So Jeroboam slept with his ancestors, the kings of Israel; and his son Zechariah succeeded him — Jeroboam's death and succession to his son Zechariah marks a moment of apparent stability; yet the next verse will reveal that Zechariah's reign lasts only six months before assassination, initiating the rapid succession of weak kings that characterizes Israel's final decades. The formula "slept with his ancestors" (וַיִּשְׁכַּב עִם־אֲבוֹתָיו, *way-yishkav im-avotav*) accords Jeroboam a peaceful death and royal burial, honoring his military legacy even while the deuteronomistic history condemns his cultic failures. His successor will not enjoy such stability.

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