1 Kings 12:31

31 And Jeroboam made temples in high places (And Jeroboam made temples at the hill shrines), and he made priests (out) of the last men of the people, the which were not of the sons of Levi.

1 Kings 12:31 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 12:31

And he made an house of high places
Or "altars" ^F19, built a temple at Dan, and set up several altars in it for sacrifice, both for burnt offerings, and for incense, as at Jerusalem:

and made priests of the lowest of the people;
this clause seems not so well rendered; for this would have been very unpopular, and brought his new form of worship into contempt, to make the dregs of the people priests, which was not only a very sacred office, but of great honour; it was usual in some nations for kings to be priests also ^F20, and Jeroboam himself exercised this office, ( 1 Kings 12:33 ) ( 13:1 ) and therefore would never put the meanest of the people into it, but rather those of higher rank: the words may be literally rendered, "from the extremities" or "ends of the people" ^F21; meaning not merely from the extremist parts of his country, but rather out of the whole of the people; out of all sorts of them, out of any of them, without any distinction of tribe: for so it follows,

which were not of the sons of Levi;
and as by this means he enriched himself, by taking the cities that belonged to the priests and Levites, which they were obliged to leave, and from whence he drove them, ( 2 Chronicles 11:14 ) so he pleased the people by laying open the priesthood common to them, and freeing them from the payment of tithes, and the like.

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FOOTNOTES:

F19 (twmb) "altarium", Vatablus.
F20 Rex Anius Virgil. l. 3. Vid. Servium in ib.
F21 (Meh twuqm) "de extremitatibus populi", Vatablus, Piscator.

1 Kings 12:31 In-Context

29 And he set one calf in Bethel, and the tother in Dan.

30 And this word was made to Israel into sin; for the people went into Dan, to worship the calf. (And this thing became a sin in Israel; and some people went all the way up to Dan to worship the calf there.)

31 And Jeroboam made temples in high places (And Jeroboam made temples at the hill shrines), and he made priests (out) of the last men of the people, the which were not of the sons of Levi.

32 And the king ordained a solemn day in the eighth month, in the fifteen day of the month, by [the] likeness of the solemnity that was hallowed in Judah. And the king went up, and made in like manner an altar in Bethel, that he should offer to the calves, which he had made; and he ordained in Bethel priests of the high places, which he had made. (And the king ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteen day of the month, like the feast that was kept in Judah. And the king went up to Bethel, and offered on the altar that he had made to the calves, which he had made; and he ordered the priests of the hill shrines, to serve at the altar in Bethel, which he had made.)

33 And he went up upon the altar, which he had builded in Bethel, in the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which he had feigned of his heart; and he made a solemnity to the sons of Israel, and he went upon the altar, that he should burn incense. (And so he went up to the altar, which he had built in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, which month he had chosen out of his own heart; and he made a feast for the sons of Israel, and he went up to the altar, so that he could burn incense on it.)