1 Kings 14:2

2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Rise thou up, and change clothing, that thou be not known, that thou art the wife of Jeroboam; and go thou into Shiloh, where Ahijah, the prophet, is, which spake to me, that I should reign upon this people. (And Jeroboam said to his wife, Rise thou up, and change your clothes, so that thou shalt not be known, that thou art Jeroboam's wife; and go thou to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah is, who spoke to me, and said that I would reign upon this people.)

1 Kings 14:2 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 14:2

And Jeroboam said to his wife
Who she was is not known:

arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself;
put off her royal apparel, and clothe herself like a common person, mimic the dress and language of a country woman:

that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam:
by any that should see her on the road, or at the city she was to go to, or by the prophet to whom she would be sent:

and get thee to Shiloh;
which, according to Bunting F7, was twenty four miles, from Tirzah, where Jeroboam now lived, see ( 1 Kings 14:17 )

behold, there is Ahijah the prophet:
called from thence the Shilonite, ( 1 Kings 11:29 ) ,

which told me that I should be king over this people:
and this coming to pass, proved him to be a true prophet, and to be credited in what he should say concerning their child. Jeroboam desired his wife to go on this errand, because he did not care it should be known that he applied to any of the prophets of the Lord; nor did he choose it should be known whose child was inquired about, which another must have told, whereas his wife could speak of it as her own; and she was the fittest person to give an account of the child's illness, and would ask the most proper and pertinent questions, and bring him back a faithful report; and he would have her be disguised, lest the prophet, who bore no good will to him because of his apostasy, should refuse to give any answer at all, or else give a very rough and disagreeable one.


FOOTNOTES:

F7 Travels p. 161.

1 Kings 14:2 In-Context

1 In that time Abijah, (the) son of Jeroboam, was sick.
2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Rise thou up, and change clothing, that thou be not known, that thou art the wife of Jeroboam; and go thou into Shiloh, where Ahijah, the prophet, is, which spake to me, that I should reign upon this people. (And Jeroboam said to his wife, Rise thou up, and change your clothes, so that thou shalt not be known, that thou art Jeroboam's wife; and go thou to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah is, who spoke to me, and said that I would reign upon this people.)
3 Also take thou in thine hand ten loaves, and a cake, and a vessel of honey, and go thou to him; for he shall show to thee, what shall befall to this child.
4 The wife of Jeroboam did as he said, and she rose up, and went into Shiloh, and came into the house of Ahijah; and Ahijah might not see, for his eyes dimmed for eld (age). (And Jeroboam's wife did as he said, and she rose up, and went to Shiloh, and came to Ahijah's house; and Ahijah could not see, for his eyes had dimmed because of old age.)
5 Forsooth the Lord said to Ahijah, Lo! the wife of Jeroboam entereth, that she counsel (with) thee on her son, which is sick (who is sick); thou shalt speak these and these things to her. Therefore when she had entered, and had feigned herself to be that (which) she was not,
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.