Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house ,.... With all haste, as soon as she could: and when thy feet enter the city ; the city of Tirzah, very probably the king's palace stood at the entry of it, see 1 Kings 14:17 , the child shall die ; this is an answer to the question she was to ask, and at the same time a token of the sure and certain fulfilment of all the prophet had spoken in the name of the Lord. read more
And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him ,.... Give him an honourable interment, and follow him to the grave with lamentation, because he was the heir apparent to the throne, and an hopeful prince, of whom they had raised expectations; that when he came to the throne things would take a different turn, especially in matters of religion, and they might fear, he being removed, things would grow worse instead of better: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave ; or be buried,... read more
Moreover the Lord shall raise up a king over Israel ,.... Baasha is meant, 1 Kings 15:29 . who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day ; immediately, as soon as on the throne, he should destroy his whole family, as he did, 1 Kings 15:29 , but what? even now ; shall it be that day? yes; even at that very time, and which will be very quickly from this time; for as it may be supposed this was said at the latter end of Jeroboam's reign, and his son and successor reigned but two... read more
In him there is found some good thing - Far be it from God to destroy the righteous with the wicked; God respects even a little good, because it is a seed from himself. The kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed. 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
Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child [Heb. then the child. This is the force of the ] ו shall die. [This was "the sign that the Lord hath spoken" ( Hebrews 13:3 ). The death of the child at the precise moment of the return should serve as an earnest and foretaste of the doom just denounced.] read more
The Reprobate's Doom. In the queen of Jeroboam we see a remarkable messenger. For she went as messenger from a king and returned as messenger from a prophet. Her message in the first instance was simple, but in her return twofold. She brings a message to the king, and with it a message also to the nation. The message to the king brings— I. HEAVY TIDINGS RESPECTING ABIJAH . 1 . As to the issue of his illness . 2 . As to the near approach of his death . 3 . As to... read more
And an Israel shall mourn for him [no doubt he was heir to the throne] and bury him [mentioned to heighten the contrast. He should be the one exception to the rule of 1 Kings 14:11 ]: for he [Heb. this ] only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found [Heb, was found ] some [Heb. a ] good thing [The idea is not merely that he was an amiable youth, but the words imply some degree of piety, and almost suggest that he dissented from his father's... 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