1 Kings 12:25

Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan

25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.^[a]

Read Chapter Compare

PREVIOUS 1 Kings 12:24 NEXT 1 Kings 12:26

1 Kings 12:25 in Other Translations

KJV

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.

ESV

25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.

NLT

25 Jeroboam then built up the city of Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim, and it became his capital. Later he went and built up the town of Peniel.

MSG

25 Jeroboam made a fort at Shechem in the hills of Ephraim, and made that his headquarters. He also built a fort at Penuel.

CSB

25 Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built Penuel.

1 Kings 12:25 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 12:25

Then Jeroboam built Shechem in Mount Ephraim, and dwelt
therein
Not that this city had lain in ruins from the times of Abimelech, ( Judges 9:45 ) for then it would not have been a proper place for the convention of the people, ( 1 Kings 12:1 ) but he repaired the walls of it, and fortified it, and built a palace in it for his residence:

and went out from thence, and built Penuel;
a place on the other side Jordan, the tower of which was beaten down by Gideon, ( Judges 8:17 ) and might be now rebuilt, or at least the city was repaired by him, and anew fortified, perhaps for the better security of his dominions on that side Jordan; though Fortunatus Scacchus ^F16 is of opinion that this was an altar, the same as at Carmel, ( 1 Kings 18:30 ) , which Jeroboam built, and called by this name in testimony of the common religion of the Israelites and Jews.

FOOTNOTES:

F16 Elaeochrism. Myrothec. l. 2. c. 58. col. 593.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

1 Kings 12:25 In-Context

23 “Say to Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, to all Judah and Benjamin, and to the rest of the people,

24 ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites. Go home, every one of you, for this is my doing.’ ” So they obeyed the word of the LORD and went home again, as the LORD had ordered.

25 Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.

26 Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David.

27 If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the LORD in Jerusalem, they will again give their allegiance to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will kill me and return to King Rehoboam.”

Cross References 2

1. S ver 1; Judges 9:45
2. S Judges 8:8,17

Footnotes 1

[a]. Hebrew "Penuel," a variant of "Peniel"