But the word of God came unto Shemaiah the man of God ,.... A prophet in those days, see 2 Chronicles 12:15 and the word that came to him, as in the Targum, is called the word of prophecy: saying ; as follows. read more
Speak unto Rehoboam the son of Solomon king of Judah ,.... He is called king before, but of what tribe or tribes is not expressly said, only it is implied in 1 Kings 12:17 and he is only acknowledged king of Judah by the Lord himself: and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin ; which made but one house, as before but one tribe, 1 Kings 11:36 . and to the remnant of the people ; of the other tribes that might dwell among them at Jerusalem, and especially Simeon, whose... read more
The Message of Shemaiah. In the order of Providence the words of the prophet Ahijah became so far translated into history, that ten of the tribes of Israel had revolted from the son of Solomon and had made the son of Nebat their king. Rehoboam, unwilling to lose so important a portion of his kingdom, was now mustering a formidable army to reduce them to submission. At this juncture the word of the Lord came to Shemaiah. Let us consider— I. THE MESSAGE . 1 . It was the word of... read more
I. AN ERROR THAT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED ( 1 Kings 12:21-24 ). Rehoboam had zeal and strength behind him in his attempt to bring back the tribes by force. One hundred and eighty thousand men responded to his call; but all were dispersed at the lifting up of God's hand. The attempt was forbidden, 1 . Because of the ties of kindred . These were forgotten by Rehoboam when he threatened the people with a heavier yoke. Tyranny is possible only in the denial of the brotherhood... read more
But the word of God came unto Shemaiah [This part of the history is probably derived from the "book" which this prophet wrote ( 2 Chronicles 12:15 ). When Keil describes him as "a prophet who is not mentioned again," he has surely overlooked 2 Chronicles 12:7 , 2 Chronicles 12:8 , where we find him prophesying with reference to the army of Shishak], the man of God [a common expression in the books of Kings. It rarely occurs in the other Scriptures. This designation is not altogether... read more
Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin; and to the remnant of the people ["the children of Israel" mentioned in 1 Kings 12:17 , where see note], saying . read more
Shemaiah was the chief prophet in Judah during the reign of Rehoboam, as Ahijah was in Israel. See the marginal references. read more
The remnant - i. e., “the children of Israel which dwelt in the cities of Judah” (1 Kings 12:17 note). read more
1 Kings 12:22-24. The word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God The prophet so called, partly to distinguish him from others of that name, (see Nehemiah 6:10; Jeremiah 29:31,) and partly to add more weight to his words. It appears this prophet was very well known in the reign of Rehoboam, whose annals he is supposed to have written. Of what authority he was in Judah, we may learn from this passage, in which he is represented as prevailing with the king, and a hundred and fourscore... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 12:16-24
We have here the rending of the kingdom of the ten tribes from the house of David, to effect which, I. The people were hold and resolute in their revolt. They highly resented the provocation that Rehoboam had given them, were incensed at his menaces, concluded that that government would in the progress of it be intolerably grievous which in the beginning of it was so very haughty, and therefore immediately came to this resolve, one and all: What portion have we in David? 1 Kgs. 12:16. They... read more