INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 14 This chapter relates the sickness of Jeroboam's son, the application of his wife, at his instance, to the prophet Ahijah, in the child's favour, 1 Kings 14:1, the prophecy of the prophet concerning the ruin of Jeroboam's house, and the death of the child, which came to pa... [ Continue Reading ]
AT THAT TIME ABIJAH, THE SON OF JEROBOAM, FELL SICK. Being smitten of God with some disease, as a punishment of Jeroboam's sin; how long this was after the above things were done cannot be said.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JEROBOAM SAID TO HIS WIFE,.... Who she was is not known: ARISE, I PRAY THEE, AND DISGUISE THYSELF; put off her royal apparel, and clothe herself like a common person, mimic the dress and language of a country woman: THAT THOU BE NOT KNOWN TO BE THE WIFE OF JEROBOAM: by any that should see her... [ Continue Reading ]
AND TAKE WITH THEE TEN LOAVES, AND CRACKNELS, AND A CRUSE OF HONEY, AND GO TO HIM,.... It being usual to carry a present to a prophet when he was inquired of on any account, see 1 Samuel 9:7 and this being a plain present, and of such things as the country afforded, she might be taken for a plain co... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JEROBOAM'S WIFE DID SO, AND WENT TO SHILOH, AND CAME TO THE HOUSE OF ABIJAH,.... Disguised herself, and took this long journey, and found the prophet's house; which she did partly in obedience to her husband, and partly from affection to her child: but Abijah could not see; her or anybody else t... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SAID UNTO ABIJAH,.... Either in a dream, or by an impulse upon his mind, before Jeroboam's wife came in: BEHOLD, THE WIFE OF JEROBOAM COMETH TO ASK A THING OF THEE FOR HER SON, FOR HE IS SICK; to know whether he will recover or not: THUS AND THUS SHALL THOU SAY UNTO HER; as after expr... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS SO, WHEN AHIJAH HEARD THE SOUND OF HER FEET, AS SHE CAME IN AT THE DOOR,.... Of the room where the prophet was: THAT HE SAID, COME IN, THOU WIFE OF JEROBOAM, WHY FEIGNEST THOU THYSELF TO BE ANOTHER? which must greatly surprise and confound her, as well as lay open to her the folly of her... [ Continue Reading ]
GO TELL JEROBOAM,.... Thy husband: THUS SAITH THE LORD GOD OF ISRAEL; so he continued to be, though they had revolted from him: FORASMUCH AS I EXALTED THEE FROM AMONG THE PEOPLE; the common people, from a low estate in which he was: AND MADE THEE PRINCE OVER MY PEOPLE ISRAEL; so they were when he... [ Continue Reading ]
AND RENT THE KINGDOM AWAY FROM THE HOUSE OF DAVID, AND GAVE IT THEE,.... Even ten parts out of twelve: AND YET THOU HAST NOT BEEN AS MY SERVANT DAVID, WHO KEPT MY COMMANDMENTS, AND WHO FOLLOWED ME WITH ALL HIS HEART, TO DO THAT ONLY WHICH WAS RIGHT IN MINE EYES; who never was guilty of idolatry, bu... [ Continue Reading ]
BUT HAST DONE EVIL ABOVE ALL THAT WERE BEFORE THEE,.... Not only above David, but above Saul, who never gave into idolatry, yea, even above Solomon, who, though he connived at idolatry, and might be guilty of it in some instances, yet did not attempt to draw his people into it; and if this was the l... [ Continue Reading ]
THEREFORE, BEHOLD, I WILL BRING EVIL UPON THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM,.... Calamities, destruction, and ruin: AND WILL CUT OFF FROM JEROBOAM HIM THAT PISSETH AGAINST THE WALL; not leave a dog of his, or rather a male, see 1 Samuel 25:22 AND HIM THAT IS SHUT UP AND LEFT IN ISRAEL; in garrisons or in pris... [ Continue Reading ]
HIM THAT DIETH OF JEROBOAM IN THE CITY SHALL THE DOGS EAT, AND HIM THAT DIETH IN THE FIELDS SHALL THE FOWLS OF THE AIR EAT,.... The meaning is, that they should have no burial: FOR THE LORD HATH SPOKEN IT; and therefore shall be fulfilled, for what he hath said he will do, Numbers 23:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
ARISE THOU THEREFORE, GET THEE TO THINE OWN HOUSE,.... With all haste, as soon as she could: AND WHEN THY FEET ENTER THE CITY; the city of Tirzah, very probably the king's palace stood at the entry of it, see 1 Kings 14:17, THE CHILD SHALL DIE; this is an answer to the question she was to ask, and... [ Continue Reading ]
AND ALL ISRAEL SHALL MOURN FOR HIM, AND BURY HIM,.... Give him an honourable interment, and follow him to the grave with lamentation, because he was the heir apparent to the throne, and an hopeful prince, of whom they had raised expectations; that when he came to the throne things would take a diffe... [ Continue Reading ]
MOREOVER THE LORD SHALL RAISE UP A KING OVER ISRAEL,.... Baasha is meant, 1 Kings 15:29 WHO SHALL CUT OFF THE HOUSE OF JEROBOAM THAT DAY; immediately, as soon as on the throne, he should destroy his whole family, as he did, 1 Kings 15:29, BUT WHAT? EVEN NOW; shall it be that day? yes; even at that... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE LORD SHALL SMITE ISRAEL AS A REED IS SHAKEN IN THE WATER,.... Either by the wind or by the stream; and may signify the fluctuating and uncertain condition Israel should be in future reigns, through civil wars, and the translation of the kingdom into different families; so that there was cont... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE SHALL GIVE ISRAEL UP,.... Into the hands of their enemies: BECAUSE OF THE SINS OF JEROBOAM, WHO DID SIN, AND WHO MADE ISRAEL TO SIN; by his devices and stratagems, by his example and edicts, and by the methods he took to prevent Israel from worshipping in the manner and place he directed to.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JEROBOAM'S WIFE AROSE, AND DEPARTED, e.] Upon this speech of the prophet's to her: AND CAME TO TIRZAH where Jeroboam now had his court, and where their son now was; it was a royal city in the time of the Canaanites, and is commonly placed in the tribe of Manasseh, and was a very pleasant one, a... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THEY BURIED HIM,.... In an honourable manner, suitable to his rank and pedigree: AND ALL ISRAEL MOURNED FOR HIM, ACCORDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD, WHICH HE SPAKE BY THE HAND OF HIS SERVANT AHIJAH THE PROPHET, 1 Kings 14:13.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE REST OF THE ACTS OF JEROBOAM, HOW HE WARRED,.... As he did with Rehoboam, 1 Kings 14:30, and with Abijam his son, who was an more than a match for him, see 2 Chronicles 13:1 AND HOW HE REIGNED; over the people of Israel, whether wisely, and justly, and in clemency, or not: BEHOLD, THEY ARE... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE DAYS WHICH JEROBOAM REIGNED WERE TWENTY TWO YEARS,.... So that he outlived Rehoboam five years, and lived to the second year of the reign of his grandson Asa: AND HE SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS; or died as they did: AND NADAB HIS SON REIGNED IN HIS STEAD; who perhaps was younger than Abijah, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
AND REHOBOAM THE SON OF SOLOMON REIGNED IN JUDAH,.... Over the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin, when Jeroboam reigned over the other ten: REHOBOAM [WAS] FORTY ONE YEARS OLD WHEN HE BEGAN TO REIGN; being born one year before his father Solomon began to reign, and so it might have been expected he w... [ Continue Reading ]
AND JUDAH DID EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD,.... At the end of three years, from the beginning of the reign of Rehoboam: AND THEY PROVOKED HIM TO JEALOUSY, WITH THEIR SINS WHICH THEY HAD COMMITTED, ABOVE ALL THAT THEIR FATHERS HAD DONE; that is, with their idolatries; for they were the sins which m... [ Continue Reading ]
FOR THEY ALSO BUILT THEM HIGH PLACES,.... Which, though allowed of, or at least connived at, before the temple was built, and when the tabernacle was unfixed, yet afterwards unlawful; and the tribe of Judah could have no excuse for them, who had the temple in their tribe: AND IMAGES; contrary to th... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WERE ALSO SODOMITES IN THE LAND, e.] Such as were addicted to unnatural lusts between men and men, which the men of Sodom were guilty of, from whence they had their name: Jarchi interprets the word adultery and some versions render it whoremongers and filthy actions of this nature, both by... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE FIFTH YEAR OF KING REHOBOAM,.... Two years after he and his people fell into the above wicked practices: THAT SHISHAK, KING OF EGYPT CAME UP AGAINST JERUSALEM; of whom see 1 Kings 11:40, this was suffered as a chastisement from the Lord for their abominations.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND HE TOOK AWAY THE TREASURES OF THE HOUSE OF THE LORD,.... Which perhaps Jeroboam had informed him of, and for the sake of which he came, as well as to make a diversion in favour of Jeroboam, who had contracted an intimacy with him when in Egypt; and who might have no regard for Rehoboam, who was... [ Continue Reading ]
AND KING REHOBOAM MADE IN THEIR STEAD BRAZEN SHIELDS,.... For the king of Egypt had so stripped him of his gold, that he was not able to replace golden ones: AND COMMITTED THEM INTO THE HANDS OF THE CHIEF OF THE GUARD; or "runners" p, that went before the king, or attended him as his bodyguard when... [ Continue Reading ]
AND IT WAS SO, WHEN THE KING WENT INTO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD,.... The temple; for though he had fallen into idolatry, he had not wholly forsaken the worship of God in the temple, and perhaps by the late humbling providence he might be stirred up to attend there more frequently: THAT THE GUARD BARE... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW THE REST OF THE ACTS OF REHOBOAM AND ALL THAT HE DID,.... In the course of his reign, that was memorable: ARE THEY NOT WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE CHRONICLES OF THE KINGS OF JUDAH? who had annalists or historiographers to write for them, as the kings of Israel had, 1 Kings 14:19, in the writing... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THERE WAS WAR BETWEEN REHOBOAM AND JEROBOAM ALL THEIR DAYS. For though Rehoboam did not enter into an offensive war, and attack the children of Israel, being dissuaded from it by Shemaiah the prophet in the name of the Lord, yet he might maintain a defensive war; and though there were no pitched... [ Continue Reading ]
AND REHOBOAM SLEPT WITH HIS FATHERS, AND WAS BURIED WITH HIS FATHERS IN THE CITY OF DAVID,.... Where David and Solomon were buried, 1 Kings 2:10 and his mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess; which is repeated, that it might be observed as what was the leading step to his idolatry, and the means o... [ Continue Reading ]