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 . read more
Shall the dogs eat - They shall not have an honorable burial: and shall not come into the sepulchres of their fathers. read more
Abijah and Ahijah. Perhaps there is no single section of this book more full of lessons, and lessons of the most varied kind, than this. Let us try to gather something of what God has strawed with so liberal a hand. 1. " At that time ( 1 Kings 14:1 )"—the time of 1 Kings 13:33 . The sickness of the child distinctly connects itself with the father's persistence in sin (see Deuteronomy 7:15 ; Deuteronomy 28:22 , Deuteronomy 28:61 ). The hard and impenitent heart treasures... read more
Affliction and judgment. I. THE STRICKEN KING . Abijah seems to have been heir to the throne, and to have been alike the king's and the people's hope. The father's heart was touched: the king saw the dynasty threatened, to establish which he had ventured so much. The voice of God, against which the car was closed, will be heard again in the quietness of the sick chamber, in the silence of death. God follows us through deepening sorrows, if haply we may turn ere we are overwhelmed by... read more
Hard Tidings. Such is the character given by the prophet to the matter of the text ( 1 Kings 14:6 ). What we translate "heavy tidings" is, in the Hebrew, as in the margin, hard . The uses of the word ( קשה ) in several places suggest that it should be here taken as indicating retributive judgments merited by one who had hardened his heart in sin. Observe— I. PRIVILEGES INVOLVE RESPONSIBILITIES . Thus— 1 . Special favour calls for special gratitude . (3) ... read more
Him that dieth of Jeroboam [Heb. to Jeroboam, i.e; belonging to, of the house of. " Of Jeroboam," conveys the idea of his seed . It is possible that his wife shared in the general doom], in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air [Heb. heavens, as in Genesis 1:26 ; Genesis 2:19 ; Genesis 7:23 , etc.] eat [This was a terrible threat to a Jew—that the dead body should fall a prey to dogs and wild beasts. Cf. Psalms 79:2 ... read more
The dogs are the chief scavengers of Oriental cities (compare Psalms 59:6, Psalms 59:14). And the vulture is the chief scavenger in the country districts, assisted sometimes by kites and crows (see Job 39:27-30, where the vulture, not the eagle, is intended). Vultures are very abundant in Palestine. read more
1 Kings 14:10-11. Will cut off him that is shut up Those who had escaped the fury of their enemies invading them, either because they were shut up in caves, or castles, or strong towns: or, because they were left, overlooked, or neglected by them, or spared as poor, impotent, helpless creatures. But now, saith he, they shall be all searched out, and brought to destruction. As a man taketh away dung Which they remove as a loathsome thing, out of their houses, and that thoroughly and... read more
Jeroboam’s punishment (13:1-14:20)God soon showed that this new form of religion was totally unacceptable to him. A prophet from Judah came to Bethel and, by bold words and dramatic actions, condemned both the people and the king (13:1-10).However, there was another prophet, a much older man, who lived in Bethel and had apparently not spoken out against Jeroboam’s wrongdoing. The old prophet seems to have been jealous of the prophet from Judah, and decided to tempt him to disobey God’s command.... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Kings 14:7-20
When those that set up idols, and keep them up, go to enquire of the Lord, he determines to answer them, not according to the pretensions of their enquiry, but according to the multitude of their idols, Ezek. 14:4. So Jeroboam is answered here. I. The prophet anticipates the enquiry concerning the child, and foretels the ruin of Jeroboam's house for the wickedness of it. No one else durst have carried such a message: a servant would have smothered it, but his own wife cannot be suspected of... read more