And I will take thee ,.... From the low estate in which he was, to be king: and thou shall reign according to all that thy soul desireth ; he being ambitious of the kingdom, and having already formed in his mind some designs upon it: and shall be king over Israel ; the ten tribes. read more
According to all that thy soul desireth - It appears from this that Jeroboam had affected the kingdom, and was seeking for an opportunity to seize on the government. God now tells him, by his prophet, what he shall have, and what he shall not have, in order to prevent him from attempting to seize on the whole kingdom, to the prejudice of the spiritual seed of David. read more
The call to Jeroboam. I. THE UNWEARIED EFFORTS OF GOD TO WIN MEN FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS . This is the beginning of the story of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin. 1 . He is met by mercy . The widow's son is made king of Israel. 2 . By counsel and promise ( 1 Kings 11:38 ). The seed is east upon the stony ground and among the thorns, as well as upon the good soil. Learn— 1 . That, like the great husbandman, we should sow the seed of the... read more
The Message of Ahijah. As Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem with his commission from Solomon to rule as his lieutenant over the house of Joseph, meditating how he might use his fortune to construct a throne, he was met by Ahijah the Shilonite, who accosted him in a manner agreeable to his ambition. In the message of Ahijah we have— I. A PROPHECY . 1 . This was expressed in sign . 2 . The prophecy also is expressed in words ( 1 Kings 11:31-39 ). II. ITS REASONS .... read more
And I will take thee, and thou shalt reign according to all that thy soul desireth [We are not justified in concluding from these words that Jeroboam then had ambitious designs upon the throne (Keil). They rather mean, "as king, all thy desires shall be gratified" (cf. Deuteronomy 12:20 ; Deuteronomy 14:26 ; 1 Samuel 2:16 ; 2 Samuel 3:21 ). Bähr paraphrases "thou shalt have the dominion thou now strivest for," but we have absolutely no proof that Jeroboam at that time had ever... read more
1 Kings 11:37. I will take thee From the condition wherein thou art, and place thee on a throne, as here follows. Thou shalt reign according to all thy soul desireth According to thy utmost wishes and desires. It appears from this that he was a very aspiring and ambitious man, fond of power and pre-eminence; and it is not unlikely but he might at this time be plotting against Solomon, and contriving to rise to the throne. The Jews say, that when he was employed by Solomon in repairing and... read more
Solomon’s idolatry (11:1-43)Although some of Solomon’s marriages were for political purposes, most of his wives and concubines were probably given to him as gifts. These women usually brought their gods into Israel, and Solomon’s weakness in worshipping these gods led finally to his downfall (11:1-8). God’s judgment on Solomon and Israel was to bring the long-standing friction between northerners and southerners to a climax in the division of the kingdom. Only Solomon’s tribe Judah (which had... read more
4. Solomon’s apostasy ch. 11The writer brought Solomon’s weaknesses and sins, to which he only hinted previously, into the light in this chapter. Solomon had sown some seeds of departure from God and His Word early in his reign. They bore bitter fruit as he grew older. read more
Solomon’s internal adversary 11:26-40Jeroboam, who would become the first king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, was from Ephraim, the most prominent tribe in the North (1 Kings 11:26).Part of Benjamin affiliated voluntarily with Judah eventually (1 Kings 11:32; cf. 1 Kings 12:21; 2 Chronicles 11:1; 2 Chronicles 11:10; 2 Chronicles 15:2; 2 Chronicles 15:9; Ezra 4:1). Really parts of two tribes joined the kingdom of Judah: Simeon and Benjamin. The reference to 10 northern tribes evidently... read more
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 11:26-40
We have here the first mention of that infamous name Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that made Israel to sin; he is here brought upon the stage as an adversary to Solomon, whom God had expressly told (1 Kgs. 11:11) that he would give the greatest part of his kingdom to his servant, and Jeroboam was the man. We have here an account, I. Of his extraction, 1 Kgs. 11:26. He was of the tribe of Ephraim, he next in honour to Judah. His mother was a widow, to whom Providence had made up the loss of a... read more