1 Kings 11:30
New International Version
and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

New Living Translation
and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

English Standard Version
Then Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

Berean Standard Bible
And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

King James Bible
And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

New King James Version
Then Ahijah took hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

New American Standard Bible
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.

NASB 1995
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.

NASB 1977
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which was on him and tore it into twelve pieces.

Amplified Bible
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak which he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.

Christian Standard Bible
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into twelve pieces,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Then Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he had on, tore it into 12 pieces,

American Standard Version
And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces.

English Revised Version
And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Ahijah took his new garment and tore it into 12 pieces.

Good News Translation
Ahijah took off the new robe he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

International Standard Version
Ahijah grabbed the new cloak that he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces!

Majority Standard Bible
And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces,

NET Bible
and he grabbed the robe and tore it into twelve pieces.

New Heart English Bible
And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.

Webster's Bible Translation
And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

World English Bible
Ahijah took the new garment that was on him, and tore it in twelve pieces.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and Ahijah lays hold on the new garment that [is] on him, and tears it [into] twelve pieces,

Young's Literal Translation
and Ahijah layeth hold on the new garment that is on him, and rendeth it -- twelve pieces,

Smith's Literal Translation
And Ahijah will lay hold upon the new garment which was upon him and will rend it in twelve rents:
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And Ahias taking his new garment, wherewith he was clad, divided it into twelve parts:

Catholic Public Domain Version
And taking his new cloak, with which he was covered, Ahijah tore it into twelve parts.

New American Bible
Ahijah took off his new cloak, tore it into twelve pieces,

New Revised Standard Version
when Ahijah laid hold of the new garment he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and tore it into twelve pieces;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
And Akhiah grasped on the new garment which was on him and he tore it into twelve pieces.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
And Ahijah laid hold of the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And Achia laid hold of his new garment that was upon him, and tore it into twelve pieces:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jeroboam's Rebellion
29During that time, the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite met Jeroboam on the road as he was going out of Jerusalem. Now Ahijah had wrapped himself in a new cloak, and the two of them were alone in the open field. 30And Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing, tore it into twelve pieces, 31and said to Jeroboam, “Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘Behold, I will tear the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and I will give you ten tribes.…

Cross References
1 Samuel 15:27-28
As Samuel turned to go, Saul grabbed the hem of his robe, and it tore. / So Samuel said to him, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor who is better than you.

1 Samuel 24:4-5
So David’s men said to him, “This is the day about which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do with him as you wish.’” Then David crept up and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. / Afterward, David’s conscience was stricken because he had cut off the corner of Saul’s robe.

1 Samuel 28:17
He has done exactly what He spoke through me: The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor David.

2 Samuel 7:15-16
But My loving devotion will never be removed from him as I removed it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. / Your house and kingdom will endure forever before Me, and your throne will be established forever.”

2 Samuel 12:10-11
Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own.’ / This is what the LORD says: ‘I will raise up adversity against you from your own house. Before your very eyes I will take your wives and give them to another, and he will lie with them in broad daylight.

2 Samuel 20:1
Now a worthless man named Sheba son of Bichri, a Benjamite, happened to be there, and he blew the ram’s horn and shouted: “We have no share in David, no inheritance in Jesse’s son. Every man to his tent, O Israel!”

1 Kings 12:15-16
So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite. / When all Israel saw that the king had refused to listen to them, they answered the king: “What portion do we have in David, and what inheritance in the son of Jesse? To your tents, O Israel! Look now to your own house, O David!” So the Israelites went home,

1 Kings 14:8
I tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you. But you have not been like My servant David, who kept My commandments and followed Me with all his heart, doing only what was right in My eyes.

1 Kings 14:10
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!

1 Kings 14:14
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!

2 Kings 17:21
When the LORD had torn Israel away from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, and Jeroboam led Israel away from following the LORD and caused them to commit a great sin.

Isaiah 7:17
The LORD will bring on you and on your people and on the house of your father a time unlike any since the day Ephraim separated from Judah—He will bring the king of Assyria.”

Isaiah 9:6-7
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. / Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.

Jeremiah 33:17
For this is what the LORD says: David will never lack a man to sit on the throne of the house of Israel,

Hosea 3:4-5
For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or idol. / Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to His goodness in the last days.


Treasury of Scripture

And Ahijah caught the new garment that was on him, and rent it in twelve pieces:

rent it

1 Samuel 15:27,28
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent…

1 Samuel 24:4,5
And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the LORD said unto thee, Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand, that thou mayest do to him as it shall seem good unto thee. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily…

Jump to Previous
Ahijah Ahi'jah Caught Cloak Garment Hands Hold Laid New Parting Pieces Rendeth Rent Robe Seized Tore Twelve Violently Wearing
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Ahijah Ahi'jah Caught Cloak Garment Hands Hold Laid New Parting Pieces Rendeth Rent Robe Seized Tore Twelve Violently Wearing
1 Kings 11
1. Solomon's wives and concubines
4. In his old age they draw him to idolatry
9. God threatens him,
14. Solomon's adversaries were Hadad, who was entertained in Egypt
23. Rezon, who reigned in Damascus
26. And Jeroboam, to whom Ahijah prophesied
41. Solomon's acts, reign, and death. Rehoboam succeeds him














And Ahijah
Ahijah the Shilonite was a prophet during the reign of Solomon. His name means "brother of Yahweh" or "Yahweh is my brother," indicating a close relationship with God. Prophets in Israel were God's mouthpieces, often delivering messages of both judgment and hope. Ahijah's role here is pivotal as he acts as a divine messenger, setting the stage for a significant shift in Israel's history.

took hold of
This phrase signifies a deliberate and purposeful action. In the Hebrew context, taking hold of something often implies authority and intention. Ahijah's action is not random but a symbolic gesture directed by God to convey a profound message to Jeroboam, Solomon's servant.

the new cloak
The cloak, or "mantle," in ancient Israelite culture, was more than just a garment; it symbolized authority and identity. The fact that it was "new" suggests a fresh beginning or a new phase. In the prophetic tradition, a cloak could also represent the prophetic office or the anointing of God. Ahijah's use of a new cloak underscores the newness of the impending change in Israel's leadership.

he was wearing
This detail emphasizes the personal nature of the prophecy. Ahijah uses his own garment, indicating that the message is directly from him as God's representative. It also suggests immediacy and personal investment in the prophetic act, as he sacrifices his own cloak to deliver God's message.

tore it into twelve pieces
Tearing a garment in the Hebrew tradition often symbolizes mourning, distress, or a significant change. The number twelve is significant in Israel's history, representing the twelve tribes descended from the sons of Jacob. By tearing the cloak into twelve pieces, Ahijah visually and symbolically communicates the division of the united kingdom of Israel. This act foreshadows the splitting of the kingdom after Solomon's reign, with ten tribes forming the northern kingdom of Israel under Jeroboam and two tribes remaining with the house of David in the southern kingdom of Judah.

(30) Rent it in twelve pieces.--The use of symbolical acts is frequent in subsequent prophecy (especially see Jeremiah 13:1; Jeremiah 19:1; Jeremiah 27:2; Ezekiel 4, 5, Ezekiel 12:1-7; Ezekiel 24:3; Ezekiel 24:15), often alternating with symbolical visions and symbolical parables or allegories. The object is, of course, to arrest attention, and call out the inquiry (Ezekiel 24:19): "Wilt thou not tell us what these things are to us?" Ahijah's rending of his own new garment is used, like Saul's rending of Samuel's mantle (1Samuel 15:27-28), to symbolise the rending away of the kingdom. (See 1Kings 11:11-13.) . . . Verse 30. - And Ahijah caught [This English word almost implies that it was Jeroboam's garment (cf. Genesis 39:12); but the original simply means "laid hold of."] the new garment that was on him, and rent [same word as in vers. 11, 12, 13] it in twelve pieces. [The first instance of an "acted parable" (Rawlinson).]

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
And Ahijah
אֲחִיָּ֔ה (’ă·ḥî·yāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 281: Ahijah -- 'brother of Yah', an Israelite name

took hold
וַיִּתְפֹּ֣שׂ (way·yiṯ·pōś)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8610: To manipulate, seize, chiefly to capture, wield, to overlay, to use unwarrantably

of the new
הַחֲדָשָׁ֖ה (ha·ḥă·ḏā·šāh)
Article | Adjective - feminine singular
Strong's 2319: New

cloak
בַּשַּׂלְמָ֥ה (baś·śal·māh)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 8008: A wrapper, mantle

he was wearing,
עָלָ֑יו (‘ā·lāw)
Preposition | third person masculine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

tore it
וַיִּ֨קְרָעֶ֔הָ (way·yiq·rā·‘e·hā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person feminine singular
Strong's 7167: To rend

into twelve
שְׁנֵ֥ים (šə·nêm)
Number - md
Strong's 8147: Two (a cardinal number)

pieces,
קְרָעִֽים׃ (qə·rā·‘îm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 7168: Torn piece (of garment), a rag


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OT History: 1 Kings 11:30 Ahijah laid hold of the new garment (1Ki iKi i Ki 1 Kg 1kg)
1 Kings 11:29
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