Lectionary Calendar
Saturday, April 18th, 2026
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
StudyLight.org has pledged to help build churches in Uganda. Help us with that pledge and support pastors in the heart of Africa.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

1 Kings 12:6

Then King Rehoboam took the opinion of the old men who had been with Solomon his father when he was living, and said, In your opinion, what answer am I to give to this people?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Jeroboam;   Petition;   Rehoboam;   Revolt;   Young Men;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Rehoboam;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jeroboam;   Jerusalem;   Rehoboam;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Counselor;   Education in Bible Times;   Elder;   Kings, First and Second, Theology of;   Wages;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Age;   Israel, Kingdom of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Elder;   Kings, the Books of;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Counselor;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Government;   Israel;   Rehoboam,;   Solomon;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Rehoboam ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elder;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Government of the Hebrews;   Jeroboam;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Revolt;   Kingdom of Israel;   Kingdom of Judah;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - How;   King;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Age old;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Kings, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon when he was alive, asking, “How do you advise me to respond to this people?”
Hebrew Names Version
King Rechav`am took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Shlomo his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give you me to return answer to this people?
King James Version
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
English Standard Version
Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
New Century Version
King Rehoboam asked the elders who had advised Solomon during his lifetime, "How do you think I should answer these people?"
New English Translation
King Rehoboam consulted with the older advisers who had served his father Solomon when he had been alive. He asked them, "How do you advise me to answer these people?"
Amplified Bible
King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served and advised his father Solomon while he was still alive and said, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
New American Standard Bible
And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And King Rehoboam tooke counsell with the olde men that had stande before Salomon his father, while he yet liued, and sayde, What counsell giue ye, that I may make an answere to this people?
Legacy Standard Bible
Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the elders who had stood before his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to respond to this people?"
Contemporary English Version
Rehoboam went to some leaders who had been his father's senior officials, and he asked them, "What should I tell these people?"
Complete Jewish Bible
King Rechav‘am consulted the older men who had been in attendance on Shlomo his father during his lifetime and asked, "What advice would you give me as to how to answer these people?"
Darby Translation
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, How do ye advise to return answer to this people?
Easy-to-Read Version
There were some older men who had helped Solomon make decisions when he was alive. So King Rehoboam asked these men what he should do. He said, "How do you think I should answer the people?"
George Lamsa Translation
And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had stood before his father while he was still alive, and said to them, How do you advise that I may answer the people?
Good News Translation
King Rehoboam consulted the older men who had served as his father Solomon's advisers. "What answer do you advise me to give these people?" he asked.
Lexham English Bible
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the old men who had been serving before Solomon his father when he was alive, saying, "How are you advising me to answer this people?"
Literal Translation
And King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had been standing before the face of his father Solomon while he was alive, saying, How do you advise in order to answer this people?
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Roboam the kynge helde a councell with the Elders that stode before Salomo his father whyle he lyued, & he sayde: What is youre councell, that we maye geue this people an answere?
American Standard Version
And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And king Rehoboam toke counsel with the olde men that stoode before Solomon his father, while he yet lyued, and sayd: What counsel geue ye, that I may haue matter to aunswere this people?
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying: 'What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?'
King James Version (1611)
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father, while he yet liued, and said, How doe you aduise, that I may answere this people?
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And the king referred the matter to the elders, who stood before Solomon his father while he was yet living, saying, How do ye advise that I should answer this people?
English Revised Version
And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give ye me to return answer to this people?
Berean Standard Bible
Then King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. "How do you advise me to respond to these people?" he asked.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the puple hadde go, kyng Roboam took counsel with the eldere men, that stoden bifor Salomon, his fadir, while he lyuyde yit; and Roboam seide, What counsel yyue ye to me, that Y answere to the puple?
Young's Literal Translation
And king Rehoboam consulteth with the elders who have been standing in the presence of Solomon his father, in his being alive, saying, `How are ye counselling to answer this people?'
Update Bible Version
And king Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, that had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel do you give me to return answer to this people?
Webster's Bible Translation
And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people?
World English Bible
King Rehoboam took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, saying, What counsel give you me to return answer to this people?
New King James Version
Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who stood before his father Solomon while he still lived, and he said, "How do you advise me to answer these people?"
New Living Translation
Then King Rehoboam discussed the matter with the older men who had counseled his father, Solomon. "What is your advice?" he asked. "How should I answer these people?"
New Life Bible
King Rehoboam spoke with the leaders who had worked for his father Solomon while he was still alive. He asked them, "What answer do you think I should give to these people?"
New Revised Standard
Then King Rehoboam took counsel with the older men who had attended his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who used to stand before Solomon his father, while he yet lived, saying, - How do, ye, advise, that I answer this people?
Douay-Rheims Bible
King Roboam took counsel with the old men, that stood before Solomon, his father, while he yet lived, and he said: What counsel do you give me, that I may answer this people?
Revised Standard Version
Then King Rehobo'am took counsel with the old men, who had stood before Solomon his father while he was yet alive, saying, "How do you advise me to answer this people?"
THE MESSAGE
King Rehoboam talked it over with the elders who had advised his father when he was alive: "What's your counsel? How do you suggest that I answer the people?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
King Rehoboam consulted with the elders who had served his father Solomon while he was still alive, saying, "How do you counsel me to answer this people?"

Contextual Overview

1 And Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had come together to make him king, 2 And, hearing of it, Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, who was still in Egypt, where he had gone in flight from Solomon, and was living there, came back to his town Zeredah, in the hill-country of Ephraim; 3 And all the men of Israel came to Rehoboam and said, 4 Your father put a hard yoke on us: if you will make the conditions under which your father kept us down less cruel, and the weight of the yoke he put on us less hard, then we will be your servants. 5 And he said to them, Go away for three days and then come back to me again. So the people went away. 6 Then King Rehoboam took the opinion of the old men who had been with Solomon his father when he was living, and said, In your opinion, what answer am I to give to this people? 7 And they said to him, If you will be a servant to this people today, caring for them and giving them a gentle answer, then they will be your servants for ever. 8 But he gave no attention to the opinion of the old men, and went to the young men of his generation who were waiting before him: 9 And said to them, What is your opinion? What answer are we to give to this people who have said to me, Make less the weight of the yoke which your father put on us? 10 And the young men of his generation said to him, This is the answer to give to the people who came to you saying, Your father put a hard yoke on us; will you make it less? say to them, My little finger is thicker than my father's body;

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

consulted: 2 Samuel 16:20, 2 Samuel 17:5, Job 12:12, Job 32:7, Proverbs 27:10, Jeremiah 42:2-5, Jeremiah 43:2

Reciprocal: Genesis 41:46 - he stood 1 Samuel 8:3 - his sons 1 Kings 12:23 - General 1 Chronicles 6:32 - and then Psalms 119:100 - understand

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
And Canaan was the father of Zidon, who was his oldest son, and Heth,
Genesis 12:18
Then Pharaoh sent for Abram, and said, What have you done to me? why did you not say that she was your wife?
Genesis 12:19
Why did you say that she was your sister? so that I took her for my wife: now, take your wife and go on your way.
Genesis 13:7
And there was an argument between the keepers of Abram's cattle and the keepers of Lot's cattle: at that time the Canaanites and Perizzites were still living in the land.
Genesis 33:18
So Jacob came safely from Paddan-aram to the town of Shechem in the land of Canaan, and put up his tents near the town.
Genesis 34:2
And when Shechem, the son of Hamor the Hivite who was the chief of that land, saw her, he took her by force and had connection with her.
Genesis 35:4
Then they gave to Jacob all the strange gods which they had, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob put them away under the holy tree at Shechem.
Deuteronomy 11:30
Are they not on the other side of Jordan, looking west, in the land of the Canaanites living in the Arabah, opposite Gilgal, by the holy tree of Moreh?
Joshua 20:7
So they made selection of Kedesh in Galilee in the hill-country of Naphtali, and Shechem in the hill-country of Ephraim, and Kiriath-arba (which is Hebron) in the hill-country of Judah.
Joshua 24:32
And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had taken up from Egypt, they put in the earth in Shechem, in the property which Jacob had got from the sons of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred shekels: and they became the heritage of the children of Joseph.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And King Rehoboam consulted with the old men that stood before Solomon his father, while he yet lived,.... Which was very prudently done; for as these were men in years, and had been his father's counsellors, from whom, do doubt, they had learnt much wisdom, being often in cabinet council with him, they were capable of giving him the best advice:

and said, how do you advise, that I may answer this people? what answer would you advise me to give to them, and in what manner?

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The old men, that stood before Solomon his father - Perhaps “the princes” of 1 Kings 4:2. Solomon placed great value upon good advisers Proverbs 11:14; Proverbs 15:22; Proverbs 24:6.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile