1 Re 12:11

11 Ora dunque mio padre vi ha caricato addosso un grave giogo, ma io lo farò vie più grave; mio padre vi ha castigati con isferze, ma io vi castigherò con flagelli pungenti.

1 Re 12:11 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 12:11

And now, whereas my father did lade you with a heavy yoke,
&c.] Which was putting words into his mouth, owning the charge and accusation brought against his father, as he did, ( 1 Kings 12:14 ) , which was very unbecoming, if true; unless this is said according to the sense of the people:

I will add to your yoke;
make it heavier, lay more taxes on them:

my father hath chastised you with whips;
which was putting a lie into his mouth, and which he uttered, ( 1 Kings 12:14 ) for no instance of severity exercised on the people in general can be given during the whole reign of Solomon:

but I will chastise you with scorpions;
treat them more roughly, and with greater rigour: whips may mean smaller ones, these horse whips, as in the Targum; which gave an acute pain, like the sting of scorpions, or made a wound like one. Ben Gersom says, these were rods with thorns on them, which pierced and gave much pain. Weemse ^F8 thinks these are alluded to by thorns in the sides, ( Numbers 33:55 ) ( Judges 2:3 ) , for whipping with them was about the sides, and not along the back. Abarbinel calls them iron thorns, rods that had iron prongs or rowels to them, which tore the flesh extremely. Isidore ^F9 says, a rod that is smooth is called a rod, but, if knotty and prickled, it is rightly called a scorpion, because it makes a wound in the body arched or crooked. Pliny ^F11 ascribes the invention of this sort of scorpions to the Cretians.

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FOOTNOTES:

F8 Christian Synagogue, paragraph 6. diatrib. 2. p. 190.
F9 Origin. l. 5. c. 27. p. 39.
F11 Nat. Hist. l. 7. c. 56.

1 Re 12:11 In-Context

9 E disse loro: Che consigliate voi che rispondiamo a questo popolo, che mi ha parlato, dicendo: Alleviaci dal giogo, il qual tuo padre ha posto sopra noi?

10 E i giovani, ch’erano stati allevati con lui, gli risposero, e dissero: Di’ così a questo popolo che t’ha parlato, dicendo: Tuo padre ci ha posto addosso un grave giogo, ma tu alleviacene, e rispondi loro così: Il mio piccol dito è più grosso che i lombi di mio padre.

11 Ora dunque mio padre vi ha caricato addosso un grave giogo, ma io lo farò vie più grave; mio padre vi ha castigati con isferze, ma io vi castigherò con flagelli pungenti.

12 Ora, tre giorni appresso, Geroboamo, con tutto il popolo, venne a Roboamo, secondo che il re avea comandato, dicendo: Ritornate a me di qui a tre dì.

13 E il re rispose aspramente al popolo, e lasciò il consiglio che i vecchi gli aveano dato.