1 Kings 11:26

The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible

Contextual Overview

²⁶Now Solomon's servant, Jeroboam son of Nebat, was an Ephraimite from Zeredah, and his mother was a widow named Zeruah. Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon,²⁷and this is the account of his rebellion against the king. Solomon had built the supporting terraces and repaired the gap in the wall of the city of his father David. ²⁸Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph. ²⁹During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field. ³⁰And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, ³¹and said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes. ³²But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel. ³³For they have forsaken Me to worship Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, Chemosh the god of the Moabites, and Molech the god of the Ammonites. They have not walked in My ways, nor done what is right in My eyes, nor kept My statutes and judgments, as Solomon's father David did. ³⁴Nevertheless, I will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon's hand, because I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David My servant, whom I chose because he kept My commandments and statutes. ³⁵But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Jeroboam: 1 Kings 11:11, 1 Kings 11:28, 1 Kings 12:2, 1 Kings 12:20-24, 1 Kings 13:1-10, 1 Kings 14:16, 1 Kings 15:30, 1 Kings 16:3, 1 Kings 21:22

an Ephrathite: Genesis 35:16, Ruth 1:2, 1 Samuel 1:1, 1 Samuel 17:12, 1 Chronicles 2:19

Solomon's servant: 1 Kings 9:22, 2 Chronicles 13:6

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 11:37 - according 2 Kings 8:15 - And it came 1 Chronicles 5:17 - Jeroboam 2 Chronicles 10:2 - Jeroboam

Cross-References

Genesis 11:4
"Come," they said, "let us build for ourselves a city with a tower that reaches to the heavens, that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of all the earth."

Genesis 11:5
Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men were building.

Genesis 11:20
When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.

Genesis 11:24
When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.

Genesis 11:26
When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Genesis 11:27
This is the account of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

Joshua 24:2
And Joshua said to all the people, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Long ago your fathers, including Terah, the father of Abraham and Nahor, lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And Jeroboam the son of Nebat,.... According to some Jewish writers r, this was Sheba the son of Bichri; but, as Kimchi observes, he was of the tribe of Benjamin, this of Ephraim; and besides, his head was cut off, and thrown over the wall to Joab, 2 Samuel 20:1,

an Ephrathite of Zereda; some where in the tribe of Ephraim, but nowhere else mentioned. There was a famous Jewish doctor, before the times of Christ, of this place, as it seems, who was called Jose ben Joezer, a man of Zereda s:

Solomon's servant; not only his subject, but one that had been advanced by him to an office, and served under him, 1 Kings 11:28,

whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman; who very probably was supported by this her son, an industrious and ingenious man:

even he lifted up his hand against the king; either against Solomon, by reproaching and reproving him for some things he did; or rather against Rehoboam his son, which was very ungrateful.

r Shalshalet Hakabala, p. 11. s Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Zereda - See Judges 7:22.

Lifted up his hand against the king - i. e., “he rebelled.” Compare marginal reference.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat — From the context we learn that Jeroboam while a young man was employed by Solomon to superintend the improvements and buildings at Millo, and had so distinguished himself there by his industry and good conduct as to attract general notice, and to induce Solomon to set him over all the labourers employed in that work, belonging to the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, called here the house of Joseph. At first it appears that Solomon employed none of the Israelites in any drudgery; but it is likely that, as he grew profane, he grew tyrannical and oppressive: and at the works of Millo he changed his conduct; and there, in all probability, were the seeds of disaffection sown. And Jeroboam, being a clever and enterprising man, knew well how to avail himself of the general discontent.