1 Kings 12

1 Then Rehoboam [a king of Judah, son of Solomon] went [to walk, to move from one place to another] to Shechem [a city in Palestine], for [because, showing cause or connection] all [everything, the whole of] Israel [the descendants of Jacob] had gone [come, approached] there to make him [to reign, to rule as] king [a ruler, a monarch]. word study 2 When Jeroboam [the people will contend, a future king] son of Nebat [an Ephraimite from Zereda] heard about this, he was still [yet, continuing to be] in Egypt [a country in northeastern Africa, a place of refuge] where he had fled [run away quickly, escaped] from King Solomon [a king of Israel] and had been living [dwelling, remaining] ever since [from that time on, continually]. word study 3 So they sent for [summoned, called] Jeroboam [the people will contend], and he and the whole [entire, all-inclusive] assembly [congregation, group of people] of Israel [God’s chosen people] came to Rehoboam [son of Solomon, king of Judah] and said [spoke, communicated], word study 4 “Your father [the one who preceded you, Solomon] put a heavy [severe, grievous] yoke [a wooden beam, a burden] on us. But now [at this time, in this moment] you should lighten [make easy, alleviate] the burden [load, weight] of your father’s [the one who came before you] service [work, labor] and the heavy [oppressive, harsh] yoke [a wooden beam laid on the neck] he put on us, and we will serve [work for, obey] you.” word study 5 Rehoboam answered [to the people’s request], “Go away [depart, leave] for three [a period of, exactly] days [a time of waiting, a span of 24 hours] and then return [come back, turn back] to me [towards me, to my presence].” So the people [a nation, a group of individuals] departed [went away, left]. word study 6 Then King [ruler, monarch] Rehoboam [son of Solomon, king of Judah] consulted [sought advice, counseled with] with the elders [old men, wise ones] who had served [ministered to, attended] his father [parent, ancestor] Solomon [wise king] during his lifetime [while he was alive, in his presence]. “How [in what way, by what means] do you advise [counsel, guide] me to respond [answer, reply] to these people [nation, crowd]?” he asked [said, spoke]. word study 7 They replied, “If you will be a [faithful] servant [one who obeys and ministers] to these people and serve [attend to their needs, minister to] them this day, and if you will respond [answer, give a reply] by speaking [communicating, conveying your thoughts] kind [gentle, benevolent] words to them, they will be your servants [those who obey and minister to you] forever [always, throughout all time].” word study 8 But Rehoboam rejected [forsook, abandoned] the advice [counsel, guidance] of the elders [old men, seasoned advisors]; instead, he consulted [sought guidance from] the young men [youth, inexperienced advisors] who had grown up [been raised, magnified] with him and served [stood before, attended] him. word study 9 He asked them, “What [counsel or guidance] message do you advise [suggest or recommend] that we send back to these people [the nation or crowd] who have spoken to me, saying, ‘Lighten the yoke [a wooden beam laid on the neck] your father [parent or ancestor] put on us’?” word study 10 The young men [youth, those who had grown up with him] who had grown up with him replied, “This is how you should answer these people who said to you, ‘Your father [the king, your predecessor] made our yoke [burden, load] heavy, but you should make it lighter [easier to bear, less burdensome].’ This is what you should tell them: ‘My little finger [smallest digit, weakest part] is thicker [more substantial, stronger] than my father’s waist [loins, physical strength]! word study 11 Whereas my father [who guided and protected you] burdened you with a heavy [severe and oppressive] yoke, I will add [increase and intensify] to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged [disciplined and punished] you with whips [instruments of correction], I will scourge [chastise and correct] you with scorpions.’” word study 12 After [a period of] three days, Jeroboam [the people will contend] and all [every single one] the people returned [to turn back, to come again] to Rehoboam [a king of Judah], since the king [a royal person, a ruler] had said, “Come back [to return, to turn back] to me on the [specific, appointed] third day [a day of reckoning, a time of decision].” word study 13 And the king [ruler, sovereign] answered [responded, spoke harshly] the people [nation, crowd] harshly [roughly, severely, with cruelty]. He rejected [forsaken, abandoned] the advice [counsel, guidance] of the elders [old men, wise ones, leaders] word study 14 and spoke [according to the counsel of the young men] to them as the young men had advised, saying, “Whereas my father [the one who preceded me] made your yoke [a heavy burden, a wooden beam] heavy, I will add [increase, intensify] to your yoke. Whereas my father scourged [chastised, disciplined] you with whips [instruments of punishment], I will scourge [correct, punish] you with scorpions [instruments of severe punishment].” word study 15 So the king [ruler, monarch] did not listen [hear and obey, pay attention] to the people [nation, community], and indeed this turn [circumstance, event] of events [situation, occurrence] was from the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God], to fulfill [establish, bring to pass] the word [message, promise] He had spoken [communicated, declared] to Jeroboam [the people will contend, king of Israel] son of Nebat [father of Jeroboam] through Ahijah [brother of Jehovah, prophet] the Shilonite [from Shiloh, a place of rest]. word study 16 When all [every single one] Israel saw that the king [ruler, monarch] had refused [would not, declined] to listen [to hear and obey] to them, they answered [responded, spoke back] the king: “What portion [share, inheritance] do we have in David [the king of Israel, a descendant of Jesse], and what inheritance [legacy, heritage] in the son [descendant, offspring] of Jesse [the father of David]? To your tents [homes, dwellings], O Israel [God’s chosen people]! Look now [at this time, presently] to your own house [family, kingdom], O David [the king, a descendant of Jesse]!” So the Israelites [the people of Israel, God’s chosen nation] went home [returned to their dwellings, departed], word study 17 but Rehoboam [the son of Solomon, king of Judah] still reigned [ruled, had dominion] over the Israelites [sons of Israel, descendants of Jacob] living [dwelling, residing] in the cities [towns, populated areas] of Judah [the tribe of Judah, the region]. word study 18 Then King [ruler, monarch] Rehoboam sent out Adoram [over the tribute, in charge of forced labor], who was in charge of the forced labor [taskwork, labor as a form of tax], but all [every, the entire nation] Israel stoned him to death [killed him with stones, as a form of punishment]. And King Rehoboam mounted his chariot [vehicle, means of transportation] in haste [urgency, quickly] and escaped [fled, quickly left] to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital city]. word study 19 So to this [specific, particular] day Israel [the symbolic name of Jacob, also referring to his descendants] has been in [a state of, characterized by] rebellion [transgressing, turning away] against the house [dwelling place, family] of David [a king of Israel]. word study 20 When all [the entire nation of] Israel heard that Jeroboam [the people will contend] had returned [come back, turned back], they summoned [sent and called] him to the assembly [congregation, gathering] and made him king [ruler, leader] over all [every part of] Israel. Only [except, but] the tribe [family, clan] of Judah [praise, the southern kingdom] followed [remained loyal to] the house [dynasty, family] of David [beloved, the king]. word study 21 And when Rehoboam [the son of Solomon and Naamah] arrived in Jerusalem [the city of peace], he mobilized [gathered, assembled] the whole house [family, tribe] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah, the son of Jacob] and the tribe [clan, community] of Benjamin [son of the right hand]—180,000 [a hundred and eighty thousand] chosen [select, elite] warriors [fighting men, soldiers]—to fight [engage in battle, wage war] against the house [family, kingdom] of Israel [the descendants of Jacob] and restore [return, bring back] the kingdom [realm, dominion] to Rehoboam [the king of Judah] son of Solomon [the king of Israel]. word study 22 But the word [message from the Lord, divine communication] of God [Elohim, the one supreme God] came [was spoken, occurred] to Shemaiah [heard by God, a prophet] the man [a male person, individual] of God [having a special relationship with God]: word study 23 “Tell Rehoboam [the king’s successor] son of Solomon [the wise king] king [the monarch, ruler] of Judah [the tribe descended from Judah], all [everything, the entire house] the house [the family, the dwelling place] of Judah [the tribe] and Benjamin [the son of the right hand], and the rest [the remainder, the excess] of the people [the nation, the community] word study 24 that this is what the LORD [Yehovah, The covenant Name of God] says: ‘You are not to go up [ascend, rise] and fight [engage in battle, struggle] against your brothers [relatives, kin], the Israelites [descendants of Jacob]. Each of you must return [turn back, go back] home [to your house, dwelling place], for this word [thing, matter] is from Me [my purpose, my will].’” So they listened [heard, obeyed] to the word [command, message] of the LORD and turned back [returned, went back] according to the word [command, instruction] of the LORD. word study 25 Then Jeroboam [the people will contend] built [established, constructed] Shechem [a city in Palestine] in the hill country [mountainous region] of Ephraim [doubly fruitful, a tribe of Israel] and lived [dwelt, resided] there [in that place]. And from there [that location, thence] he went out [came forth, departed] and built [constructed, established] Penuel [facing God, a place of divine encounter]. word study 26 Jeroboam [the people will contend] said in his heart [mind, will, and emotions], “Now [at this time, currently] the kingdom [dominion, rulership] might revert [return, turn back] to the house [family, dynasty] of David [the youngest son of Jesse, a king of Israel]. word study 27 If these people [this nation, the Israelites] go up [ascend, travel to] to offer [make, present] sacrifices [atonement offerings, gifts to God] in the house [temple, dwelling place] of the LORD [Yehovah, the divine King] at Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital], their hearts [inner beings, emotions] will return [turn back, be restored] to their lord [master, ruler], Rehoboam [the son of Solomon] king of Judah [the tribe, the southern kingdom]; then they will kill [slay, destroy] me and return [go back, turn again] to Rehoboam [the king of Judah] king of Judah [the land, the people].” word study 28 After seeking [taking] advice [counsel], the king [ruler, monarch] made [constructed, fashioned] two [a pair, a duo] golden [valuable, precious] calves [young bulls, idols] and said to the people, “Going up [ascending, traveling] to Jerusalem [the city of peace, the capital] is too much [a burden, a trouble] for you. Here, O Israel [God’s chosen people, Jacob’s descendants], are your gods [idols, false deities], who brought you up out of the land [country, territory] of Egypt [a place of bondage, a nation].” word study 29 One calf [the first, a singular idol] he set up [placed, established, to appoint] in Bethel [house of God, a sacred place], and the other [second, another] in Dan [a city, a tribe of Israel]. word study 30 And this thing [the idolatrous act, a sinful decision] became a sin [a guilt, a punishment for wrongdoing]; the people [the nation of Israel, a tribe] walked [traveled, went to worship] as far as [until, to the point of] Dan [a city, a location of idol worship] to worship [to give reverence, to bow down] before [in the presence of] one [a single, unified] of the calves [idols, false gods]. word study 31 Jeroboam also built shrines [houses of high places] on the high places [elevations, cultic platforms] and appointed from every class of people [the lowest, all kinds] priests [spiritual leaders, ministers] who were not [excluding, apart from] Levites [descendants of Levi, the priestly tribe]. word study 32 And Jeroboam ordained [appointed, established] a feast [festival, celebration] on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like [similar to, in the manner of] the feast [celebration, festival] that was in Judah [the tribe of Judah, the southern kingdom], and he offered [presented, sacrificed] sacrifices [offerings, gifts] on the altar [place of sacrifice, table of worship]; he made [performed, carried out] this offering [sacrifice, gift] in Bethel [house of God, sacred place] to sacrifice [offer, give] to the calves [young bulls, idols] he had set up [established, erected], and he installed [appointed, ordained] priests [spiritual leaders, mediators] in Bethel [house of God, sacred place] for the high places [elevated areas, places of worship] he had set up [established, built]. word study 33 On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing [devised of his own heart, from his own mind], Jeroboam offered sacrifices [burned incense as an act of worship] on the altar [a place of sacrifice, where offerings are made to God] he had set up in Bethel [the house of God, a significant location]. So he ordained a feast [a festival, a time of celebration] for the Israelites [the descendants of Jacob, God’s chosen people], offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense [to make a sweet fragrance]. word study