1 Kings14

King Jeroboam's son, Abijah, falls ill, prompting Jeroboam to send his disguised wife to the prophet Ahijah. Ahijah, divinely informed, reveals Jeroboam's severe judgment for his idolatry, prophesying the destruction of his house and Abijah's immediate death. The chapter concludes with Rehoboam's reign in Judah, marked by similar idolatry and an invasion by Shishak of Egypt, who plunders Jerusalem.

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Jeroboam's Wife Seeks the Prophet

At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill,

and Jeroboam said to his wife, “Now get up, disguise yourself so they will not recognize you as my wife, and go to Shiloh. For Ahijah the prophet is there; it was he who spoke about my kingship over this people.

Take 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 boy.”

Jeroboam’s wife did as instructed; she arose and went to Shiloh and arrived at Ahijah’s house. Now Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were dim because of his age.

But the LORD had said to Ahijah, “Behold, the wife of Jeroboam is coming to ask you about her son, for he is ill. You are to say such and such to her, because when she arrives, she will be disguised.”

So when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet entering the door, he said, “Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you disguised? For I have been sent to you with bad news.

Ahijah Pronounces Judgment on Jeroboam

Go, tell Jeroboam that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I raised you up from among the people and appointed you ruler over My people Israel.

I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you were not like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.

You have done more evil than all who came before you. You have proceeded to make for yourself other gods and molten images to provoke Me, and you have flung Me behind your back.

Because of all this, behold, I am bringing disaster on the house of Jeroboam: I will cut off from Jeroboam every male, both slave and free, in Israel; I will burn up the house of Jeroboam as one burns up dung until it is gone!

Anyone belonging to Jeroboam who dies in the city will be eaten by dogs, and anyone who dies in the field will be eaten by the birds of the air.’ For the LORD has spoken.

As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.

All Israel will mourn for him and bury him. For this is the only one belonging to Jeroboam who will receive a proper burial, because only in him has the LORD, the God of Israel, found any good in the house of Jeroboam.

Moreover, the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who will cut off the house of Jeroboam. This is the day—yes, even today!

For the LORD will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land that He gave their fathers, and He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates, because they have made their Asherah poles, provoking the LORD to anger.

So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.

And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

Summary of Jeroboam's Reign

As for the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he waged war and how he reigned, they are indeed written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Israel.

And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

Rehoboam's Wicked Reign in Judah

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite.

And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done.

They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

Shishak Invades Jerusalem

In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt came up and attacked Jerusalem.

He seized the treasures of the house of the LORD and of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields that Solomon had made.

Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place and committed them to the care of the captains of the guard on duty at the entrance to the royal palace.

And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

As for the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, along with all that he did, are they not written in the Book of the Chronicles of the Kings of Judah?

There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

And Rehoboam rested with his fathers and was buried with them in the City of David; his mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. And his son Abijam reigned in his place.

Study Notes for 1 Kings 14

Verse 2

Jeroboam’s attempt to disguise his wife shows that he feared the prophet Ahijah but refused to repent of the sins (the golden calves) that Ahijah had previously condemned.

Verse 4

Ahijah had previously prophesied Jeroboam’s kingship (11:29-39). Though now physically blind due to old age, his spiritual sight remains sharp, guided directly by the LORD.

Verse 5

God's immediate revelation to Ahijah underscores that human attempts at deception are futile before divine omniscience, affirming the prophet's authority despite his physical blindness.

Verse 6

The greeting 'wife of Jeroboam' immediately reveals the failure of the disguise and establishes the seriousness of the 'heavy tidings' (or harsh judgment) about to be delivered.

Verse 8

This verse establishes the key theological contrast in Kings: David is the standard of faithfulness and obedience, while Jeroboam failed precisely where David succeeded—in keeping God's commandments.

Verse 9

Jeroboam's 'evil above all that were before thee' refers primarily to his institutionalization of idolatry by setting up the golden calves at Bethel and Dan, causing the entire nation to sin.

Verse 10

The judgment is one of total annihilation of Jeroboam’s dynasty. The phrase 'him that pisseth against the wall' is a crude idiom signifying every male, ensuring no remnant of his royal line remains.

Verse 11

To be eaten by dogs and vultures was the ultimate indignity in the ancient world, signifying a total lack of proper burial and complete divine rejection.

Verse 13

Abijah's death is a tragic mercy; he is the only member of Jeroboam’s house to receive a proper burial because he alone showed some spiritual integrity 'toward the LORD God of Israel.'

Verse 15

Ahijah expands the judgment beyond Jeroboam's household to the entire Northern Kingdom. 'Beyond the river' (the Euphrates) is the first explicit prophecy of the Assyrian exile that would occur centuries later.

Verse 16

The text attributes the future downfall of Israel directly to Jeroboam, holding him responsible not just for his own sin, but for leading the entire nation into systemic idolatry.

Verse 21

Rehoboam’s mother, Naamah the Ammonitess, may explain the strong foreign religious influences that characterized his reign, as Ammonites were known for their idolatry (cf. 11:5).

Verse 22

Judah, the Southern Kingdom, quickly fell into sin comparable to Israel, provoking God to jealousy. This confirms the theological perspective that the division of the kingdom did not solve the problem of national unfaithfulness.

Verse 23

The building of high places, images, and groves indicates the widespread adoption of Canaanite fertility cults, a practice strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law.

Verse 24

The term 'sodomites' (Hebrew *qadesh*) refers to male cult prostitutes actively involved in pagan rituals, demonstrating the depth of moral and religious corruption in Judah.

Verse 25

This invasion by Pharaoh Shishak (Sheshonq I) is a key synchronism, verifiable by Egyptian records, including a relief detailing the campaign on the walls of the Karnak Temple.

Verse 26

The plunder of the Temple and palace treasures is viewed as divine punishment for Rehoboam’s and Judah’s disobedience, reversing the wealth and security established by Solomon.

Verse 27

Replacing Solomon's golden shields with bronze ones symbolizes the drastic decline in the kingdom’s status, glory, and wealth immediately following the division and spiritual failure.

Verse 30

The constant 'war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam' confirms that the political division was accompanied by ongoing military conflict, preventing either kingdom from achieving stability or peace.

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1 Kings14

Jeroboam's Wife Seeks the Prophet

Ahijah Pronounces Judgment on Jeroboam

Summary of Jeroboam's Reign

Rehoboam's Wicked Reign in Judah

Shishak Invades Jerusalem

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