1 Kings 11:20-30

20 And the sister of Tahpenes engendered to him a son, Genubath; and Tahpenes nursed him in the house of Pharaoh; and Genubath dwelled before Pharaoh (and Genubath lived with Pharaoh), with the sons of Pharaoh.
21 And when Hadad had heard in Egypt, that David slept with his fathers, and that Joab, the prince of (the) chivalry, was dead, he said to Pharaoh, Suffer thou me, that I go into my land. (And when Hadad had heard in Egypt, that David slept with his forefathers, that is, that he had died, and that Joab, the leader of the cavalry, or of the army, had also died, he said to Pharaoh, Allow me to go back to my own land.)
22 And Pharaoh said to him, And of what thing hast thou need with me, that thou seekest to go to thy land? And he answered, Of nothing; but I beseech thee, that thou deliver me/that thou let me go. (And Pharaoh said to him, And what thing hast thou still need of from me, that thou now seekest to go back to thy own land to get? And he answered, Nothing; but I beseech thee, that thou let me go.)
23 And God raised (up) another adversary to Solomon, Rezon, the son of Eliadah, that fled Hadadezer, king of Zobah, his lord (who fled from Hadadezer, the king of Zobah, his lord);
24 and [he] gathered men against him, and was made the prince of thieves, when David killed them (of Zobah); and they went to Damascus, and dwelled there (and stayed there); and they made him king in Damascus.
25 And he was [an] adversary of Israel in all the days of Solomon; and this is (besides) the evil of Hadad, and his hatred against Israel; and he reigned in Syria. (And he was an adversary of Israel in all the days of Solomon, besides the evil that Hadad did; and he hated Israel, and he reigned upon Syria.)
26 (And) Also Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, of Ephraim of Zereda, the servant of Solomon, of which Jeroboam, a woman widow (a widow woman), Zeruah by name, was (his) mother, he (also) raised (up) his hand against the king.
27 And this was [the] cause of (his) rebelty against the king; for Solomon builded Millo, and made even the swallow of the city of David, his father. (And this was the story of his rebellion against the king; it happened when Solomon had built the Millo, and closed the breach in the wall of the City of David, his father.)
28 Forsooth Jeroboam was a mighty man and strong; and Solomon saw the young waxing man (to be) of good kindred, and witting in things to be done, and Solomon made him prefect, either sovereign, upon the tributes of all the house of Joseph. (And Jeroboam was a strong and mighty man; and Solomon saw that the young man was from a good family, and knowing how to do things, and so Solomon made him prefect, or the ruler, over all the taxes, or all the levies, in the house, or the territory, of the tribe of Joseph.)
29 Therefore it was done in that time, that Jeroboam went out of Jerusalem; and Ahijah of Shiloh, a prophet, covered with a new mantle, found him in the way (met him on the way); and they twain were alone in the field.
30 And Ahijah took his new mantle, with which he was covered, and he cut it into twelve parts;

1 Kings 11:20-30 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO 1 KINGS 11

This chapter relates the false steps Solomon took, notwithstanding all his wisdom, in marrying strange wives, and worshipping other gods, 1Ki 11:1-8 upon which the Lord threatens him to rend the kingdom in his son's time, 1Ki 11:9-13 and he raised up adversaries against him, Hadad, Rezon, and Jeroboam, 1Ki 11:14-26 of which last an account is given, and of his being assured by Ahijah the prophet of his having ten of the tribes of Israel given to him; which Solomon having notice of sought to slay him, 1Ki 11:27-40 and the chapter is concluded with an account of Solomon's death and burial, 1Ki 11:41-43.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.