Discovery Box1 Kings 12:1--16:28
Context12:1 Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in 1 Shechem to make Rehoboam 2 king. 12:2 3 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. 4 12:3 They sent for him, 5 and Jeroboam and the whole Israelite assembly came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying, 12:4 “Your father made us work too hard. 6 Now if you lighten the demands he made and don’t make us work as hard, we will serve you.” 7 12:5 He said to them, “Go away for three days, then return to me.” So the people went away.
12:6 King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served 8 his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, 9 “How do you advise me to answer these people?” 12:7 They said to him, “Today if you show a willingness to help these people and grant their request, they will be your servants from this time forward.” 10 12:8 But Rehoboam rejected their advice and consulted the young advisers who served him, with whom he had grown up. 11 12:9 He asked them, “How do you advise me 12 to respond to these people who said to me, ‘Lessen the demands your father placed on us’?” 13 12:10 The young advisers with whom Rehoboam 14 had grown up said to him, “Say this to these people who have said to you, ‘Your father made us work hard, but now lighten our burden.’ 15 Say this to them: ‘I am a lot harsher than my father! 16 12:11 My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 17 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.’” 18
12:12 Jeroboam and all the people reported 19 to Rehoboam on the third day, just as the king had ordered when he said, “Return to me on the third day.” 12:13 The king responded to the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the older men 12:14 and followed 20 the advice of the younger ones. He said, “My father imposed heavy demands on you; I will make them even heavier. 21 My father punished you with ordinary whips; I will punish you with whips that really sting your flesh.” 22 12:15 The king refused to listen to the people, because the Lord was instigating this turn of events 23 so that he might bring to pass the prophetic announcement he had made 24 through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.
12:16 When all Israel saw that the king refused to listen to them, the people answered the king, “We have no portion in David, no share in the son of Jesse! 25 Return to your homes, O Israel! 26 Now, look after your own dynasty, O David!” 27 So Israel returned to their homes. 28 12:17 (Rehoboam continued to rule over the Israelites who lived in the cities of Judah.) 12:18 King Rehoboam sent Adoniram, 29 the supervisor of the work crews, 30 out after them, but all Israel stoned him to death. King Rehoboam managed to jump into his chariot and escape to Jerusalem. 31 12:19 So Israel has been in rebellion against the Davidic dynasty to this very day. 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. 32
12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin 33 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 34 12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 35 They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. 36
12:25 37 Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. 12:26 Jeroboam then thought to himself: 38 “Now the Davidic dynasty could regain the kingdom. 39 12:27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, 40 their loyalty could shift to their former master, 41 King Rehoboam of Judah. They might kill me and return to King Rehoboam of Judah.” 12:28 After the king had consulted with his advisers, 42 he made two golden calves. Then he said to the people, 43 “It is too much trouble for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look, Israel, here are your gods who brought you up from the land of Egypt.” 12:29 He put one in Bethel 44 and the other in Dan. 12:30 This caused Israel to sin; 45 the people went to Bethel and Dan to worship the calves. 46
12:31 He built temples 47 on the high places and appointed as priests people who were not Levites. 12:32 Jeroboam inaugurated a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, 48 like the festival celebrated in Judah. 49 On the altar in Bethel he offered sacrifices to the calves he had made. 50 In Bethel he also appointed priests for the high places he had made.
12:33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month (a date he had arbitrarily chosen) 51 Jeroboam 52 offered sacrifices on the altar he had made in Bethel. 53 He inaugurated a festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to offer sacrifices. 13:1 Just then 54 a prophet 55 from Judah, sent by the Lord, arrived in Bethel, 56 as Jeroboam was standing near the altar ready to offer a sacrifice. 13:2 With the authority of the Lord 57 he cried out against the altar, “O altar, altar! This is what the Lord says, ‘Look, a son named Josiah will be born to the Davidic dynasty. He will sacrifice on you the priests of the high places who offer sacrifices on you. Human bones will be burned on you.’” 58 13:3 That day he also announced 59 a sign, “This is the sign the Lord has predetermined: 60 The altar will be split open and the ashes 61 on it will fall to the ground.” 62 13:4 When the king heard what the prophet 63 cried out against the altar in Bethel, Jeroboam, standing at the altar, extended his hand 64 and ordered, 65 “Seize him!” The hand he had extended shriveled up 66 and he could not pull it back. 13:5 The altar split open and the ashes 67 fell from the altar to the ground, 68 in fulfillment of the sign the prophet had announced with the Lord’s authority. 69 13:6 The king pled with 70 the prophet, 71 “Seek the favor of 72 the Lord your God and pray for me, so that my hand may be restored.” So the prophet sought the Lord’s favor 73 and the king’s hand was restored to its former condition. 74 13:7 The king then said to the prophet, “Come home with me and have something to eat. I’d like to give a present.” 13:8 But the prophet said to the king, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, 75 I could not go with you and eat and drink 76 in this place. 13:9 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 77 ‘Do not eat or drink 78 there and do not go home the way you came.’” 13:10 So he started back on another road; he did not travel back on the same road he had taken to Bethel.
13:11 Now there was an old prophet living in Bethel. 79 When his sons came home, they told their father 80 everything the prophet 81 had done in Bethel that day and all the words he had spoken to the king. 82 13:12 Their father asked them, “Which road did he take?” His sons showed him 83 the road the prophet 84 from Judah had taken. 13:13 He then told his sons, “Saddle the donkey for me.” When they had saddled the donkey for him, he mounted it 13:14 and took off after the prophet, 85 whom he found sitting under an oak tree. He asked him, “Are you the prophet 86 from Judah?” He answered, “Yes, I am.” 13:15 He then said to him, “Come home with me and eat something.” 13:16 But he replied, “I can’t go back with you 87 or eat and drink 88 with you in this place. 13:17 For the Lord gave me strict orders, 89 ‘Do not eat or drink 90 there; do not go back the way you came.’” 13:18 The old prophet then said, 91 “I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord’s authority, 92 ‘Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.’” 93 But he was lying to him. 94 13:19 So the prophet went back with him and ate and drank in his house. 95
13:20 While they were sitting at the table, the Lord spoke through the old prophet 96 13:21 and he cried out to the prophet from Judah, “This is what the Lord says, ‘You 97 have rebelled against the Lord 98 and have not obeyed the command the Lord your God gave you. 13:22 You went back and ate and drank in this place, even though he said to you, “Do not eat or drink there.” 99 Therefore 100 your corpse will not be buried in your ancestral tomb.’” 101
13:23 When the prophet from Judah finished his meal, 102 the old prophet saddled his visitor’s donkey for him. 103 13:24 As the prophet from Judah was traveling, a lion attacked him on the road and killed him. 104 His corpse was lying on the road, and the donkey and the lion just stood there beside it. 105 13:25 Some men came by 106 and saw the corpse lying in the road with the lion standing beside it. 107 They went and reported what they had seen 108 in the city where the old prophet lived. 13:26 When the old prophet who had invited him to his house heard the news, 109 he said, “It is the prophet 110 who rebelled against the Lord. 111 The Lord delivered him over to the lion and it ripped him up 112 and killed him, just as the Lord warned him.” 113 13:27 He told his sons, “Saddle my donkey,” and they did so. 114 13:28 He went and found the corpse lying in the road with the donkey and the lion standing beside it; 115 the lion had neither eaten the corpse nor attacked the donkey. 13:29 The old prophet 116 picked up the corpse of the prophet, 117 put it on the donkey, and brought it back. The old prophet then entered the city to mourn him and to bury him. 13:30 He put the corpse into his own tomb, and they 118 mourned over him, saying, “Ah, my brother!” 13:31 After he buried him, he said to his sons, “When I die, bury me in the tomb where the prophet 119 is buried; put my bones right beside his bones, 13:32 for the prophecy he announced with the Lord’s authority 120 against the altar in Bethel 121 and against all the temples on the high places in the cities of the north 122 will certainly be fulfilled.”
13:33 After this happened, Jeroboam still did not change his evil ways; 123 he continued to appoint common people 124 as priests at the high places. Anyone who wanted the job he consecrated as a priest. 125 13:34 This sin caused Jeroboam’s dynasty 126 to come to an end and to be destroyed from the face of the earth.
14:1 127 At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick. 14:2 Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise 128 yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there. 129 14:3 Take 130 ten loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”
14:4 Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. 131 Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age. 132 14:5 But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her so-and-so. 133 When she comes, she will be in a disguise.” 14:6 When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news. 134 14:7 Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel says: “I raised you up 135 from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel. 14:8 I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve. 136 14:9 You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me. 137 14:10 So I am ready to bring disaster 138 on the dynasty 139 of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. 140 I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed. 141 14:11 Dogs will eat the members of your family 142 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!
14:12 “As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die. 14:13 All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family 143 who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good. 14:14 The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty. 144 It is ready to happen! 145 14:15 The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. 146 He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors 147 and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, 148 because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles. 149 14:16 He will hand Israel over to their enemies 150 because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”
14:17 So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to 151 Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died. 14:18 All Israel buried him and mourned for him, just as the Lord had predicted 152 through his servant the prophet Ahijah.
14:19 The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 153 14:20 Jeroboam ruled for twenty-two years; then he passed away. 154 His son Nadab replaced him as king.
14:21 Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He 155 was forty-one years old when he became king and he ruled for seventeen years in Jerusalem, 156 the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. 157 His mother was an Ammonite woman 158 named Naamah.
14:22 Judah did evil in the sight of 159 the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done. 160 14:23 They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. 14:24 There were also male cultic prostitutes 161 in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations 162 that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.
14:25 In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. 14:26 He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made. 14:27 King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard 163 who protected the entrance to the royal palace. 14:28 Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.
14:29 The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the
Kings of Judah. 164 14:30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other. 14:31 Rehoboam passed away 165 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah 166 replaced him as king.
15:1 In the eighteenth year of the reign of Jeroboam son of Nebat, Abijah 167 became king over Judah. 15:2 He ruled for three years in Jerusalem. 168 His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Abishalom. 169 15:3 He followed all the sinful practices of his father before him. He was not wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord his God, as his ancestor David had been. 170 15:4 Nevertheless for David’s sake the Lord his God maintained his dynasty 171 in Jerusalem by giving him a son 172 to succeed him 173 and by protecting Jerusalem. 174 15:5 He did this 175 because David had done what he approved 176 and had not disregarded any of his commandments 177 his entire lifetime, except for the incident involving Uriah the Hittite. 15:6 Rehoboam 178 and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other throughout Abijah’s 179 lifetime. 15:7 The rest of the events of Abijah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 180 Abijah and Jeroboam had been at war with each other. 15:8 Abijah passed away 181 and was buried 182 in the city of David. His son Asa replaced him as king.
15:9 In the twentieth year of Jeroboam’s reign over Israel, Asa became the king of Judah. 15:10 He ruled for forty-one years in Jerusalem. 183 His grandmother 184 was Maacah daughter of Abishalom. 15:11 Asa did what the Lord approved 185 like his ancestor 186 David had done. 15:12 He removed the male cultic prostitutes from the land and got rid of all the disgusting idols 187 his ancestors 188 had made. 15:13 He also removed Maacah his grandmother 189 from her position as queen because she had made a loathsome Asherah pole. Asa cut down her Asherah pole and burned it in the Kidron Valley. 15:14 The high places were not eliminated, yet Asa was wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord throughout his lifetime. 190 15:15 He brought the holy items that he and his father had made into the Lord’s temple, including the silver, gold, and other articles. 191
15:16 Now Asa and King Baasha of Israel were continually at war with each other. 192 15:17 King Baasha of Israel attacked Judah and established Ramah as a military outpost to prevent anyone from leaving or entering the land of King Asa of Judah. 193 15:18 Asa took all the silver and gold that was left in the treasuries of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace and handed it to his servants. He then told them to deliver it 194 to Ben Hadad son of Tabrimmon, the son of Hezion, king of Syria, ruler in Damascus, along with this message: 15:19 “I want to make a treaty with you, like the one our fathers made. 195 See, I have sent you silver and gold as a present. Break your treaty with King Baasha of Israel, so he will retreat from my land.” 196 15:20 Ben Hadad accepted King Asa’s offer and ordered his army commanders to attack the cities of Israel. 197 They conquered 198 Ijon, Dan, Abel Beth Maacah, and all the territory of Naphtali, including the region of Kinnereth. 199 15:21 When Baasha heard the news, he stopped fortifying 200 Ramah and settled down in Tirzah. 15:22 King Asa ordered all the men of Judah (no exemptions were granted) to carry away the stones and wood that Baasha had used to build Ramah. 201 King Asa used the materials to build up 202 Geba (in Benjamin) and Mizpah.
15:23 The rest of the events of Asa’s reign, including all his successes and accomplishments, as well as a record of the cities he built, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah. 203 Yet when he was very old he developed a foot disease. 204 15:24 Asa passed away 205 and was buried with his ancestors in the city of his ancestor David. His son Jehoshaphat replaced him as king.
15:25 In the second year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Jeroboam’s son Nadab became the king of Israel; he ruled Israel for two years. 15:26 He did evil in the sight of 206 the Lord. He followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 207
15:27 Baasha son of Ahijah, from the tribe of Issachar, conspired against Nadab 208 and assassinated him in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. This happened while Nadab and all the Israelite army were besieging Gibbethon. 15:28 Baasha killed him in the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah and replaced him as king. 15:29 When he became king, he executed Jeroboam’s entire family. He wiped out everyone who breathed, 209 just as the Lord had predicted 210 through his servant Ahijah the Shilonite. 15:30 This happened because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit. These sins angered the Lord God of Israel. 211
15:31 The rest of the events of Nadab’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 212 15:32 Asa and King Nadab of Israel were continually at war with each other.
15:33 In the third year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha son of Ahijah became king over all Israel in Tirzah; he ruled for twenty-four years. 15:34 He did evil in the sight of 213 the Lord; he followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to sin. 214
16:1 Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord this message predicting Baasha’s downfall: 215 16:2 “I raised you up 216 from the dust and made you ruler over my people Israel. Yet you followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps 217 and encouraged my people Israel to sin; their sins have made me angry. 218 16:3 So I am ready to burn up 219 Baasha and his family, and make your family 220 like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat. 16:4 Dogs will eat the members of Baasha’s family 221 who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”
16:5 The rest of the events of Baasha’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 222 16:6 Baasha passed away 223 and was buried in Tirzah. His son Elah replaced him as king. 16:7 The prophet Jehu son of Hanani received from the Lord the message predicting the downfall of Baasha and his family because of all the evil Baasha had done in the sight of the Lord. 224 His actions angered the Lord (including the way he had destroyed Jeroboam’s dynasty), so that his family ended up like Jeroboam’s. 225
16:8 In the twenty-sixth year of King Asa’s reign over Judah, Baasha’s son Elah became king over Israel; he ruled in Tirzah for two years. 16:9 His servant Zimri, a commander of half of his chariot force, conspired against him. While Elah was drinking heavily 226 at the house of Arza, who supervised the palace in Tirzah, 16:10 Zimri came in and struck him dead. (This happened in the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah.) Zimri replaced Elah as king. 227 16:11 When he became king and occupied the throne, he killed Baasha’s entire family. He did not spare any male belonging to him; he killed his relatives and his friends. 228 16:12 Zimri destroyed Baasha’s entire family, just as the Lord had predicted to Baasha 229 through Jehu the prophet. 16:13 This happened because of all the sins which Baasha and his son Elah committed and which they made Israel commit. They angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 230
16:14 The rest of the events of Elah’s reign, including all his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 231
16:15 In the twenty-seventh year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Zimri became king over Israel; he ruled for seven days in Tirzah. Zimri’s revolt took place while the army was deployed 232 in Gibbethon, which was in Philistine territory. 16:16 While deployed there, the army received this report: 233 “Zimri has conspired against the king and assassinated him.” 234 So all Israel made Omri, the commander of the army, king over Israel that very day in the camp. 16:17 Omri and all Israel went up from Gibbethon and besieged Tirzah. 16:18 When Zimri saw that the city was captured, he went into the fortified area of the royal palace. He set the palace on fire and died in the flames. 235 16:19 This happened because of the sins he committed. He did evil in the sight of 236 the Lord and followed in Jeroboam’s footsteps and encouraged Israel to continue sinning. 237
16:20 The rest of the events of Zimri’s reign, including the details of his revolt, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 238
16:21 At that time the people of Israel were divided in their loyalties. Half the people supported Tibni son of Ginath and wanted to make him king; the other half supported Omri. 16:22 Omri’s supporters were stronger than those who supported Tibni son of Ginath. Tibni died; Omri became king.
16:23 In the thirty-first year of Asa’s reign over Judah, Omri became king over Israel. He ruled for twelve years, six of them in Tirzah. 16:24 He purchased the hill of Samaria 239 from Shemer for two talents 240 of silver. He launched a construction project there 241 and named the city he built after Shemer, the former owner of the hill of Samaria. 16:25 Omri did more evil in the sight of 242 the Lord than all who were before him. 16:26 He followed in the footsteps of Jeroboam son of Nebat and encouraged Israel to sin; 243 they angered the Lord God of Israel with their worthless idols. 244
16:27 The rest of the events of Omri’s reign, including his accomplishments and successes, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel. 245 16:28 Omri passed away 246 and was buried in Samaria. His son Ahab replaced him as king. 247
[12:1] 2 tn Heb “him”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:2] 3 tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.
[12:2] 4 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).
[12:3] 5 tn Heb “They sent and called for him.”
[12:4] 6 tn Heb “made our yoke burdensome.”
[12:4] 7 tn Heb “but you, now, lighten the burdensome work of your father and the heavy yoke which he placed on us, and we will serve you.” In the Hebrew text the prefixed verbal form with vav (וְנַעַבְדֶךָ, [vÿna’avdekha] “and we will serve you”) following the imperative (הָקֵל [haqel], “lighten”) indicates purpose (or result). The conditional sentence used in the translation above is an attempt to bring out the logical relationship between these forms.
[12:6] 8 tn Heb “stood before.”
[12:7] 10 tn Heb “If today you are a servant to these people and you serve them and answer them and speak to them good words, they will be your servants all the days.”
[12:8] 11 tn Heb “He rejected the advice of the elders which they advised and he consulted the young men with whom he had grown up, who stood before him.” The referent (Rehoboam) of the initial pronoun (“he”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:9] 12 tn In the Hebrew text the verb “we will respond” is plural, although it can be understood as an editorial “we.” The ancient versions have the singular here.
[12:9] 13 tn Heb “Lighten the yoke which your father placed on us.”
[12:10] 14 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Rehoboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:10] 15 tn Heb “Your father made our yoke heavy, but make it lighter upon us.”
[12:10] 16 tn Heb “My little one is thicker than my father’s hips.” The referent of “my little one” is not clear. The traditional view is that it refers to the little finger. As the following statement makes clear, Rehoboam’s point is that he is more harsh and demanding than his father.
[12:11] 17 tn Heb “and now my father placed upon you a heavy yoke, but I will add to your yoke.”
[12:11] 18 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” “Scorpions” might allude to some type of torture using poisonous insects, but more likely it refers to a type of whip that inflicts an especially biting, painful wound. Cf. CEV “whips with pieces of sharp metal.”
[12:14] 20 tn Heb “and spoke to them according to.”
[12:14] 21 tn Heb “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke.”
[12:14] 22 tn Heb “My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with scorpions.” See the note on the same phrase in v. 11.
[12:15] 23 tn Heb “because this turn of events was from the
[12:15] 24 tn Heb “so that he might bring to pass his word which the
[12:16] 25 sn We have no portion in David; no share in the son of Jesse. Their point seems to be that they have no familial relationship with David that brings them any benefits or places upon them any obligations. They are being treated like outsiders.
[12:16] 26 tn Heb “to your tents, Israel.” The word “return” is supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[12:16] 27 tn Heb “Now see your house, David.”
[12:16] 28 tn Heb “went to their tents.”
[12:18] 29 tc The MT has “Adoram” here, but the Old Greek translation and Syriac Peshitta have “Adoniram.” Cf. 1 Kgs 4:6.
[12:18] 30 sn The work crews. See the note on this expression in 4:6.
[12:18] 31 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[12:20] 32 tn Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”
[12:21] 33 tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”
[12:22] 34 tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
[12:24] 35 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
[12:24] 36 tn Heb “and they heard the word of the
[12:25] 37 tc The Old Greek translation has here a lengthy section consisting of twenty-three verses that are not found in the MT.
[12:26] 38 tn Heb “said in his heart.”
[12:26] 39 tn Heb “Now the kingdom could return to the house of David.” The imperfect verbal form translated “could return” is understood as having a potential force here. Perhaps this is not strong enough; another option is “will return.”
[12:27] 40 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[12:27] 41 tn Heb “the heart of these people could return to their master.”
[12:28] 42 tn The words “with his advisers” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[12:28] 43 tn Heb “to them,” although this may be a corruption of “to the people.” Cf. the Old Greek translation.
[12:29] 44 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[12:30] 45 tn Heb “and this thing became a sin.”
[12:30] 46 tc The MT reads “and the people went before the one to Dan.” It is likely that some words have been accidentally omitted and that the text originally said, “and the people went before the one at Bethel and before the one at Dan.”
[12:31] 47 tn The Hebrew text has the singular, but the plural is preferable here (see 1 Kgs 13:32). The Old Greek translation and the Vulgate have the plural.
[12:32] 48 sn The eighth month would correspond to October-November in modern reckoning.
[12:32] 49 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.
[12:32] 50 tn Heb “and he offered up [sacrifices] on the altar; he did this in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves which he had made.”
[12:33] 51 tn Heb “which he had chosen by himself.”
[12:33] 52 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Jeroboam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:33] 53 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:1] 54 tn Heb “Look.” The Hebrew particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) is a rhetorical device by which the author invites the reader to visualize the scene for dramatic effect.
[13:1] 55 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:1] 56 tn Heb “came by the word of the
[13:2] 57 tn Heb “by the word of the
[13:2] 58 sn ‘Look…you.’ For the fulfillment of this prophecy see 2 Kgs 23:15-20.
[13:3] 61 tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן.
[13:3] 62 tn Heb “will be poured out.”
[13:4] 63 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:4] 64 tn Heb “Jeroboam extended his hand from the altar.”
[13:4] 66 tn Heb “dried up” or “withered.” TEV and NLT interpret this as “became paralyzed.”
[13:5] 67 tn Heb “the fat.” Reference is made to burnt wood mixed with fat. See HALOT 234 s.v. דשׁן.
[13:5] 68 tn Heb “were poured out from the altar.”
[13:5] 69 tn Heb “according to the sign which the man of God had given by the word of the
[13:6] 70 tn Heb “The king answered and said to.”
[13:6] 71 tn Heb “the man of God” (a second time later in this verse, and once in v. 7 and v. 8).
[13:6] 72 tn Heb “appease the face of.”
[13:6] 73 tn Heb “appeased the face of the
[13:6] 74 tn Heb “and it was as in the beginning.”
[13:8] 76 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:9] 77 tn Heb “for this he commanded me by the word of the
[13:9] 78 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:11] 79 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:11] 80 tn Heb “and his son came and told him.” The MT has the singular here, but several other textual witnesses have the plural, which is more consistent with the second half of the verse and with vv. 12-13.
[13:11] 81 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:11] 82 tn Heb “all the actions which the man of God performed that day in Bethel, the words which he spoke to the king, and they told them to their father.”
[13:12] 83 tn The Hebrew text has “and his sons saw” (וַיִּרְאוּ [vayyir’u], Qal from רָאָה [ra’ah]). In this case the verbal construction (vav consecutive + prefixed verbal form) would have to be understood as pluperfect, “his sons had seen.” Such uses of this construction are rare at best. Consequently many, following the lead of the ancient versions, prefer to emend the verbal form to a Hiphil with pronominal suffix (וַיַּרְאֻהוּ [vayyar’uhu], “and they showed him”).
[13:12] 84 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:14] 85 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:14] 86 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:16] 87 tn Heb “I am unable to return with you or to go with you.”
[13:16] 88 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:17] 89 tn Heb “for a word to me by the word of the
[13:17] 90 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:18] 91 tn Heb “and he said to him.”
[13:18] 92 tn Heb “by the word of the
[13:18] 93 tn Heb “eat food and drink water.”
[13:18] 94 tn Or “deceiving him.”
[13:19] 95 tn Heb “and he returned with him and ate food in his house and drank water.”
[13:20] 96 tn Heb “and the word of the
[13:21] 97 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 21-22 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 21-22a) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 22b). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.
[13:21] 98 tn Heb “the mouth [i.e., command] of the
[13:22] 99 tn Heb “and you returned and ate food and drank water in the place about which he said to you, ‘do not eat food and do not drink water.’”
[13:22] 100 tn “Therefore” is added for stylistic reasons. See the note at 1 Kgs 13:21 pertaining to the grammatical structure of vv. 21-22.
[13:22] 101 tn Heb “will not go to the tomb of your fathers.”
[13:23] 102 tn Heb “and after he had eaten food and after he had drunk.”
[13:23] 103 tn Heb “and he saddled for him the donkey, for the prophet whom he had brought back.”
[13:24] 104 tn Heb “and he went and a lion met him in the road and killed him.”
[13:24] 105 tn Heb “and his corpse fell on the road, and the donkey was standing beside it, and the lion was standing beside the corpse.”
[13:25] 106 tn Heb “Look, men were passing by.”
[13:25] 107 tn Heb “the corpse.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:25] 108 tn The words “what they had seen” are supplied in the translation for clarification.
[13:26] 109 tn Heb “and the prophet who had brought him back from the road heard.”
[13:26] 110 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:26] 111 tn Heb “the mouth of the
[13:26] 112 tn Heb “broke him,” or “crushed him.”
[13:26] 113 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[13:27] 114 tn Heb “and they saddled [it].”
[13:28] 115 tn Heb “the corpse.” The noun has been replaced by the pronoun (“it”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[13:29] 116 tn Heb “the prophet.” The word “old” has been supplied in the translation to distinguish this individual from the other prophet.
[13:29] 117 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:30] 118 tn “They” is the reading of the Hebrew text here; perhaps this is meant to include not only the old prophet but his sons (cf. v. 31).
[13:31] 119 tn Heb “the man of God.”
[13:32] 120 tn Heb “for the word which he cried out by the word of the
[13:32] 121 map For location see Map4 G4; Map5 C1; Map6 E3; Map7 D1; Map8 G3.
[13:32] 122 tn Heb “Samaria.” The name of Israel’s capital city here stands for the northern kingdom as a whole. Actually Samaria was not built and named until several years after this (see 1 Kgs 16:24), so it is likely that the author of Kings, writing at a later time, is here adapting the old prophet’s original statement.
[13:33] 123 tn Heb “did not turn from his evil way.”
[13:33] 124 sn The expression common people refers to people who were not Levites. See 1 Kgs 12:31.
[13:33] 125 tn Heb “and one who had the desire he was filling his hand so that he became [one of] the priests of the high places.”
[14:1] 127 tc Some
[14:2] 128 tn Heb “Get up, change yourself.”
[14:2] 129 tn Heb “look, Ahijah the prophet is there, he told me [I would be] king over this nation.”
[14:3] 130 tn Heb “take in your hand.”
[14:4] 131 tn Heb “and the wife of Jeroboam did so; she arose and went to Shiloh and entered the house of Ahijah.”
[14:4] 132 tn Heb “his eyes were set because of his old age.”
[14:5] 133 sn Tell her so-and-so. Certainly the
[14:6] 134 tn Heb “I am sent to you [with] a hard [message].”
[14:7] 135 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 7-11 are one long sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (vv. 7-9) and the main clause announcing the punishment (vv. 10-11). The translation divides this lengthy sentence for stylistic reasons.
[14:8] 136 tn Heb “what was right in my eyes.”
[14:9] 137 tn Heb “you went and you made for yourself other gods, metal [ones], angering me, and you threw me behind your back.”
[14:10] 138 sn Disaster. There is a wordplay in the Hebrew text. The word translated “disaster” (רָעָה, ra’ah) is from the same root as the expression “you have sinned” in v. 9 (וַתָּרַע [vattara’], from רָעַע, [ra’a’]). Jeroboam’s sins would receive an appropriate punishment.
[14:10] 140 tn Heb “and I will cut off from Jeroboam those who urinate against a wall (including both those who are) restrained and let free (or “abandoned”) in Israel.” The precise meaning of the idiomatic phrase עָצוּר וְעָזוּב (’atsur vÿ’azuv) is uncertain. For various options see HALOT 871 s.v. עצר 6 and M. Cogan and H. Tadmor, II Kings (AB), 107. The two terms are usually taken as polar opposites (“slaves and freemen” or “minors and adults”), but Cogan and Tadmor, on the basis of contextual considerations (note the usage with אֶפֶס [’efes], “nothing but”) in Deut 32:36 and 2 Kgs 14:26, argue convincingly that the terms are synonyms, meaning “restrained and abandoned,” and refer to incapable or incapacitated individuals.
[14:10] 141 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” Manure was sometimes used as fuel (see Ezek 4:12, 15). However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I will sweep away the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one sweeps away manure it is gone” (cf. ASV, NASB, TEV). Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[14:11] 142 tn The Hebrew text has “belonging to Jeroboam” here.
[14:14] 145 tn Heb “This is the day. What also now?” The precise meaning of the second half of the statement is uncertain.
[14:15] 146 tn The elliptical Hebrew text reads literally “and the
[14:15] 147 tn Heb “fathers” (also in vv. 22, 31).
[14:15] 148 tn Heb “the River.” In biblical Hebrew this is a typical reference to the Euphrates River. The name “Euphrates” has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[14:15] 149 tn Heb “because they made their Asherah poles that anger the
[14:16] 150 tn Heb “and he will give [up] Israel.”
[14:17] 151 tn Heb “went and entered.”
[14:18] 152 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[14:19] 153 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he ruled, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[14:20] 154 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:21] 155 tn Heb “Rehoboam.” The proper name has been replaced by the pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[14:21] 156 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[14:21] 157 tn Heb “the city where the
[14:21] 158 tn Heb “an Ammonite”; the word “woman” is implied.
[14:22] 159 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[14:22] 160 tn Heb “and they made him jealous more than all which their fathers had done by their sins which they sinned.”
[14:24] 161 tc The Old Greek translation has “a conspiracy” rather than “male cultic prostitutes.”
[14:24] 162 tn Heb “they did according to all the abominable acts of the nations.”
[14:29] 164 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Rehoboam, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[14:31] 165 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[14:31] 166 tn In the Hebrew text the name is spelled “Abijam” here and in 1 Kgs 15:1-8.
[15:1] 167 tc The Old Greek also has the phrase “the son of Rehoboam.”
[15:2] 168 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:2] 169 sn Abishalom (also in v. 10) is a variant of the name Absalom (cf. 2 Chr 11:20). The more common form is used by TEV, NLT.
[15:3] 170 tn Heb “his heart was not complete with the
[15:4] 171 tn Heb “gave him a lamp.”
[15:4] 172 tc The Old Greek has the plural “his sons.”
[15:4] 173 tn Heb “by raising up his son after him.”
[15:4] 174 tn Heb “and by causing Jerusalem to stand firm.”
[15:5] 175 tn The words “he did this” are added for stylistic reasons.
[15:5] 176 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:5] 177 tn Heb “and had not turned aside from all which he commanded him.”
[15:6] 178 tc Most Hebrew
[15:6] 179 tn Heb “his”; the referent (Abijah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:7] 180 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Abijah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:8] 181 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.” The Old Greek also has these words: “in the twenty-eighth year of Jeroboam.”
[15:8] 182 tn Heb “and they buried him.”
[15:10] 183 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:10] 184 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:11] 185 tn Heb “what was right in the eyes of the
[15:11] 186 tn Heb “father,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:12] 187 tn The word used here, גִלּוּלִים [gillulim], is always used as a disdainful reference to idols. It is generally thought to have originally referred to “dung pellets” (cf. KBL 183 s.v. גִלּוּלִים). It is only one of several terms used in this way, such as “worthless things” (אֱלִילִים, ’elilim), “vanities” or “empty winds” (הֲבָלִים, havalim).
[15:12] 188 tn Heb “fathers” (also in v. 24).
[15:13] 189 tn Heb “mother,” but Hebrew often uses the terms “father” and “mother” for grandparents and more remote ancestors.
[15:14] 190 tn Heb “yet the heart of Asa was complete with the
[15:15] 191 tn Heb “and he brought the holy things of his father and his holy things (into) the house of the
[15:16] 192 tn Heb “There was war between Asa and Baasha king of Israel all their days.”
[15:17] 193 tn Heb “and he built up Ramah so as to not permit going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.”
[15:18] 194 tn Heb “King Asa sent it.”
[15:19] 195 tn Heb “[May there be] a covenant between me and you [as there was] between my father and your father.”
[15:19] 196 tn Heb “so he will go up from upon me.”
[15:20] 197 tn Heb “and Ben Hadad listened to King Asa and sent the commanders of the armies which belonged to him against the cities of Israel.”
[15:20] 198 tn Heb “he struck down.”
[15:20] 199 tn Heb “and all Kinnereth together with all the land of Naphtali.”
[15:21] 200 tn Heb “building.”
[15:22] 201 tn Heb “and King Asa made a proclamation to all Judah, there was no one exempt, and they carried away the stones of Ramah and its wood which Baasha had built.”
[15:22] 202 tn Heb “and King Asa built with them.”
[15:23] 203 tn Heb “As for the rest of all the events of Asa, and all his strength and all which he did and the cities which he built, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Judah?”
[15:23] 204 tn Heb “Yet in the time of his old age he became sick in his feet.”
[15:24] 205 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[15:26] 206 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:26] 207 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of his father and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[15:27] 208 tn Heb “against him”; the referent (Nadab) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[15:29] 209 tn Heb “and when he became king, he struck down all the house of Jeroboam; he did not leave any breath to Jeroboam until he destroyed him.”
[15:29] 210 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[15:30] 211 tn Heb “because of Jeroboam which he committed and which he made Israel commit, by his provocation by which he made the
[15:31] 212 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Nadab, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[15:34] 213 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[15:34] 214 tn Heb “and he walked in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:1] 215 tn Heb “and the word of the
[16:2] 216 tn The Hebrew text has “because” at the beginning of the sentence. In the Hebrew text vv. 2-3 are one sentence comprised of a causal clause giving the reason for divine punishment (v. 2) and the main clause announcing the punishment (v. 3). The translation divides this sentence for stylistic reasons.
[16:2] 217 tn Heb “walked in the way of Jeroboam.”
[16:2] 218 tn Heb “angering me by their sins.”
[16:3] 219 tn The traditional view understands the verb בָּעַר (ba’ar) to mean “burn.” However, an alternate view takes בָּעַר (ba’ar) as a homonym meaning “sweep away” (HALOT 146 s.v. II בער). In this case one might translate, “I am ready to sweep away Baasha and his family.” Either metaphor emphasizes the thorough and destructive nature of the coming judgment.
[16:3] 220 tc The Old Greek, Syriac Peshitta, and some
[16:4] 221 tn Heb “the ones belonging to Baasha.”
[16:5] 222 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Baasha, and that which he did and his strength, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:6] 223 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:7] 224 tn Heb “and also through Jehu son of Hanani the word of the
[16:7] 225 tn Heb “angering him by the work of his hands, so that he was like the house of Jeroboam, and because of how he struck it down.”
[16:9] 226 tn Heb “while he was drinking and drunken.”
[16:10] 227 tn Heb “and he became king in his place.”
[16:11] 228 tn Heb “and he did not spare any belonging to him who urinate against a wall, [including] his kinsmen redeemers and his friends.”
[16:12] 229 tn Heb “according to the word of the
[16:13] 230 tn Heb “angering the
[16:14] 231 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Elah, and all which he did, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:15] 232 tn Heb “Now the people were encamped.
[16:16] 233 tn Heb “and the people who were encamped heard.”
[16:16] 234 tn Heb “has conspired against and also has struck down the king.”
[16:18] 235 tn Heb “and he burned the house of the king over him with fire and he died.”
[16:19] 236 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:19] 237 tn Heb “walking in the way of Jeroboam and in his sin which he did to make Israel sin.”
[16:20] 238 tn Heb “As for the rest of the events of Zimri, and his conspiracy which he conspired, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:24] 239 map For location see Map2 B1; Map4 D3; Map5 E2; Map6 A4; Map7 C1.
[16:24] 240 tn The Hebrew term כִּכָּר (kikkar, “circle”) refers generally to something that is round. When used of metals it can refer to a disk-shaped weight made of the metal or to a standard unit of weight, generally regarded as a talent. Since the accepted weight for a talent of metal is about 75 pounds, this would have amounted to about 150 pounds of silver.
[16:24] 241 tn Heb “he built up the hill.”
[16:25] 242 tn Heb “in the eyes of.”
[16:26] 243 tn Heb “walked in all the way of Jeroboam son of Nebat and in his sin which he made Israel sin.”
[16:26] 244 tn Heb “angering the
[16:27] 245 tn Heb “As for the rest of the acts of Omri which he did, and his strength which he demonstrated, are they not written on the scroll of the events of the days of the kings of Israel?”
[16:28] 246 tn Heb “lay down with his fathers.”
[16:28] 247 tc The Old Greek has eight additional verses here. Cf. 1 Kgs 22:41-44.
