◄ 1 Kings 12:17 ►
but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.
Study Bible
but Rehoboam still reigned
Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, became king after Solomon's death. His reign marks a significant turning point in Israel's history, as it led to the division of the united kingdom. Despite the rebellion of the northern tribes, Rehoboam retained control over the southern kingdom. This phrase highlights the continuation of the Davidic line, which is significant in biblical prophecy concerning the Messiah, who is foretold to come from David's lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

over the Israelites
The term "Israelites" here refers specifically to the people of the southern kingdom, Judah, who remained under Rehoboam's rule. This distinction is crucial as it sets the stage for the divided monarchy: Israel in the north and Judah in the south. The division fulfilled the prophecy given to Jeroboam by the prophet Ahijah (1 Kings 11:29-31), indicating God's sovereign plan despite human actions.

living in the cities of Judah
Judah, the southern kingdom, included the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. The cities of Judah were significant centers of worship and governance, with Jerusalem as the capital. This region held the temple, the central place of worship for the Israelites, which maintained its religious significance even after the kingdom's division. The phrase underscores the geographical and political boundaries that defined Rehoboam's reign and the continuity of worship practices centered in Jerusalem.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Rehoboam
The son of Solomon and the king of Judah. His reign marks the division of the united kingdom of Israel into two separate kingdoms: Israel and Judah.

2. Israelites in Judah
These are the people from the tribes of Israel who resided in the cities of Judah. Despite the division, they remained under Rehoboam's rule.

3. Judah
The southern kingdom that remained loyal to Rehoboam. It consisted primarily of the tribes of Judah and Benjamin.

4. Division of the Kingdom
This event marks a significant turning point in Israel's history, where the united monarchy split into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah).

5. Jeroboam
Although not directly mentioned in this verse, he is a key figure in the context. He became the king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
The division of the kingdom was a direct result of Solomon's disobedience to God. This serves as a reminder of the importance of faithfulness to God's commands.

Leadership and Wisdom
Rehoboam's failure to listen to wise counsel led to the division. This highlights the need for leaders to seek and heed godly wisdom.

Unity in the Body of Christ
Just as the division weakened Israel, division within the church can weaken our witness. We are called to strive for unity and peace.

God's Sovereignty
Despite human failures, God's purposes prevail. The division was part of God's plan, showing His control over history.

Faithfulness in Adversity
The Israelites in Judah remained under Rehoboam's rule, demonstrating loyalty and faithfulness even in challenging times.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the division of the kingdom in 1 Kings 12:17 illustrate the consequences of turning away from God's commands?

2. In what ways can we apply the lessons of Rehoboam's leadership to our own roles in leadership or decision-making?

3. How does the division of Israel and Judah serve as a warning against division within the church today?

4. What does this passage teach us about God's sovereignty and His ability to work through human history, even when it seems chaotic?

5. How can we remain faithful and loyal to God and His appointed leaders, even when circumstances are difficult or divisive?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 11:11-13
This passage provides the background for the division of the kingdom, where God tells Solomon that the kingdom will be torn from his son due to Solomon's idolatry.

2 Chronicles 10:17
This parallel account provides additional details about the division and Rehoboam's reign over Judah.

Matthew 12:25
Jesus speaks about a kingdom divided against itself, which can be related to the division of Israel and Judah as a historical example of internal division leading to weakness.
Sermons
The Accomplishment of the Predicted JudgmentJ. Urquhart 1 Kings 12:1-20
Revolt of the Ten TribesM. R. Vincent, D. D.1 Kings 12:2-20
Revolt of the Ten TribesMonday Club Sermons1 Kings 12:2-20
The Kingdom DividedB. P. Raymond.1 Kings 12:2-20
The Kingdom DividedJ. B. G. Pidge, D. D.1 Kings 12:2-20
Tribal Causes of SchismA. Maclaren, D. D.1 Kings 12:2-20
The RevolutionJ.A. Macdonald 1 Kings 12:16-20
People
Adoniram, Adoram, Ahijah, Benjamin, Dan, David, Israelites, Jeroboam, Jesse, Levi, Levites, Nebat, Penuel, Rehoboam, Shemaiah, Solomon
Places
Bethel, Dan, Egypt, Jerusalem, Penuel, Shechem
Topics
Cities, Dwelling, Dwelt, Judah, Rehoboam, Rehobo'am, Reign, Reigned, Ruled, Sons, Towns
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Kings 12:1-17

     7233   Israel, northern kingdom

1 Kings 12:1-19

     7236   Israel, united kingdom

1 Kings 12:1-24

     5366   king
     7245   Judah, kingdom of

1 Kings 12:16-17

     5834   disagreement

1 Kings 12:16-19

     7240   Jerusalem, history

Library
How to Split a Kingdom
And Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel were come to Shechem to make him king. 2. And it came to pass, when Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who was yet in Egypt, heard of it (for he was fled from the presence of king Solomon, and Jeroboam dwelt in Egypt); 3. That they sent and called him. And Jeroboam and all the congregation of Israel came, and spake unto Rehoboam, saying, 4. Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

Political Religion
'Then Jeroboam built Shechera in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel. 26. And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David: 27. If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah. 28. Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"This Thing is from Me"
"Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me."--1 Kings 12:24. IT IS VERY DELIGHTFUL to read a history in which God is made prominent. How sadly deficient we are of such histories of our own English nation! Yet surely there is no story that is more full of God than the record of the doings of our British race. Cowper, in one of his poems, shows the parallel between us and the house of Israel, …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 42: 1896

The Hebrews and the Philistines --Damascus
THE ISRAELITES IN THE LAND OF CANAAN: THE JUDGES--THE PHILISTINES AND THE HEBREW KINGDOM--SAUL, DAVID, SOLOMON, THE DEFECTION OF THE TEN TRIBES--THE XXIst EGYPTIAN DYNASTY--SHESHONQ OR SHISHAK DAMASCUS. The Hebrews in the desert: their families, clans, and tribes--The Amorites and the Hebrews on the left bank of the Jordan--The conquest of Canaan and the native reaction against the Hebrews--The judges, Ehud, Deborah, Jerubbaal or Gideon and the Manassite supremacy; Abimelech, Jephihdh. The Philistines, …
G. Maspero—History Of Egypt, Chaldaea, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, V 6

How God Works in the Hearts of Men.
1. Connection of this chapter with the preceding. Augustine's similitude of a good and bad rider. Question answered in respect to the devil. 2. Question answered in respect to God and man. Example from the history of Job. The works of God distinguished from the works of Satan and wicked men. 1. By the design or end of acting. How Satan acts in the reprobate. 2. How God acts in them. 3. Old Objection, that the agency of God in such cases is referable to prescience or permission, not actual operation. …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Use to be Made of the Doctrine of Providence.
Sections. 1. Summary of the doctrine of Divine Providence. 1. It embraces the future and the past. 2. It works by means, without means, and against means. 3. Mankind, and particularly the Church, the object of special care. 4. The mode of administration usually secret, but always just. This last point more fully considered. 2. The profane denial that the world is governed by the secret counsel of God, refuted by passages of Scripture. Salutary counsel. 3. This doctrine, as to the secret counsel of …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Upbringing of Jewish Children
The tenderness of the bond which united Jewish parents to their children appears even in the multiplicity and pictorialness of the expressions by which the various stages of child-life are designated in the Hebrew. Besides such general words as "ben" and "bath"--"son" and "daughter"--we find no fewer than nine different terms, each depicting a fresh stage of life. The first of these simply designates the babe as the newly--"born"--the "jeled," or, in the feminine, "jaldah"--as in Exodus 2:3, 6, 8. …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Instrumentality of the Wicked Employed by God, While He Continues Free from Every Taint.
1. The carnal mind the source of the objections which are raised against the Providence of God. A primary objection, making a distinction between the permission and the will of God, refuted. Angels and men, good and bad, do nought but what has been decreed by God. This proved by examples. 2. All hidden movements directed to their end by the unseen but righteous instigation of God. Examples, with answers to objections. 3. These objections originate in a spirit of pride and blasphemy. Objection, that …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

The Twelve Minor Prophets.
1. By the Jewish arrangement, which places together the twelve minor prophets in a single volume, the chronological order of the prophets as a whole is broken up. The three greater prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, stand in the true order of time. Daniel began to prophesy before Ezekiel, but continued, many years after him. The Jewish arrangement of the twelve minor prophets is in a sense chronological; that is, they put the earlier prophets at the beginning, and the later at the end of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Of Civil Government.
OF CIVIL GOVERNMENT. This chapter consists of two principal heads,--I. General discourse on the necessity, dignity, and use of Civil Government, in opposition to the frantic proceedings of the Anabaptists, sec. 1-3. II. A special exposition of the three leading parts of which Civil Government consists, sec. 4-32. The first part treats of the function of Magistrates, whose authority and calling is proved, sec. 4-7. Next, the three Forms of civil government are added, sec. 8. Thirdly, Consideration …
John Calvin—The Institutes of the Christian Religion

Travelling in Palestine --Roads, Inns, Hospitality, Custom-House Officers, Taxation, Publicans
It was the very busiest road in Palestine, on which the publican Levi Matthew sat at the receipt of "custom," when our Lord called him to the fellowship of the Gospel, and he then made that great feast to which he invited his fellow-publicans, that they also might see and hear Him in Whom he had found life and peace (Luke 5:29). For, it was the only truly international road of all those which passed through Palestine; indeed, it formed one of the great highways of the world's commerce. At the time …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

The Figurative Language of Scripture.
1. When the psalmist says: "The Lord God is a sun and shield" (Psa. 84:11), he means that God is to all his creatures the source of life and blessedness, and their almighty protector; but this meaning he conveys under the figure of a sun and a shield. When, again, the apostle James says that Moses is read in the synagogues every Sabbath-day (Acts 15:21), he signifies the writings of Moses under the figure of his name. In these examples the figure lies in particular words. But it may be embodied …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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