References (81)
And Jeroboam (Hebr. Jarovam), the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah, a servant of Solomon whose mother was Zeruah, a widow, also raised his hand against the king.
And the man Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor, and Solomon saw that the young man was diligent, and he gave him charge over all the laborers of the house of Joseph.
And it came to pass at that time, when Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem, that the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite found him on the way. And he had clothed himself with a new coat, and the two of them were alone in the field.
And he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces, for thus says the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon and will give ten tribes to you,
Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak, king of Egypt, and remained in Egypt until Solomon's death.
And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, whither he had fled from the presence of King Solomon), that Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt,
they sent and called him, so that Jeroboam and all the assembly of Israel came and spoke to Rehoboam, saying,
And Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam on the third day, as the king had told them, saying, "Come to me on the third day."
And the king did not listen to the people, for it was something that the Lord (Yahweh) had allowed to happen so that he might confirm his word that the Lord (Yahweh) had spoken through the hand of Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat. [Jeroboam I, first king of the Northern Kingdom.]
And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was returned, that they sent and called him to the assembly, and made him king over Israel. There was none that followed the house of David, save the tribe of Judah.
And Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there, and he went from there and built Penuel.
[Shechem was a strategic junction where several roads met between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal. Peniel was the place by the river Jabbok, on the east side of the Jordan River, where Jacob wrestled with God. The city existed in the time of Gideon (, ), but now Jehoram is rebuilding it. The city is identified with Tell ed-Dhahab.]
And Jeroboam said (thought) in his heart, "Now the kingdom will return to the house of David.
And Jeroboam commanded a feast in the eighth month [Cheshvan – Oct/Nov] on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feasts of Judah, and he went up to the altar. He did this in Bethel and sacrificed to the calf he had made, and he placed the priest in Bethel on the high place he had made. [The biblical autumn feasts occur a month earlier in the 7th month (Tishri), see , , .]
And behold, a man of God came from Judah with the word of the Lord
(Yahweh) to
Bethel, and
Jeroboam was standing by the altar to offer sacrifice.
And it came to pass, when the king heard the word of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand toward the altar, and said, "Take him!" And his hand, which he had stretched out toward him, withered, so that he could not draw it back.
After these things, Jeroboam did not turn from his evil ways, but again made priests for the high places from among all the people; whoever desired [to be a priest], he appointed him, so that he became one of the priests of the high places.
And through this, it became a sin to the house of Jeroboam (family, clan), so that it was wiped out and destroyed, so that it was no longer on the face of the earth.
At that time, Abijah, Jeroboam's son, became ill.
And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please get up and disguise yourself so that you will not be recognized as Jeroboam's wife, and go to Shiloh. Behold, there is Ahijah the prophet who told me that I would become king over this people.
And Jeroboam's wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.
And the Lord (Yahweh) said to Ahijah, "Behold, Jeroboam's wife is coming to ask you about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you speak to her, for it will come to pass when she comes in that she will pretend to be another woman."
And it came to pass, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, that he said,
"Come in, Jeroboam's wife, why do you pretend to be someone else? I am sent to you to give you a heavy message.
Go and tell Jeroboam: 'This is what the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel, says: Just as I have exalted you from among the people and made you prince over my people Israel,
Therefore, behold, I will bring evil (Hebr. raa) upon the house of Jeroboam, and I will cut off (cut off) from Jeroboam every male who urinates against the wall [a derogatory expression for a man; in the expression he is also likened to an unclean dog, see ]— [both] imprisoned and released – in Israel. I will burn the house of Jeroboam as one burns dung until it is completely gone (consumed).
Those of Jeroboam's house who die in the city shall be eaten by dogs, and those who die in the field shall be eaten by the birds of the sky, for the Lord (Yahweh) has spoken.
And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall have a burial, because there was something good in him toward the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel.
And the Lord (Yahweh) will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam that day. And what is it this time?
And he shall forsake [lift his hand from] Israel because of the transgressions of Jeroboam, which he has committed, with which he has made Israel to transgress.'"
And
Jeroboam's wife arose and departed and came to
Tirtsah [northeast of Shechem; present-day Tell el-Farah], and when she came to the threshold of the house, the young man died.
The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, are written in the chronicles (books) of the kings of Israel. [This does not refer to the Books of Kings in the Bible, but to public records from which information was taken by the prophets and written down in the canonical books.]
And the days that Jeroboam reigned were 22 years, and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
[Nadab's reign is recounted in . The narrative now returns to Rehoboam, Solomon's son and successor, the first king of the Southern Kingdom.]
[Royal Chronicles
Important events were recorded year by year in official chronicles, see ; . Some of the ancient world's well-known chronicles (e.g., those of the Assyrian kings) are useful for reconstructing chronology and geographical locations, but often contain propaganda. Others (e.g., those from the Neo-Babylonian period) have more neutral information. The reference to the annals of the kings of Israel shows that the biblical authors drew their narrative from larger and more detailed sources. The chronicle of the kings of Israel is referenced here: ; , , , ; ; ; ; , ; , ; , , , , ; . The chronicle of the kings of Judah here: ; , ; ; ; ; ; , ; ; ; , ; ; .]
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
[Abijah was the second ruler of the Southern Kingdom. He reigned in Jerusalem from 913 to 910 BC. He fought against the Northern Kingdom and defeated Jeroboam in Ephraim (ca. 912 BC), see .]
And in the 18th year of King Jeroboam's son Nebat, Abijah began to reign over Judah.
And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
The rest of the acts of Abijah, and all that he did, are written in the chronicles of the kings of Judah. And there was war between Abijah and Jeroboam.
[Asa was the third ruler of the Southern Kingdom (reigned 905-874 BC).]
And in the twentieth year of Jeroboam, king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah.
[Second king of Israel (the Northern Kingdom) – Nadab (903-902 BC)]
And Nadab, the son of Jeroboam, began to reign in Israel [the Northern Kingdom] in the second year of Asa king of Judah [Asa was the fourth king of the Southern Kingdom], and he reigned over Israel two years.
And it came to pass, as soon as he was king, that he smote all the house of Jeroboam. He left none that breathed to Jeroboam, until he had destroyed him, according to the word of the Lord (Yahweh) which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the Shilonite,
for the transgressions of Jeroboam, which he committed and with which he made Israel transgress, provoking the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel, with them.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), walking in the ways of Jeroboam and in his transgressions, with which he made Israel to transgress.
"As much as I lifted you up from the dust and made you prince over my people Israel, and you have walked in the ways of Jeroboam and have caused my people Israel to sin and provoke me with their sins,
behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house, and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat.
And also by the hand of the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani, the word of the Lord (Yahweh) came against Baasha and against his house, for all the evil that he did in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), to provoke him to anger with the work of his hands, in following the ways of the house of Jeroboam, and because he struck him down.
This was because of his sins which he sinned, when he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), in that he walked in the ways of Jeroboam and in his sins which he made Israel to sin.
And he walked in all the ways of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and in his sins, whereby he made Israel to sin and provoke the Lord (Yahweh), the God (Elohim) of Israel, with their vanity (idolatry).
And it came to pass, as if it were a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, that he took as his wife Jezebel (Hebr. Izevel), the daughter of Ethbaal, king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshipped him.
And I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, son of Ahijah, for the evil you have done in provoking me and causing Israel to sin.
And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), and walked in the ways of his father and in the ways of his mother, and in the ways of Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Thus he caused Israel to sin.
Nevertheless, he clung to the sins of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, with which he caused Israel to sin (miss the mark – Hebr. chata), and he did not forsake them. [Jehu was the first king of the Northern Kingdom, see .]
And I will make the house of Ahab like the house of Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, and like the house of Baasha, the son of Ahijah.
But he did not turn away from the sins that
[the first king of the Northern Kingdom] Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, had caused Israel to sin, not from the golden calves that were in
Bethel and were in Dan.
[]But Jehu was not careful (did not keep, guard, preserve – Hebr. lo shamar) to walk in the teaching (Hebr. torah) of the Lord (Yahweh), the God of Israel (Elohim), with all his heart. He did not turn away from (did not turn away from) the sins Jeroboam had caused Israel to commit. [Idolatry and syncretism, see 4.]
And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh) and followed the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin. He did not turn away from them.
Nevertheless, they did not turn away from the sins of the house of Jeroboam, with which he had caused Israel to sin, but walked in them. And even the Asherah [idol worship] in Samaria remained.
And he did evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh). He did not forsake all the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin, but walked in them.
And he [Jeroboam II, son of Joash] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh). He did not depart from any of the sins of [his ancestor] Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which caused [encouraged] Israel to sin (miss the mark – Hebr. chata). [Jeroboam I was the first king of the Northern Kingdom and the one who introduced idolatry, see , .]
He did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh), as his father had done. He did not depart from the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat, with which he made Israel sin.
And he [Menachem] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh). He did not depart from any of the sins of [his ancestor] Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which caused [encouraged] Israel to sin (miss the mark – Hebr. chata). [Jehu was the first king of the Northern Kingdom, see .]
And he [Pecahiah] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh). He did not depart (turn away) from any of the sins of [his ancestor] Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which caused [encouraged] Israel to sin (miss the mark – Hebr. chata). [Jehu was the first king of the Northern Kingdom, see .]
And he [Pecah] did what was evil in the sight of the Lord (Yahweh). He did not depart (turn away) from any of the sins of [his ancestor] Jeroboam, son of Nebat, which caused [encouraged] Israel to sin (miss the mark – Hebr. chata). [Jehu was the first king of the Northern Kingdom, see .]
For he tore Israel from the house of David, and they made Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the Lord (Yahweh) and caused them to sin greatly.
And Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam that he did, and they did not forsake them
And also the altar that was in Bethel and the high places that Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who made Israel sin, had made, even that altar and the high places he broke down, and he burned the high places and made them fine dust, and he burned the Asherah [pole for idol worship].
The rest of Solomon's deeds, from his early days to his final days, are recorded in the chronicles of the prophet Nathan, in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of the seer (prophet – Hebr. chozeh) Iddo concerning Jeroboam, son of Nebat.
When Jeroboam, son of Nebat, king of the Northern Kingdom, heard this while he was in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon, he returned from Egypt.
And they sent messengers to call him back. Then Jeroboam came with all Israel and spoke to Rehoboam, saying
On the third day, Jeroboam and all the people came to Rehoboam, as the king had said, "Come back to me in three days."
So the king did not listen to the people. God did this so that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he had spoken to Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, through Ahijah of Shiloh.
This is what the Lord says: You are not to go up to fight against your brothers. Go home, each to his own place, for this is my doing." So they obeyed the word of the Lord and turned back and did not go up against Jeroboam.
The Levites abandoned their pastures and their other possessions and went to Judah and Jerusalem, because Jeroboam and his sons drove them away from their service as priests of the Lord
The rest of the acts of Rehoboam, from first to last, are recorded in the chronicles of the prophet Shemaiah and the seer Iddo, according to the genealogical records. Rehoboam and Jeroboam were at war with each other throughout their lives.
[Abijah reigned for three years (959-956 BC).]
In the 18th year of the reign of Jeroboam, king of the [Northern Kingdom], Abijah became king of Judah [the Southern Kingdom],
and he reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Maacah [Maacha, see ], the daughter of Uriel, of Gibeah.
Abijam [2nd ruler of the Southern Kingdom] and Jeroboam [1st king of the Northern Kingdom] were at war with each other.
Abijah began the war with an army of brave warriors, 400,000 chosen men. But Jeroboam lined up against him with 800,000 chosen brave warriors.
Abijah went up to Mount Zemarim in the hill country of Ephraim and said, "Listen to me, Jeroboam and all Israel!
But Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, the servant of David's son Solomon, rose up and rebelled against his master.
And now you think you can resist the kingdom of the Lord, which belongs to the sons of David, because you are a large crowd and have with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made as gods for you.
But Jeroboam had surrounded them and laid an ambush to attack them from behind. So they stood opposite the men of Judah, with their ambush behind them.
Then the men of Judah raised a battle cry, and when they did so, God (Elohim) caused Jeroboam [the first king of the Northern Kingdom] and all Israel to be defeated by Abijah and Judah.
Abijah pursued Jeroboam and took these cities from him: Bethel and its towns, Jeshanah and its towns, and Ephron and its towns.
Then Jeroboam could do nothing more as long as Abijah lived. And the Lord (Yahweh) struck him down, and he died.
