1 Kings 12:25-33

Jeroboam's Idolatry

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

26 Jeroboam said to himself, "[The way things are going] now, the kingdom might return to the house of David.

27 If these people regularly go to offer sacrifices in the Lord's temple in Jerusalem, the heart of these people will return to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah. They will murder me and go back to the king of Judah."

28 So the king sought advice. Then he made two gold calves, and he said to the people, "Going to Jerusalem is too difficult for you. Israel, here is your God^[a] who brought you out of the land of Egypt."^[b]

29 He set up one in Bethel, and put the other in Dan.

30 This led to sin;^[c] the people walked [in procession] before one of the calves all the way to Dan.

31 Jeroboam also built shrines on the high places and set up priests from every class of people who were not Levites.

32 Jeroboam made a festival in the eighth month on the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival in Judah. He offered sacrifices on the altar; he made this offering in Bethel to sacrifice to the calves he had set up. He also stationed in Bethel the priests for the high places he had set up.^[d]

33 He offered sacrifices on^[e] the altar he had set up in Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, the month he had decided on his own. He made a festival for the Israelites, offered sacrifices on the altar, and burned incense.

1 Kings 12:25-33 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 12

This chapter relates Rehoboam's going to Shechem to be made king, and Jeroboam's return from Egypt, 1Ki 12:1,2, the people's request to Rehoboam to be eased of their taxes, as the condition of making him king, 1Ki 12:3,4, his answer to them, after three days, having had the advice both of the old and young men, which latter he followed, and gave in a rough answer, 1Ki 12:5-15, upon which ten tribes revolted from him, and two abode by him, 1Ki 12:16-20, wherefore he meditated a war against the ten tribes, but was forbid by the Lord to engage in it, 1Ki 12:21-24 and Jeroboam, in order to establish his kingdom, and preserve the people from a revolt to the house of David, because of the temple worship at Jerusalem, devised a scheme of idolatrous worship in his own territories, 1Ki 12:25-33.

Footnotes

• [a]. Or here are your gods
• [b]. Ex 32:4
• [c]. 1 Kg 13:34; 2 Kg 17:21
• [d]. 2 Ch 11:15
• [e]. Or He went up to