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
And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee ,.... And be obedient thereunto: and wilt walk in my ways ; directed to in the law of Moses: and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes, and my commandments ; those particularly respecting divine worship: as David my servant did ; who very diligently and constantly attended to the ordinances of religion: that I will be with thee ; to guide and direct, protect and defend, prosper and succeed: and... read more
And I will for this afflict the seed of David ,.... For the idolatry Solomon had been guilty of, and connived at: but not for ever ; for when the ten tribes were carried captive, the kingdom of Judah flourished under Hezekiah, Josiah, &c.; and though the tribe of Judah was carried captive, yet it returned after seventy years captivity, and had rulers over it of the seed of David; and especially to the Messiah has God given the throne of his father David, of whose kingdom there will... 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
And build thee a sure house - He would have continued his posterity on the throne of Israel, had he not by his wickedness forfeited the promises of God, and thrown himself out of the protection of the Most High. read more
But not for ever - They shall be in affliction and distress till the Messiah come, who shall sit on the throne of David to order it and establish it in judgment and justice for ever. Jarchi says, on this verse, "When the Messiah comes, the kingdom shall be restored to the house 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
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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