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Easy-to-Read Version

1 Kings 12:1

Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from Solomon. When he heard about Solomon's death, he returned to his city, Zeredah, in the hills of Ephraim. Rehoboam and all the Israelites went to Shechem to make him the king. The people said to Rehoboam,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Government;   Jeroboam;   Petition;   Rehoboam;   Revolt;   Shechem;   Thompson Chain Reference - Coronations;   Nation, the;   Rehoboam;   Shechem;   Sychar, or Shechem;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Kings;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Jeroboam;   Rehoboam;   Shechem;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jeroboam;   Jerusalem;   Judah, tribe and kingdom;   Rehoboam;   Shechem;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Kings, First and Second, Theology of;   Wages;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Israel, Kingdom of;   Shechem;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Kings, the Books of;   Shechem (1);   Holman Bible Dictionary - Israel;   Israel, History of;   Kings, 1 and 2;   Rehoboam;   Shechem;   Taxes;   Transportation and Travel;   Tribes of Israel, the;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Israel;   Jacob;   Jeroboam;   Rehoboam,;   Shechem;   Solomon;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Gerizim;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Rehoboam ;   Shechem ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Solomon;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Scorpion;   She'chem;   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 - Kings, Books of;   Shechem;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Kings, Books of;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
Hebrew Names Version
Rechav`am went to Shekhem: for all Yisra'el were come to Shekhem to make him king.
King James Version
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
English Standard Version
Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
New Century Version
Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the Israelites had gone to make him king.
New English Translation
Rehoboam traveled to Shechem, for all Israel had gathered in Shechem to make Rehoboam king.
Amplified Bible
Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
New American Standard Bible
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, because all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for al Israel were come to Sheche, to make him king
Legacy Standard Bible
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Contemporary English Version
Rehoboam went to Shechem where everyone was waiting to crown him king.
Complete Jewish Bible
Rechav‘am went to Sh'khem, where all Isra'el had come to proclaim him king.
Darby Translation
And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
George Lamsa Translation
AND Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
Good News Translation
Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all the people of northern Israel had gathered to make him king.
Lexham English Bible
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all of Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Literal Translation
And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And Roboam wete vnto Sichem, for all Israel was come to Sichem to make him kynge.
American Standard Version
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
Bible in Basic English
And Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had come together to make him king,
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And Rehoboam went to Siche: for all Israel were come to Sichem, to make him king.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
And Rehoboam went to Shechem; for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
King James Version (1611)
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And king Roboam goes to Sikima; for all Israel were coming to Sikima to make him king.
English Revised Version
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
Berean Standard Bible
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone there to make him king.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Forsothe Roboam cam in to Sichem; for al Israel was gaderid thidur to make hym kyng.
Young's Literal Translation
And Rehoboam goeth to Shechem, for to Shechem hath all Israel come to make him king.
Update Bible Version
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
Webster's Bible Translation
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
World English Bible
Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king.
New King James Version
2 Chronicles 10:1-19; 11:1-4">[xr] And Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had gone to Shechem to make him king.
New Living Translation
Rehoboam went to Shechem, where all Israel had gathered to make him king.
New Life Bible
Rehoboam went to Shechem. For all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
New Revised Standard
Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And Rehoboam went to Shechem, - for, to Shechem, had all Israel come to make him king.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Roboam went to Sichem: for thither were all Israel come together to make him king.
Revised Standard Version
Rehobo'am went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
THE MESSAGE
Rehoboam traveled to Shechem where all Israel had gathered to inaugurate him as king. Jeroboam had been in Egypt, where he had taken asylum from King Solomon; when he got the report of Solomon's death he had come back.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
Then Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.

Contextual Overview

1Jeroboam son of Nebat was still in Egypt where he had run away from Solomon. When he heard about Solomon's death, he returned to his city, Zeredah, in the hills of Ephraim. Rehoboam and all the Israelites went to Shechem to make him the king. The people said to Rehoboam, 4 "Your father forced us to work very hard. Now, make it easier for us. Stop the heavy work that your father forced us to do and we will serve you." 5 Rehoboam answered, "Come back to me in three days, and I will answer you." So the people left. 6 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?" 7 They answered, "If you are like a servant to them today, they will sincerely serve you. If you speak kindly to them, they will always work for you." 8 But Rehoboam did not listen to the advice from the older men. He asked the young men who were his friends. 9 Rehoboam asked them, "The people said, ‘Give us easier work than your father gave us.' How do you think I should answer them? What should I tell them?" 10 Then the young men who grew up with him answered, "Those people came to you and said, ‘Your father forced us to work very hard. Now make our work easier.' So you should tell them, ‘My little finger is stronger than my father's whole body. 11 My father forced you to work hard, but I will make you work much harder! My father punished you with whips, but I will punish you with whips that have sharp metal tips.'" 12 Three days later, Jeroboam and all the people came back as Rehoboam had said.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Rehoboam: 1 Kings 11:43, 2 Chronicles 10:1-19

Shechem: Genesis 12:6, Sichem, Genesis 33:18, Genesis 33:19, Joshua 20:7, Joshua 24:1, Joshua 24:32, Judges 9:1, Psalms 60:6, Acts 7:16, Sychem

Reciprocal: Joshua 17:7 - Shechem Joshua 21:21 - Shechem Judges 9:6 - plain 1 Kings 12:25 - Shechem 2 Kings 21:24 - made Josiah Proverbs 11:14 - General Jeremiah 41:5 - Shechem Matthew 1:7 - Roboam Matthew 2:20 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I will build a great nation from you. I will bless you and make your name famous. People will use your name to bless other people.
Genesis 12:3
I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you. I will use you to bless all the people on earth."
Genesis 12:6
Abram traveled through the land as far as the town of Shechem and then to the big tree at Moreh. The Canaanites were living in the land at that time.
Genesis 12:10
During this time there was not enough food in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to live.
Genesis 12:11
Just before they arrived in Egypt, Abram told Sarai, "Look, I know that you are a very beautiful woman.
Genesis 15:7
He said to Abram, "I am the Lord who led you from Ur of Babylonia. I did this so that I could give you this land. You will own this land."
Nehemiah 9:7
You are the Lord , the God who chose Abram. You led him from Ur in Babylonia. You changed his name to Abraham.
Isaiah 41:9
You were in a faraway country, but I reached out to you. I called you from that faraway place. I said, ‘You are my servant.' I chose you, and I have not rejected you.
Isaiah 51:2
Abraham is your father, so look at him. Look at Sarah, who gave birth to you. Abraham was alone when I called him. Then I blessed him, and he began a great family with many descendants."
Ezekiel 33:24
"Son of man, there are Israelites who live in the ruined cities in Israel. They are saying, ‘Abraham was only one man, and God gave him all this land. Now, we are many people, so surely this land belongs to us! It is our land!'

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Rehoboam went to Shechem,.... After the death and internment of his father:

for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king: as was pretended, though in reality it was to seek occasion against him, and make Jeroboam king; it is very probable they knew of the prophecy of Ahijah, and therefore would not go to Jerusalem, but to Shechem, a city in the tribe of Ephraim, of which Jeroboam was, and where he had sowed the seeds of sedition when ruler there; and this place they chose, partly because they could more freely speak what they had in their minds, and partly for the safety of Jeroboam they had sent for on this occasion; so that Rehoboam went thither not of choice, but of necessity. The Jews c observe that this place was very ominous; here Dinah was ravished, Joseph was sold, Abimelech exercised tyranny, and here now the kingdom was divided.

c T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 102. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The first step taken by the new king was a most judicious one. If anything could have removed the disaffection of the Ephraimites, and caused them to submit to the ascendancy of Judah, it would have been the honor done to their capital by its selection as the scene of the coronation. Shechem (now Nablous) lay on the flank of Mount Gerizim, directly opposite to Mount Ebal, in a position second to none in all Palestine. Though Abimelech had destroyed the place Judges 9:45, it had probably soon risen again, and was once more a chief city, or perhaps “the” chief city, of Ephraim. Its central position made it a convenient place for the general assembly of the tribes, as it had been in the days of Joshua Joshua 8:30-35; Joshua 24:1-28; and this would furnish an additional reason for its selection.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER XII

The people go to Shechem to make Rehoboam king, and send for

Jeroboam out of Egypt, who with the heads of the tribes,

requests relief from the heavy burdens laid on them by Solomon,

14.

He requires three days to consider their petition, 5.

He rejects the counsel of the elders, who served his father,

and follows that of young men, and returns the people a

provoking answer, 6-15.

The people therefore renounce the family of David, stone to

death Adoram, who came to receive their tribute, and make

Jeroboam king; none cleaving to Rehoboam but the tribes of

Judah and Benjamin, 16-20.

Rehoboam comes to Jerusalem, and assembles all the fighting men

of Judah and Benjamin, and finds the number to be one hundred

and eighty thousand; and with these he purposes to reduce the

men of Israel to his allegiance, but is forbidden by the

Prophet Shemaiah, 21-24.

Jeroboam builds Shechem in Mount Ephraim and Penuel, 25.

And lest the people should be drawn away from their allegiance

to him by going up to Jerusalem to worship, he makes two golden

calves, and sets them up, one in Dan, the other in Beth-el, and

the people worship them, 26-30.

He makes priests of the lowest of the people, and establishes

the fifteenth day of the eighth month as a feast to his new

gods; makes offerings, and burns incense, 31-33.

NOTES ON CHAP. XII

Verse 1 Kings 12:1. Rehoboam went to Shechem — Rehoboam was probably the only son of Solomon; for although he had a thousand wives, he had not the blessing of a numerous offspring; and although he was the wisest of men himself, his son was a poor, unprincipled fool. Had Solomon kept himself within reasonable bounds in matrimonial affairs, he would probably have had more children; and such as would have had common sense enough to discern the delicacy of their situation, and rule according to reason and religion.


 
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