1 Kings 11:26

Rise of Jeroboam's hostility to Solomon. Ahijah's prophetic action and message (Not in Chronicles)

26. Jeroboam the son of Nebat This is the first mention of him who afterwards is so frequently spoken of as the man -who made Israel to sin." We know nothing more of his parentage than is told us in this verse. His after life comes before us frequently in the succeeding Chapter s.

an Ephrathite Better with R.V. an Ephraimite. The word Ephrathite would mean one born at Ephratah, i.e. Bethlehem. This cannot be true of Jeroboam, from the words of the verse before us. A similar change is needed in the A.V. of 1 Samuel 1:1 where Elkanah, though described as -a man of the hill country of Ephraim" is yet subsequently called an -Ephrathite."

of Zereda The Hebrew spelling requires Zeredah (as R.V.). This place must have been near or in the hill country of Ephraim. It has been thought by some to be the same as Zeredathah, which is given in 2 Chronicles 4:17 instead of Zarthan of 1 Kings 7:46, the place near which the castings of brass were made for Solomon s Temple. The LXX. (Vat.) gives Σαριρὰ as the name, and in a long addition which that version contains after 1 Kings 11:24 of the next chapter Σαριρὰ occurs several times over. It is also given by the LXX. of 1 Kings 14:17 instead of Tirzah, where Jeroboam had his royal residence. That the Greek translators identified this place with some town of great importance will be seen from the note on 1 Kings 12:24 below, but whether their identification can be trusted is somewhat doubtful.

Solomon's servant i.e. One who had been employed by Solomon. The works were not necessarily unimportant, on which such servants were employed. But it makes the term a little more significant if (with R.V.) we render a servant of Solomon.

he lift uphis hand against A phrase indicative of rebellion and very expressive here. For Jeroboam was one of Solomon's own people, whose hand might be expected to be with him, and not against him. Josephus marks the difference between this adversary and those previously named, when he calls Jeroboam τῶν ὁμοφύλων τίς.