Jeroboam's desperate disguise of his wife to consult the very prophet who originally anointed him king creates bitter irony—the same divine voice that elevated him now pronounces his dynasty's doom.
1 Kings 14
Ahijah's Prophecy Against Jeroboam
1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick.
2Jeroboam said to his wife, “Please get up and disguise yourself, so that you won’t be recognized as Jeroboam’s wife. Go to Shiloh. Behold, Ahijah the prophet is there, who said that I would be king over this people.
3Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him. He will tell you what will become of the child.”
4Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose and went to Shiloh, and came to Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age.
5The LORD said to Ahijah, “Behold, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to inquire of you concerning her son, for he is sick. Tell her such and such; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman.”
6So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, he said, “Come in, Jeroboam’s wife! Why do you pretend to be another? For I am sent to you with heavy news.
7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, says: “Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you prince over my people Israel,
8and tore the kingdom away from David’s house, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as my servant David, who kept my commandments, and who followed me with all his heart, to do that only which was right in my eyes,
9but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made for yourself other gods, molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back,
10therefore, behold, I will bring evil on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam everyone who urinates on a wall, he who is shut up and he who is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweeps away dung until it is all gone.
11The dogs will eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field, for the LORD has spoken it.”’
12Arise therefore, and go to your house. When your feet enter into the city, the child will die.
13All Israel will mourn for him and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam will come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.
14Moreover the LORD will raise up a king for himself over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day! What? Even now.
15For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water; and he will root up Israel out of this good land which he gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.
16He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”
17Jeroboam’s wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. As she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.
18All Israel buried him and mourned for him, according to the LORD’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.
Death of Jeroboam
19The rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
20The days which Jeroboam reigned were twenty two years; then he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his place.
Rehoboam's Reign in Judah
21Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.
22Judah did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.
23For they also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.
24There were also sodomites in the land. They did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
25In the fifth year of King Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem;
26and he took away the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house. He even took away all of it, including all the gold shields which Solomon had made.
27King Rehoboam made shields of bronze in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the door of the king’s house.
28It was so, that as often as the king went into the LORD’s house, the guard bore them, and brought them back into the guard room.
29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.
31Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in David’s city. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. Abijam his son reigned in his place.
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Theme
When Jeroboam's son falls ill, the king sends his disguised wife to consult the prophet Ahijah, hoping for good news. However, God reveals her identity to the blind prophet, who delivers a devastating judgment against Jeroboam's dynasty for his idolatry and disobedience. The chapter concludes with the deaths of both Jeroboam's son and Jeroboam himself, followed by an account of Rehoboam's unfaithful reign in Judah, which also faces divine judgment through foreign invasion.
Context
This chapter fulfills earlier prophecies against both kingdoms, showing the consequences of the divided monarchy's turn toward idolatry that began in chapter 12.
Key Themes
Outline
- 1-5 Jeroboam's Wife Seeks the Prophet Jeroboam sends his disguised wife to consult Ahijah about their sick son, but God reveals her identity to the prophet.
- 6-16 Ahijah's Prophecy of Judgment The prophet delivers God's harsh judgment against Jeroboam's house for idolatry, predicting the dynasty's complete destruction.
- 17-20 Death of Son and King The child dies as prophesied when his mother returns home, and Jeroboam himself soon dies after a 22-year reign.
- 21-24 Rehoboam's Idolatrous Reign Judah under Rehoboam abandons God and embraces pagan worship practices throughout the land.
- 25-31 Shishak's Invasion and Rehoboam's Death Egypt's Pharaoh Shishak invades and plunders Jerusalem's treasures, and Rehoboam dies after 17 years of rule.
Ahijah's Prophecy Against Jeroboam
14:1–14:18 narrative speech wrathful
Prophet Ahijah delivers God's judgment against King Jeroboam for his idolatry and disobedience, prophesying the destruction of his house and the death of his sick son Abijah.
person_contrast
Jeroboam's desperate disguise of his wife to consult the very prophet who originally anointed him king creates bitter irony—the same divine voice that elevated him now pronounces his dynasty's doom.
Death of Jeroboam
14:19–14:20 narrative narration solemn
Jeroboam dies after reigning twenty-two years over Israel, and his son Nadab succeeds him as king.
person_contrast
Jeroboam's formulaic death notice mirrors those of faithful kings despite his unprecedented idolatry, revealing how royal succession protocols transcend moral evaluation in the Deuteronomistic History.
Rehoboam's Reign in Judah
14:21–14:31 narrative narration solemn
Rehoboam's reign in Judah is marked by idolatry and evil practices, resulting in God's judgment through Shishak's invasion and the plundering of the temple treasures.
person_contrast
Rehoboam's mother Naamah being specifically identified as "the Ammonitess" connects directly to Solomon's foreign wives who "turned his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11:4), suggesting hereditary spiritual corruption.
Insights
Jeroboam's formulaic death notice mirrors those of faithful kings despite his unprecedented idolatry, revealing how royal succession protocols transcend moral evaluation in the Deuteronomistic History.
Rehoboam's mother Naamah being specifically identified as "the Ammonitess" connects directly to Solomon's foreign wives who "turned his heart after other gods" (1 Kings 11:4), suggesting hereditary spiritual corruption.
Cross-References
Connected passages across Scripture
1 Kings 14:2 2 references
Lexicals 2
1 Kings 14:7 1 reference
1 Kings 14:8 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 11:13 Lexical
However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and f…
2 Chronicles 25:2 Lexical
He did that which was right in the LORD’s eyes, but not with a perfect heart.
2 Chronicles 29:34 Lexical
But the priests were too few, so that they could not skin all the burnt offerings. Therefore their brothers the Levites…
Joshua 22:5 Lexical
Only take diligent heed to do the commandment and the law which Moses the servant of the LORD commanded you, to love the…
Deuteronomy 17:20 Lexical
that his heart not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he not turn away from the commandment to the right hand, or…
1 Kings 14:9 1 reference
1 Kings 14:10 3 references
Lexicals 3
1 Kings 21:21 Lexical
Behold, I will bring evil on you, and will utterly sweep you away and will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates again…
2 Kings 9:8 Lexical
For the whole house of Ahab will perish. I will cut off from Ahab everyone who urinates against a wall, both him who is…
1 Kings 16:3 Lexical
behold, I will utterly sweep away Baasha and his house; and I will make your house like the house of Jeroboam the son of…
1 Kings 14:11 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 21:24 Lexical
The dogs will eat whoever dies of Ahab in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat whoever dies in the field.”
1 Kings 16:4 Lexical
The dogs will eat Baasha’s descendants who die in the city; and he who dies of his in the field, the birds of the sky wi…
Jeremiah 15:3 Lexical
“I will appoint over them four kinds,” says the LORD: “the sword to kill, the dogs to tear, the birds of the sky, and th…
Ezekiel 32:4 Lexical
I will leave you on the land. I will cast you out on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle o…
Ezekiel 31:13 Lexical
All the birds of the sky will dwell on his ruin, and all the animals of the field will be on his branches,
1 Kings 14:13 1 reference
1 Kings 14:16 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Kings 14:24 Lexical
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with wh…
1 Kings 15:30 Lexical
for the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and with which he made Israel to sin, because of his provocation with which he…
2 Kings 13:11 Lexical
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight. He didn’t depart from all the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, with wh…
2 Kings 10:31 Lexical
But Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the LORD, the God of Israel, with all his heart. He didn’t depart from the s…
1 Kings 15:34 Lexical
He did that which was evil in the LORD’s sight, and walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin with which he made Isr…
1 Kings 14:18 1 reference
1 Kings 14:19 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Kings 14:28 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, and all that he did, and his might, how he fought, and how he recovered Damascus,…
1 Kings 15:7 Lexical
The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of J…
2 Kings 13:12 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Joash, and all that he did, and his might with which he fought against Amaziah king of Judah…
2 Kings 14:15 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoash which he did, and his might, and how he fought with Amaziah king of Judah, aren’t th…
2 Chronicles 36:8 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and his abominations which he did, and that which was found in him, behold, they…
1 Kings 14:20 5 references
Lexicals 5
1 Kings 15:25 Lexical
Nadab the son of Jeroboam began to reign over Israel in the second year of Asa king of Judah; and he reigned over Israel…
2 Kings 14:29 Lexical
Jeroboam slept with his fathers, even with the kings of Israel; and Zechariah his son reigned in his place.
2 Kings 14:16 Lexical
Jehoash slept with his fathers, and was buried in Samaria with the kings of Israel; and Jeroboam his son reigned in his…
2 Kings 15:1 Lexical
In the twenty-seventh year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Azariah son of Amaziah king of Judah began to reign.
1 Kings 15:9 Lexical
In the twentieth year of Jeroboam king of Israel, Asa began to reign over Judah.
1 Kings 14:21 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 12:13 Lexical
So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned; for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to re…
1 Kings 12:21 Lexical
When Rehoboam had come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, a hundred and eighty…
2 Chronicles 24:1 Lexical
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Zibiah,…
1 Kings 11:43 Lexical
Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 9:31 Lexical
Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
1 Kings 14:23 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Kings 17:10 Lexical
and they set up for themselves pillars and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree;
Jeremiah 17:2 Lexical
Even their children remember their altars and their Asherah poles by the green trees on the high hills.
Jeremiah 2:20 Lexical
“For long ago I broke off your yoke, and burst your bonds. You said, ‘I will not serve;’ for on every high hill and unde…
2 Chronicles 28:4 Lexical
He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree.
2 Kings 16:4 Lexical
He sacrificed and burned incense in the high places, on the hills, and under every green tree.
1 Kings 14:26 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 12:9 Lexical
So Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem and took away the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of…
2 Chronicles 32:27 Lexical
Hezekiah had exceedingly great riches and honor. He provided himself with treasuries for silver, for gold, for precious…
2 Chronicles 5:1 Lexical
Thus all the work that Solomon did for the LORD’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things that David his fathe…
1 Kings 7:51 Lexical
Thus all the work that King Solomon did in the LORD’s house was finished. Solomon brought in the things which David his…
2 Kings 24:13 Lexical
He carried out from there all the treasures of the LORD’s house and the treasures of the king’s house, and cut in pieces…
1 Kings 14:27 1 reference
1 Kings 14:28 1 reference
1 Kings 14:29 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Kings 15:11 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Zechariah, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.
1 Kings 11:41 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, aren’t they written in the book of the acts of…
2 Kings 21:25 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Amon which he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
1 Kings 16:14 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Elah, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of…
2 Kings 14:18 Lexical
Now the rest of the acts of Amaziah, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?
1 Kings 14:30 4 references
Lexicals 4
1 Kings 15:6 Lexical
Now there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all the days of his life.
2 Chronicles 12:15 Lexical
Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, aren’t they written in the histories of Shemaiah the prophet and of Iddo the s…
1 Kings 15:7 Lexical
The rest of the acts of Abijam, and all that he did, aren’t they written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of J…
2 Chronicles 13:2 Lexical
He reigned three years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was Micaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah. There was war betwee…
1 Kings 14:31 5 references
Lexicals 5
2 Chronicles 12:13 Lexical
So King Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem and reigned; for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to re…
1 Kings 15:8 Lexical
Abijam slept with his fathers, and they buried him in David’s city; and Asa his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 9:31 Lexical
Solomon slept with his fathers, and he was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
1 Kings 11:43 Lexical
Solomon slept with his fathers, and was buried in his father David’s city; and Rehoboam his son reigned in his place.
2 Chronicles 12:16 Lexical
Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried in David’s city; and Abijah his son reigned in his place.
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