1 Kings 12:15 NIV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 12:1-15

Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines, yet we read but of one son he had to bear up his name, and he a fool. It is said (Hos. 4:10), They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase. Sin is a bad way of building up a family. Rehoboam was the son of the wisest of men, yet did not inherit his father's wisdom, and then it stood him in little stead to inherit his father's throne. Neither wisdom nor grace runs in the blood. Solomon came to the crown very young, yet he was then a wise man.... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 12:15

Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people ,.... To lessen their taxes, and ease them of their burdens, as they desired: for the cause was from the Lord ; it was according to his will and appointment; the defection of the people was willed by the Lord, and various things in Providence turned up to alienate their minds from Rehoboam, and dispose them to a revolt from him in favour of Jeroboam; and the Lord suffered the counsellors of Rehoboam to give him the advice they did, and... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 12:15

The cause was from the Lord - God left him to himself, and did not incline his heart to follow the counsel of the wise men. This is making the best of our present version; but if we come to inquire into the meaning of the Cause of all this confusion and anarchy, we shall find it was Rehoboam's folly, cruelty, and despotic tyranny: and was this from the Lord? But does the text speak this bad doctrine? No: it says סבה sibbah , the Revolution, was from the Lord. This is consistent... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:1-20

The accomplishment of the predicted judgment. I. DANGERS OFTEN COME DISGUISED . 1 . It was a time of joyous expectation . Nothing betokened the nearness of rebellion and disaster. All Israel had come to Shechem to make him king. There was no dispute about the succession, and no unwillingness to own the sway of the house of David. All was hopeful. Danger may lurk in joy like a venomous insect in a flower. 2 . The people's request was reasonable . Rehoboam could... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:12-15

Infatuation. "Whom the gods mean to destroy they first infatuate." Such was the observation of a heathen philosopher; and it is true, only that the infatuators are devils, and God permits. The text furnishes a case in point. What but infatuation could have prompted Rehoboam to have acted so insanely? It is seen— I. IN HIS REFUSAL TO HEARKEN TO THE PEOPLE . 1 . They assembled to honour him . 2 . Their reservation was not unreasonable . II. IN THE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:12-16

The rending of the kingdom. The name of Rehoboam is remarkable as seen in the light of the facts of his history. The "enlarger of the kingdom" becomes the chief instrument in its disruption. The one strong nation, the throne of which he inherited from his father, is changed by his folly into two comparatively weak and distracted kingdoms, which maintain towards each other an attitude of perpetual jealousy and strife. The revolt of the ten tribes was a calamity from the ill effects of which... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:13-15

Judicial Infatuation. It is impossible to read this history of the great rebellion, even at the present day, without a certain feeling of sadness. We see here a young prince, heir to one of the greatest empires of antiquity, the inheritor of an illustrious and unequalled name, with all the advantages which the glory and greatness of his father could give him, reaping the benefits of a long peace, his coffers full of money, his cities filled with all manner of store, his fleets ploughing... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:15

Wherefore the king hearkened not unto the people, for the cause [or course of events; lit; turn ] was from the Lord [" Quem Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ." God did not inspire Rehoboam's proud and despotic reply, but used it for the accomplishment of His purpose, the partition of the kingdom (cf. Exodus 14:4 ; Matthew 26:24 ). God makes the wrath of man to praise Him], that [Heb. in order that ] he might perform his saying, which the Lord spake by [Heb. in... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 12:15

The cause was from the Lord - i. e., “the turn of events was from the Lord.” Human passions, anger, pride, and insolence, worked out the accomplishment of the divine designs. Without interfering with man’s free will, God guides the course of events, and accomplishes His purposes. read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 12:13-15

1 Kings 12:13-15. The king answered the people roughly He affected to be haughty and imperious, and fancied he could carry all before him with a high hand, and therefore would rather run the risk of losing them, than deny himself so far as to give them good words. Thus many ruin themselves by consulting their humour more than their interest. For the cause was from the Lord Who, having determined, in punishment of Solomon’s idolatries and criminal pleasures, to take the greater part of the... read more

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 12:1-15

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - 1 Kings 12:15

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - 1 Kings 12:15

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:1-20

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:12-15

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:12-16

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:13-15

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Kings 12:15

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Kings 12:15

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Kings 12:13-15

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