And the king answered the people harshly and rejected the counsel that the old men had given him — The word קָשׁוֹת (kashot, harshly) marks the rupture: Rehoboam's speech will be bereft of mercy or political wisdom. His rejection of the elders' counsel is now made irrevocable and public. The Deuteronomistic historian emphasizes the active choice: Rehoboam did not stumble into foolishness but deliberately embraced it, scorning the accumulated wisdom of his father's court.

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