1 Kings 12:8

8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.

1 Kings 12:8 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
English Standard Version (ESV)
8 But he abandoned the counsel that the old men gave him and took counsel with the young men who had grown up with him and stood before him.
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice of the older men and instead asked the opinion of the young men who had grown up with him and were now his advisers.
The Message Bible (MSG)
8 But he rejected the counsel of the elders and asked the young men he'd grown up with who were now currying his favor,
American Standard Version (ASV)
8 But he forsook the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
8 But he ignored the advice the older leaders gave him. He sought advice from the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
8 But he rejected the advice of the elders who had advised him and consulted with the young men who had grown up with him and served him.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
8 But Rehoboam didn't accept the advice the elders gave him. Instead, he asked for advice from the young men who had grown up with him and were now serving him.

1 Kings 12:8 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 12:8

But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given
him
He did not rightly relish it, nor cordially receive it; it did not suit with his haughty temper, he could not brook it, to stoop to his people; he thought it a lessening of his dignity to do anything that looked like courting their favour; and therefore determined not to take the advice given him by the old men, but to seek for other:

and consulted with the men, that were grown up with him, and which
stood before him;
the sons of nobles, with whom he had his education, and who were his companions from his youth upwards, and who were now officers in his court, and of his privy council, being his favourites, and those he consulted on this occasion; and though they are called young men, as they were in comparison of the old men, yet since they were contemporary with Rehoboam, who was now forty one years of age, they must be about forty, or not much under, and at an age to be wiser than they appeared to be.

1 Kings 12:8 In-Context

6 Then King Rehoboam consulted the elders who had served his father Solomon during his lifetime. “How would you advise me to answer these people?” he asked.
7 They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”
8 But Rehoboam rejected the advice the elders gave him and consulted the young men who had grown up with him and were serving him.
9 He asked them, “What is your advice? How should we answer these people who say to me, ‘Lighten the yoke your father put on us’?”
10 The young men who had grown up with him replied, “These people have said to you, ‘Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but make our yoke lighter.’ Now tell them, ‘My little finger is thicker than my father’s waist.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Leviticus 19:32
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