English · CJB

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.

Jeroboam's Wife Seeks the Prophet

1
At this time, Aviyah the son of Yarov'am fell ill.
2
Yarov'am said to his wife, "Please come, and disguise yourself, so that you won't be recognized as Yarov'am's wife, and go to Shiloh. Achiyah the prophet is there, the one who said that I would be king over these people. ​
3
Take with you ten loaves of bread, some cakes and a jug of honey; and go to him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy."
4
Yarov'am's wife did this; she set out, went to Shiloh and arrived at the house of Achiyah. Now Achiyah could not see, because his eyes were dim with age. ​
5
ADONAI had told Achiyah, "Yarov'am's wife is on her way to you to ask about her son, who is ill. You are to tell her thus and thus; moreover, when she comes, she will be pretending she is another woman." ​
6
When Achiyah heard the sound of her feet as she came in the door, he said, "Enter, wife of Yarov'am! Why pretend you are someone else? I've been given bad news for you. ​

Ahijah Pronounces Judgment on Jeroboam

7
Go, tell Yarov'am that this is what ADONAI says: 'I raised you up from among the people, made you prince over my people Isra'el,
8
tore the kingdom away from the dynasty of David and gave it to you. In spite of this, you have not been like my servant David, who obeyed my mitzvot and followed me with all his heart, so that he could do only what I regarded as right. ​
9
Rather, you have committed more evil than anyone before you! You went and made other gods for yourself and images of cast metal to make me angry, but me you shoved behind your back! ​
10
Therefore, I will now bring disaster on the house of Yarov'am. I will cut off every male of Yarov'am's line, whether a slave or free in Isra'el; I will sweep away the house of Yarov'am as completely as when someone sweeps away dung until it's all gone. ​
11
If someone from the line of Yarov'am dies in the city, the dogs will eat him; if he dies in the countryside, the vultures will eat him. For ADONAI has said it.' ​
12
So get up and go home; when your feet enter the city, the boy will die.
13
All Isra'el will mourn him, and they will bury him; he is the only one of Yarov'am's line who will lie in a grave, because he alone in the house of Yarov'am has in him an element of good toward ADONAI the God of Isra'el. ​
14
Moreover, ADONAI will raise up for himself a king over Isra'el who at that time will cut off the house of Yarov'am. And what will God do now?
15
ADONAI will strike Isra'el until it shakes like a reed in the water; he will uproot Isra'el from this good land, which he gave to their ancestors, and scatter them beyond the [Euphrates] River; because they made sacred poles for themselves, thus making ADONAI angry. ​
16
He will give up on Isra'el because of the sins of Yarov'am, which he committed himself, and with which he made Isra'el sin as well." ​
17
Yarov'am's wife got up, left and went to Tirtzah. The moment she reached the threshold of the house, the boy died.
18
All Isra'el buried him and mourned him, in keeping with the word of ADONAI spoken through his servant Achiyah the prophet.

Summary of Jeroboam's Reign

19
Other activities of Yarov'am, how he fought and how he ruled are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Isra'el.
20
Yarov'am's reign lasted twenty-two years; then he slept with his ancestors, and Nadav his son became king in his place.

Rehoboam's Wicked Reign in Judah

21
Rechav'am the son of Shlomo was reigning in Y'hudah. Rechav'am was forty-one years old when he began to rule; and he ruled seventeen years in Yerushalayim, the city ADONAI had chosen from all the tribes of Isra'el to bear his name; his mother's name was Na'amah the 'Amonit. ​
22
Y'hudah did what was evil from ADONAI's perspective; they made him angry because of their sins, which were worse than any their ancestors had committed. ​
23
For they erected high places, standing-stones and sacred poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ​
24
Also there were male and female cult-prostitutes in the land attached to these shrines, doing all the disgusting things which the nations did that ADONAI had expelled ahead of the people of Isra'el. ​

Shishak Invades Jerusalem

25
In the fifth year of King Rechav'am, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Yerushalayim. ​
26
He took the treasures in the house of ADONAI and the treasures in the royal palace - he took everything, including all the gold shields Shlomo had made. ​
27
To replace them, King Rechav'am made shields of bronze, which he entrusted to the commanders of the contingent guarding the gate to the royal palace. ​
28
Whenever the king went to the house of ADONAI, the guard would get the shields; later they would return them to the guardroom.
29
Other activities of Rechav'am and all his accomplishments are recorded in the Annals of the Kings of Y'hudah.
30
But there was continual war between Rechav'am and Yarov'am. ​
31
Rechav'am slept with his ancestors and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David; his mother's name was Na'amah the 'Amonit. Then Aviyam his son became king 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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