1 Kings 11:30

30 And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

1 Kings 11:30 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 11:30

And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him
This looks as if it was Jeroboam's garment, having got a new one to appear before the king in; though the sense may be this, that the prophet took hold of his own garment that was upon himself:

and rent it in twelve pieces;
as symbolical of the twelve tribes of Israel.

1 Kings 11:30 In-Context

28 Now Jeroboam was a mighty man of valor. So when Solomon noticed that the young man was industrious, he put him in charge of the whole labor force of the house of Joseph.

29 During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field.

30 And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

31 and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.

32 But one tribe will remain for the sake of My servant David and for the sake of Jerusalem, the city I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel.