1 Kings 12:32-33

12:32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, ¹  like the festival celebrated in Judah. ²  On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. ³  In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.

A Prophet from Judah Visits Bethel

12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) ⁴  Jeroboam ⁵  offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. ⁶  He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices.

1 Kings 12:2

12:2 ⁷  When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. ⁸ 

1 Kings 1:18

1:18 But now, look, Adonijah has become king! But you, ⁹  my master the king, are not even aware of it! ¹⁰ 

¹ sn The eighth month would correspond to October-November in modern reckoning.

² sn The festival he celebrated in Judah probably refers to the Feast of Tabernacles (i.e., Booths or Temporary Shelters), held in the seventh month (September-October). See also 1 Kgs 8:2.

³ tn Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”

⁴ tn Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”

⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶ map For location see Map4-G4; Map5-C1; Map6-E3; Map7-D1; Map8-G3.

⁷ tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.

⁸ tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (וישׁב).

⁹ tc Instead of עַתָּה (’attah, “now”) many Hebrew mss, along with the Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and Latin Vulgate, have the similar sounding independent pronoun אַתָּה (’attah, “you”). This reading is followed in the present translation.

¹⁰ tn Heb “you do not know [about it].”