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1 Kings 14

1

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.

2

And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.

3

And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.

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And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

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And the Lord said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.

6

And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

7

Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

8

And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in mine eyes;

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But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

10

Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

11

Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the Lord hath spoken it.

12

Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

13

And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

1
14

Moreover the Lord shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.

15

For the Lord shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the Lord to anger.

16

And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

17

And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;

1
18

And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19

And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20

And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

21

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

22

And Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

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23

For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

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And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the Lord cast out before the children of Israel.

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And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:

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And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

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And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.

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And it was so, when the king went into the house of the Lord, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.

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Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

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And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

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And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

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1 Kings 14

The account of Rehoboam's reign in the southern kingdom and Jeroboam's reign in the northern kingdom, chronicled through the framework of prophetic judgment and the attestation of the political and religious decline of the divided monarchy, establishes the divergent paths that Judah and Israel will follow. The chapter opens with an account of Jeroboam's son Abijah, who falls ill, and Jeroboam's dispatch of his wife to the prophet Ahijah to inquire about the child's fate; the prophet, though blind, recognizes Jeroboam's wife and delivers a message of judgment. The prophecy is graphically fulfilled: Jeroboam's son dies and Jeroboam's house is gradually decimated. The chapter then turns to Rehoboam, who is described as doing evil in the sight of YHWH, abandoning the law of YHWH and building high places. The chapter records the invasion of Judah by Shishak of Egypt, an event corroborated by Egyptian historical records. The theological significance lies in the demonstration that both the northern and southern kingdoms have turned away from the covenantal faithfulness that characterized David's reign.

1 Kings 14:26

And he took the fortified cities which belonged to Judah and came as far as Jerusalem — Shishak systematically conquers the Judahite fortress system, penetrating Jerusalem itself. The phrase וַיִּלְכֹּד אֶת־עָרֵי הַמִּבְצָר (he took the fortified cities) shows methodical conquest.

1 Kings 14:27

Then King Rehoboam sent Shemaiah the prophet to say, 'Thus says the LORD, You have forsaken me, and I have forsaken you to the hand of Shishak.' — A prophet intervenes at Jerusalem's threat, offering theological interpretation. The phrase עֲזַבְתֶּם אוֹתִי וָאַעְזֹב אֶתְכֶם בְּיַד־שִׁשַׁק (you have forsaken me and I have forsaken you to Shishak) frames invasion as direct consequence of covenant violation.

1 Kings 14:28

Whereupon the princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said, 'The LORD is righteous.' — Rehoboam and his princes acknowledge divine justice in judgment. The phrase וַיִּשְׁמְעוּ לַיהוָה (they listened to the LORD) shows repentance. The affirmation צַדִּיק יְהוָה (The LORD is righteous) concedes the justice of judgment.

1 Kings 14:29

So when the LORD saw that they humbled themselves, the word of the LORD came to Shemaiah, saying, 'They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, but I will grant them some deliverance, and my wrath shall not be poured out upon Jerusalem by the hand of Shishak — Divine mercy follows repentance. The phrase וַיִּשְׁמַע יְהוָה (the LORD heard) shows God's responsiveness to genuine humility. The phrase הִנְנִי מַנִּיל אוֹתָם לְהִנָּחַם (I will grant them some deliverance) indicates partial relief: not complete salvation but enough to prevent total annihilation. Jerusalem itself will be spared.

1 Kings 14:30

Nevertheless they shall be his servants, that they may know my power and the power of my service in the kingdoms of the countries.' — Even in partial deliverance, Judah remains subordinate to Egypt. The phrase וִיהְיוּ לוֹ עֲבָדִים (they shall be his servants) emphasizes political humiliation. The phrase לְמַעַן יִדְעוּ שְׁנוֹתִי (that they may know my power) suggests Egypt's domination teaches Judah about God's power through negative example.

1 Kings 14:31

So Shishak king of Egypt took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away the golden shields which Solomon had made — Shishak plunders the temple, taking sacred and royal treasures. The phrase לַח אֶת־אוֹצְרוֹת בֵּית־יְהוָה (he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD) shows the invasion's destructive impact. The mention of Solomon's golden shields marks the erosion of Solomonic splendor.

1 Kings 14:11

Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die — Ahijah announces immediate judgment: the child dies upon her return. The phrase בְבוֹאָךְ אֶת־הָעִיר וְהַנַּעַר מֵת (when you enter the city the child shall die) sets a temporal boundary. The child's death signals the dynasty's unraveling, the immediate consequence of Jeroboam's apostasy.

1 Kings 14:24

In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak the king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem — The southern kingdom faces military invasion as judgment for apostasy. Shishak's Egyptian invasion materializes the threat that prophets had warned about. The phrase בִּשְׁנַת־חֲמִישִׁית לַמֶּלֶךְ רְחַבְעָם (in the fifth year of King Rehoboam) dates the invasion precisely.

1 Kings 14:1

At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, 'Arise, and disguise yourself, that it be not known that you are the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said of me that I should be king over this people — Jeroboam's sick son occasions divine judgment. Abijah (my father is Yah) carries theological irony: despite the pious theophoric name, the child belongs to an apostate house. Jeroboam's instruction to disguise his wife reveals his attempt to deceive Ahijah, yet Ahijah's previous prophecy (1 Kings 11:29-39) established his prescience. His anxiety demonstrates the precariousness of power built on schism rather than divine covenant.

1 Kings 14:2

Take with you ten loaves, and cracknels, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what shall become of the child.' — Jeroboam's gift of modest foodstuffs—bread, cakes, honey—acknowledges Ahijah's prophetic authority, yet no material offering can alter divine judgment pronounced long before. The מִנְחָה (minchah, gift) represents a futile attempt at coercion through patronage. Material wealth cannot purchase prophetic silence or sway divine will.

1 Kings 14:3

So the wife of Jeroboam did so; she 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 — Jeroboam's wife journeys to Shiloh, the ancient sanctuary seat. Ahijah's blindness—עֵינָיו קָדוּ מִזִּקְנוּ (his eyes were dim with age)—paradoxically heightens his spiritual perception. Physical limitation opens access to divine sight; the prophet perceives by revelation rather than natural vision.

1 Kings 14:4

But the LORD said to Ahijah, 'Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to inquire of you concerning her son; for he is sick. Thus and thus shall you say to her. When she comes in, she will pretend to be another woman.' — The LORD pre-instructs Ahijah, exposing the futility of deception. Divine omniscience precedes human action; God orchestrates events according to covenant purposes. The phrase הִנָּךְ אַתְּ בָּאָה (she is coming) demonstrates that divine foreknowledge encompasses all contingencies.

1 Kings 14:5

And when she came, she pretended to be another woman. But when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in, he said, 'Come in, wife of Jeroboam; why do you pretend to be another? I have been sent to you with heavy news — Ahijah's immediate recognition—before she speaks—proves perception through the Spirit. The שׁמע (to hear) encompasses both literal and spiritual dimensions. His address "wife of Jeroboam" strips away pretense and announces דָּבָר קָשׁוֹ (heavy news)—words of judgment.

1 Kings 14:6

Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Because I exalted you from among the people and made you leader over my people Israel — Ahijah's oracle begins with recitation of election. The phrase הִשְׁגַּבְתִּיךָ מִקֶּרֶב־הָעָם (I exalted you from the people) reminds Jeroboam that his kingship originated in divine choice, not tribal strength. Past mercies intensify present indictment: he squandered the grace of selection through apostasy.

1 Kings 14:7

and tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you; yet you have not been like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me with all his heart, to do only that which is right in my eyes — Ahijah contrasts Jeroboam with David the archetypal servant. David's characterization—אֲשֶׁר שָׁמַר אֶת־מִצְוֹתַי (who kept my commandments)—establishes the standard for kingship that Jeroboam catastrophically failed. Had he proved faithful, his dynasty would have endured like David's.

1 Kings 14:8

But you have done evil above all that were before you and have gone and made for yourself other gods and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back — Jeroboam's idolatry exceeds even earlier apostasy. The phrase וַתַּעַשׂ לְךָ אֱלֹהִים אֲחֵרִים (you made other gods) encompasses calf worship and proliferating high places. The phrase וַתַּשְׁלִיכֵנִי אַחֲרֵי גוּם (you cast me behind your back) employs language of personal rejection and contempt—explicit apostasy from covenant.

1 Kings 14:9

Therefore behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam and will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both bond and free in Israel, and will burn up the house of Jeroboam, as a man burns up dung until it is all gone — The judgment is sweeping and comprehensive. The phrase יַשְׁמִיד לְיָרְבְּעָם כָּל־זָכָר (I will cut off every male from Jeroboam) employs the language of ḥerem—utter annihilation. The comparison to burning dung underscores utter contempt and waste.

1 Kings 14:10

Anyone of Jeroboam's family who dies in the city the dogs shall eat; and anyone who dies in the open country the birds of the air shall eat; for the LORD has spoken it.' — The oracle specifies indignity in death: denial of proper burial, exposure to scavengers. The phrase הַמֵּת לְיָרְבְּעָם בָּעִיר יֹאכְלוּ הַכְּלָבִים (those who die in the city the dogs shall eat) invokes the worst curse in Israelite theology: desecration and dishonor. The phrase כִּי־יְהוָה דִּבֵּר (the LORD has spoken) lends absolute finality.

1 Kings 14:25

with twelve hundred chariots and sixty thousand horsemen. And the people were without number that came with him from Egypt — Shishak's invasion force is vast. The emphasis on magnitude suggests only divine intervention could have prevented total destruction.

1 Kings 14:12

And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he alone of Jeroboam's family shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam — The oracle offers small mercy: the child alone receives proper burial. The phrase רַק־הוּא יָבוֹא לִקְבוּרָה (he alone shall come to the grave) provides poignant exception to the general judgment. The phrase כִּי־נִמְצָא בּוֹ דָּבָר־טוֹב אֶל־יְהוָה (in him there is found something pleasing to the LORD) suggests the child possessed nascent piety that commanded divine respect—the innocent victim of his father's sin.

1 Kings 14:13

Moreover the LORD will raise up for himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam today. And what? Even now — Ahijah prophesies that the LORD will appoint a successor king to complete Jeroboam's dynasty's destruction. The phrase וּהְתִּגָּם עַד־הַיּוֹם (even now) suggests fulfillment has begun or will imminently commence. God actively eradicates what He condemns.

1 Kings 14:14

The LORD will smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherim, provoking the LORD to anger — Ahijah extends judgment beyond Jeroboam's house to the entire northern kingdom. The image of Israel as a reed shaken in water suggests futility and vulnerability. The phrase וְנִשְׁמַר־יִשְׂרָאֵל מִן־הָאָרֶץ־הַטּוֹבָה (root up Israel out of this good land) invokes the ancient covenant promise of land now reversed into exile. The phrase בַּעֲבוּר אֲשֶׁר עָשׂוּ אֶת־הַאֲשֵׁרִם (because they made their Asherim) attributes kingdom exile to the idolatry characteristic of Jeroboam's religious establishment.

1 Kings 14:15

For he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and made Israel to sin.' — The oracle concludes with the formulaic indictment that will echo through all northern kings: "the sin of Jeroboam which made Israel to sin." The phrase עַל־חַטּוֹת יָרְבְּעָם אֲשֶׁר־חָטָא וַיֶּחֱטִא אֶת־יִשְׂרָאֵל (because of the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned and made Israel to sin) shows that individual apostasy metastasizes into institutional idolatry, infecting the entire northern kingdom generationally.

1 Kings 14:16

Then she arose and departed and came to Tirzah. And as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died — The prophecy is immediately fulfilled. Abijah dies precisely as Ahijah specified, at the moment his mother enters the house. The verb וַיָּמָת הַנַּעַר בְּבוֹאָהּ אֶל־הַבַּיִת (the child died as she came to the house) demonstrates the prophet's unquestionable authority and the inexorability of divine word.

1 Kings 14:17

And all Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet — All Israel mourns the child, honoring him with proper burial as prophecy indicated. The phrase בִּדְבַר־יְהוָה אֲשֶׁר־דִּבֶּר בְּיַד־אַחִיָּה הַנָּבִיא (according to the word of the LORD which he spoke by Ahijah) weaves apparently contrary outcomes—death and honorable burial—into unified theological narrative.

1 Kings 14:18

And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel — The narrator refers to official annals, suggesting detailed accounts exist elsewhere. This formulaic transition prepares for the account of Jeroboam's successor.

1 Kings 14:19

And the time that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years; and he slept with his fathers. And Nadab his son reigned in his stead — Jeroboam's reign of twenty-two years ends in conventional death and succession. The verb וַיִּשְׁכַּב־עִם־אֲבֹתָיו (he slept with his fathers) employs the euphemism for death. Yet beneath formulaic language lies tragedy: Jeroboam dies as king but leaves behind a dynasty under divine judgment, a house eradicated within a generation.

1 Kings 14:20

Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there — The narrative turns to the southern kingdom. The phrase בָּחַר יְהוָה בָּהּ לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם (the city which the LORD had chosen to put his name there) emphasizes Jerusalem as the place of divine dwelling and legitimate worship, a contrast to northern schismatic high places.

1 Kings 14:21

Now the name of his mother was Naamah, an Ammonitess. And Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, more than all that their fathers had done — Rehoboam's mother's foreign origin hints at religious heterodoxy. The phrase וַיַּעַשׂ יְהוּדָה הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְהוָה (Judah did what was evil in the sight of the LORD) applies the Deuteronomistic formula. The phrase וַיַּקְנִיאוּ אוֹתוֹ בְּחַטּוֹאתָם (they provoked him to jealousy with their sins) invokes God's passionate claim on exclusive worship.

1 Kings 14:22

For they also built for themselves high places and pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree — Judah like the north constructed high places and idolatrous imagery. The phrase בָּנוּ לָהֶם בָּמוֹת וּמַצֵּבוֹת וַאֲשֵׁרִים (they built high places and pillars and Asherim) shows that southern apostasy mirrored northern idolatry. Yet the Deuteronomistic historian distinguishes: Judah's apostasy, though grave, will not bring immediate destruction as it does in the north.

1 Kings 14:23

and there were also male shrine prostitutes in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the people of Israel — Rehoboam's Judah embraces fertility cult practices including temple prostitution. The phrase וְגַם־קְדֵשִׁים הָיוּ בָאָרֶץ (there were also male shrine prostitutes) invokes strictly forbidden practice. The phrase עָשׂוּ כְּכֹל הַתּוֹעֲבוֹת הַגּוֹיִם (they did according to all the abominations of the nations) frames apostasy as regression into Canaanite paganism.