Kings I 12:11

11 And he sent Jerobaal, and Barac, and Jephthae, and Samuel, and rescued us out of the hand of our enemies round about, and ye dwelt in security.

Kings I 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.

Kings I 12:11 In-Context

9 And they forgot the Lord their God, and he sold them into the hands of Sisara captain of the host of Jabis king of Asor, and into the hands of the Philistines, and into the hands of the king of Moab; and he fought with them.

10 And they cried to the Lord, and said, We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and the groves: and now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

11 And he sent Jerobaal, and Barac, and Jephthae, and Samuel, and rescued us out of the hand of our enemies round about, and ye dwelt in security.

12 And ye saw that Naas king of the children of Ammon came against you, and ye said, Nay, none but a king shall reign over us; whereas the Lord our God our king.

13 And now behold the king whom ye have chosen; and behold, the Lord has set a king over you.