1 Kings 12:31

Contextual Overview

²⁵Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel. ²⁵ Then Yarov`am built Shekhem in the hill-country of Efrayim, and lived therein; and he went out from there, and built Penu'el. ²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. ²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁵ Then Jeroboam made Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim a very strong city, and he lived there. He also went to the city of Peniel and made it stronger. ²⁵ Jeroboam built up Shechem in the Ephraimite hill country and lived there. From there he went out and built up Penuel. ²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem [as his royal city] in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and rebuilt Penuel [as a stronghold]. ²⁵ Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel. ²⁵ Then Ieroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein, and went fro thence, and built Penuel. ²⁵Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

an house: 1 Kings 13:24, 1 Kings 13:32, Deuteronomy 24:15, Ezekiel 16:25, Hosea 12:11

priests: 1 Kings 13:33, Numbers 3:10, 2 Kings 17:32, 2 Chronicles 11:14, 2 Chronicles 11:15, 2 Chronicles 13:9, Ezekiel 44:6-8

Reciprocal: Judges 17:5 - consecrated Judges 17:12 - his priest 2 Kings 17:27 - one of the priests 2 Kings 23:19 - the houses Psalms 78:58 - with Hosea 8:14 - and buildeth Amos 7:10 - the priest

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he made an house of high places,.... Or "altars" s, built a temple at Dan, and set up several altars in it for sacrifice, both for burnt offerings, and for incense, as at Jerusalem:

and made priests of the lowest of the people; this clause seems not so well rendered; for this would have been very unpopular, and brought his new form of worship into contempt, to make the dregs of the people priests, which was not only a very sacred office, but of great honour; it was usual in some nations for kings to be priests also t, and Jeroboam himself exercised this office, 1 Kings 12:33 and therefore would never put the meanest of the people into it, but rather those of higher rank: the words may be literally rendered, "from the extremities" or "ends of the people" u; meaning not merely from the extremist parts of his country, but rather out of the whole of the people; out of all sorts of them, out of any of them, without any distinction of tribe: for so it follows,

which were not of the sons of Levi; and as by this means he enriched himself, by taking the cities that belonged to the priests and Levites, which they were obliged to leave, and from whence he drove them, 2 Chronicles 11:14 so he pleased the people by laying open the priesthood common to them, and freeing them from the payment of tithes, and the like.

s במות "altarium", Vatablus. t Rex Anius, &c. Virgil. l. 3. Vid. Servium in ib. u מקצות העם "de extremitatibus populi", Vatablus, Piscator.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He made an house of high places - i. e., “He built a temple, or sanctuary, at each of the two cities where the calves were set up.” The writer uses the expression “house of high places” in contempt, meaning that the buildings were not real temples, or houses of God, like that at Jerusalem, but only on a par with the temples upon high places which had long existed in various parts of the land.

Made priests of the lowest of the people - More correctly, “from all ranks of the people.” That the Levites did not accept Jeroboam’s innovations, and transfer their services to his two sanctuaries, must have been the consequence of their faithful attachment to the true worship of Yahweh. In all probability Jeroboam confiscated the Levitical lands within his dominions for the benefit of the new priestly order 2 Chronicles 11:13-14.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 1 Kings 12:31. A house of high places — A temple of temples; he had many high places in the land, and to imitate the temple at Jerusalem, he made one chief over all the rest, where he established a priesthood of his own ordination. Probably a place of separate appointment, where different idols were set up and worshipped; so it was a sort of pantheon.

Made priests of the lowest of the people — He took the people indifferently as they came, and made them priests, till he had enough, without troubling himself whether they were of the family of Aaron or the house of Levi, or not. Any priests would do well enough for such gods. But those whom he took seem to have been worthless, good-for-nothing fellows, who had neither piety nor good sense. Probably the sons of Levi had grace enough to refuse to sanction this new priesthood and idolatrous worship.