.C. while Jeroboam ruled over Israel.155"The accession formulae from this reign onwards make cross-references between Judah and Israel. It is not clear whet...
  • Aharoni, Yohanan. "The Building Activities of David and Solomon."Israel Exploration Journal24:1(1974):13-16.Aharoni, Yohanan, and Michael Avi-Yonahl. The Macmillan Bible Atlas. Revised ed., New York: Macmillan Publishing Co.,...
  • Chapter 21 records the fulfillment of God's second personal promise to David, namely, that He would appoint a place where Israel could dwell securely (17:9). This was a promise of peace for Israel, but as the verses following...
  • The Chronicler's main interest in David's reign, as we have seen, focused on the Davidic Covenant with its promises to David and his descendants. In recounting the events of Solomon's reign he proceeded to emphasize the templ...
  • 132:11-12 God promised David that He would raise up a dynasty of David's descendents that would follow him on Israel's throne (2 Sam. 7:12-16). If they were faithful to the Lord, He would give them an unbroken succession. Of ...
  • The Lord had shut Ezekiel's mouth (3:26), so the first prophecies he delivered were not spoken messages but acted-out parables (cf. 1 Kings 11:30; 22:11; 2 Kings 13:17; Isa. 20:2-4; Jer. 13:1-14; 19:1-10; Acts 21:10-11). Ezek...
  • What follows in this chapter is another oracle against a foreign nation (cf. chs. 25-32). What is it doing here? Evidently the writer included this oracle here because it promises to desolate an enemy of Israel that wanted to...
  • 13:1 When members of the tribe of Ephraim spoke, the other Israelites trembled because they looked to Ephraim for leadership (cf. Judg. 8:1-3; 12:1-6). Jacob had prophesied that Ephraim would lead (Gen. 48:13-20), and the fir...
  • 7:10 Amaziah, who was one of the apostate priests who served at the Bethel sanctuary (cf. 1 Kings 12:26-33), felt that Amos was being unpatriotic in what he was prophesying. So Amaziah sent a message to King Jeroboam II charg...
  • Though God had not responded to the prophet's questions previously, He did eventually, and Habakkuk recorded His answer. The form of this revelation is an oracle.1:5 The Lord told Habakkuk and his people (plural "you"in Hebre...
  • 1:4 Yahweh announced that He would stretch out His hand in judgment against Judah and the people of Jerusalem. Stretching out the hand is a figure of speech that implies a special work of punishment (cf. Exod. 6:6; Deut. 4:34...
  • 2:20 The Lord gave Haggai a second message on the same day as the previous message (v. 10), the twenty-fourth day of the ninth month (Kislev 24, December 18).2:21 Haggai was to tell Zerubbabel that Yahweh was going to shake t...
  • 21:7 Ptolemais (Acco of the Old Testament and modern Acre located on the north side of the bay of Haifa) lay 20 miles south of Tyre. It was the southernmost Phoenician port. There Paul also met with the local Christians as st...
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