1 Kings — Chapter 14

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1At that time Abijah son of Jeroboam became ill,

2and 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.

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 boy.”

4Jeroboam’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.

5But 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.”

6So 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.

7Go, 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.

8I 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.

9You 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.

10Because 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!

11Anyone 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.

12As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.

13All 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.

14Moreover, 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!

15For 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.

16So He will give Israel over on account of the sins Jeroboam has committed and has caused Israel to commit.”

17Then Jeroboam’s wife got up and departed for Tirzah, and as soon as she stepped over the threshold of the house, the boy died.

18And they buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word that the LORD had spoken through His servant Ahijah the prophet.

19As 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.

20And the length of Jeroboam’s reign was twenty-two years, and he rested with his fathers, and his son Nadab reigned in his place.

21Meanwhile, 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.

22And 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.

23They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

24There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

25In the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Shishak king of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.

26He 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.

27Then 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.

28And whenever the king entered the house of the LORD, the guards would bear the shields, and later they would return them to the guardroom.

29As 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?

30There was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam throughout their days.

31And 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.

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.

2And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, which told me that I should be king over this people.

3And take with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he shall tell thee what shall become of the child.

4And Jeroboam’s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

5And the LORD said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to ask a thing of thee for her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her: for it shall be, when she cometh in, that she shall feign herself to be another woman.

6And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

7Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

8And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee: and yet thou hast 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 mine eyes;

9But hast done evil above all that were before thee: for thou hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

10Therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up and left in Israel, and will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as a man taketh away dung, till it be all gone.

11Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the fowls of the air eat: for the LORD hath spoken it.

12Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

13And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam.

14Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.

15For the LORD shall smite Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water, and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river, because they have made their groves, provoking the LORD to anger.

16And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.

17And Jeroboam’s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;

18And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by the hand of his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

22And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they had committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.

24And there were also sodomites in the land: and they did according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out before the children of Israel.

25And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:

26And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king’s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

27And king Rehoboam made in their stead brasen shields, and committed them unto the hands of the chief of the guard, which kept the door of the king’s house.

28And it was so, when the king went into the house of the LORD, that the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard chamber.

29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.

31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David. And his mother’s name was Naamah an Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

1At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.

2And Jeroboam said to his wife, Arise, I pray thee, and disguise thyself, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam; and get thee to Shiloh: behold, there is Ahijah the prophet, who spake concerning me that I should be king over this people.

3And take with thee ten loaves, and cakes, and a cruse of honey, and go to him: he will tell thee what shall become of the child.

4And Jeroboam`s wife did so, and arose, and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; for his eyes were set by reason of his age.

5And Jehovah said unto Ahijah, Behold, the wife of Jeroboam cometh to inquire of thee concerning her son; for he is sick: thus and thus shalt thou say unto her; for it will be, when she cometh in, that she will feign herself to be another woman.

6And it was so, when Ahijah heard the sound of her feet, as she came in at the door, that he said, Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.

7Go, tell Jeroboam, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel: Forasmuch as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel,

8and rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it thee; and yet thou hast 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 mine eyes,

9but hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast gone and made thee other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:

10therefore, behold, I will bring evil upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every man-child, him that is shut up and him that is left at large in Israel, and will utterly sweep away the house of Jeroboam, as a man sweepeth away dung, till it be all gone.

11Him that dieth of Jeroboam in the city shall the dogs eat; and him that dieth in the field shall the birds of the heavens eat: for Jehovah hath spoken it.

12Arise thou therefore, get thee to thy house: [and] when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.

13And all Israel shall mourn for him, and bury him; for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, because in him there is found some good thing toward Jehovah, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

14Moreover Jehovah will raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.

15For Jehovah will smite 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 Asherim, provoking Jehovah to anger.

16And he will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he hath sinned, and wherewith he hath made Israel to sin.

17And Jeroboam`s wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: [and] as she came to the threshold of the house, the child died.

18And all Israel buried him, and mourned for him, according to the word of Jehovah, which he spake by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

19And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he warred, and how he reigned, behold, they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel.

20And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.

21And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Jehovah had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there: and his mother`s name was Naamah the Ammonitess.

22And Judah did that which was evil in the sight of Jehovah, and they provoked him to jealousy with their sins which they committed, above all that their fathers had done.

23For they also built them high places, and pillars, and Asherim, on every high hill, and under every green tree;

24and there were also sodomites in the land: they did according to all the abominations of the nations which Jehovah drove out before the children of Israel.

25And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem;

26and he took away the treasures of the house of Jehovah, and the treasures of the king`s house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

27And king Rehoboam made in their stead shields of brass, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king`s house.

28And it was so, that, as oft as the king went into the house of Jehovah, the guard bare them, and brought them back into the guard-chamber.

29Now the rest of the acts of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah?

30And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam continually.

31And Rehoboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with his fathers in the city of David: and his mother`s name was Naamah the Ammonitess. And Abijam his son reigned in his stead.

1At that time Jeroboam’s son Abijah became sick.

2Jeroboam told his wife, “Disguise yourself so that people cannot recognize you are Jeroboam’s wife. Then go to Shiloh; Ahijah the prophet, who told me I would rule over this nation, lives there.

3Take 10 loaves of bread, some small cakes, and a container of honey and visit him. He will tell you what will happen to the boy.”

4Jeroboam’s wife did as she was told. She went to Shiloh and visited Ahijah. Now Ahijah could not see; he had lost his eyesight in his old age.

5But the Lord had told Ahijah, “Look, Jeroboam’s wife is coming to find out from you what will happen to her son, for he is sick. Tell her such and such. When she comes, she will be in a disguise.”

6When Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, “Come on in, wife of Jeroboam! Why are you pretending to be someone else? I have been commissioned to give you bad news.

7Go, tell Jeroboam, ‘This is what the Lord God of Israel has said: “I raised you up from among the people and made you ruler over my people Israel.

8I tore the kingdom away from the Davidic dynasty and gave it to you. But you are not like my servant David, who kept my commandments and followed me wholeheartedly by doing only what I approve.

9You have sinned more than all who came before you. You went and angered me by making other gods, formed out of metal; you have completely disregarded me.

10So I am ready to bring disaster on the dynasty of Jeroboam. I will cut off every last male belonging to Jeroboam in Israel, including even the weak and incapacitated. I will burn up the dynasty of Jeroboam, just as one burns manure until it is completely consumed.

11Dogs will eat the members of your family who die in the city, and the birds of the sky will eat the ones who die in the country.”’ Indeed, the Lord has announced it!

12“As for you, get up and go home. When you set foot in the city, the boy will die.

13All Israel will mourn him and bury him. He is the only one in Jeroboam’s family who will receive a decent burial, for he is the only one in whom the Lord God of Israel found anything good.

14The Lord will raise up a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s dynasty. It is ready to happen!

15The Lord will attack Israel, making it like a reed that sways in the water. He will remove Israel from this good land he gave to their ancestors and scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they angered the Lord by making Asherah poles.

16He will hand Israel over to their enemies because of the sins which Jeroboam committed and which he made Israel commit.”

17So Jeroboam’s wife got up and went back to Tirzah. As she crossed the threshold of the house, the boy died.

18All Israel buried him and mourned for him, in keeping with the Lord’s message that he had spoken through his servant, the prophet Ahijah.

19The rest of the events of Jeroboam’s reign, including the details of his battles and rule, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Israel.

20Jeroboam ruled for 22 years; then he passed away. His son Nadab replaced him as king.

21Now Rehoboam son of Solomon ruled in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he ruled for 17 years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all the tribes of Israel to be his home. His mother was an Ammonite woman named Naamah.

22Judah did evil in the sight of the Lord. They made him more jealous by their sins than their ancestors had done.

23They even built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree.

24There were also male cultic prostitutes in the land. They committed the same horrible sins as the nations that the Lord had driven out from before the Israelites.

25In King Rehoboam’s fifth year, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem.

26He took away the treasures of the Lord’s temple and of the royal palace; he took everything, including all the golden shields that Solomon had made.

27King Rehoboam made bronze shields to replace them and assigned them to the officers of the royal guard who protected the entrance to the royal palace.

28Whenever the king visited the Lord’s temple, the royal guard carried them and then brought them back to the guardroom.

29The rest of the events of Rehoboam’s reign, including his accomplishments, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of the Kings of Judah.

30Rehoboam and Jeroboam were continually at war with each other.

31Rehoboam passed away and was buried with his ancestors in the City of David. His mother was an Ammonite named Naamah. His son Abijah replaced him as king.

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 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.

5Yahweh 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, ‘Yahweh, 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 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 he who belongs to Jeroboam who dies in the city; and the birds of the sky will eat he who dies in the field: for Yahweh 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 Yahweh, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.

14Moreover Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh’s word, which he spoke by his servant Ahijah the prophet.

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.

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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh’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 Yahweh 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 Yahweh’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 brass in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who kept the door of the king’s house.

28It was so, that as often as the king went into Yahweh’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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Summary

When Jeroboam's son Abijah falls ill, Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to the blind prophet Ahijah, but God reveals her identity in advance and Ahijah delivers a devastating message: because of Jeroboam's idolatry, God will wipe out his house, and the child will die the moment she reaches home (vv. 1-16). The boy dies as she crosses the threshold, closing out Jeroboam's twenty-two-year reign (vv. 17-20). Rehoboam's reign in Judah is marked by the same idolatry, provoking God to let Egypt's King Shishak plunder the temple and palace treasures, including Solomon's gold shields, which Rehoboam replaces with bronze (vv. 21-28), amid ongoing war between the two kings (vv. 29-31) — both kingdoms sliding into judgment under compromised worship.

Authorship & Background

Author: Unknown, traditionally attributed to Jeremiah or a prophetic school. Originally one book with 2 Kings in the Hebrew Bible. Covers approximately 120 years (970-850 BC) — from David's death through Ahaziah's reign.
Historical Context: Chapter 14 is the chapter of consequences. The kingdom has been divided (ch.12), Jeroboam has established his counterfeit worship system with golden calves at Dan and Bethel (ch.12-13), and now the bill comes due. The chapter divides into two parallel narratives of judgment: Jeroboam's house in Israel (vv.1-20) and Rehoboam's reign in Judah (vv.21-31). Both kings fail — one through deliberate innovation of false worship, the other through passive tolerance of pagan practices. The chapter demonstrates that the division of the kingdom did not produce one faithful nation and one unfaithful one — both are under judgment. Jeroboam's sick son Abijah becomes the occasion for God's devastating verdict on Jeroboam's dynasty. The prophet Ahijah — the same man who promised Jeroboam the kingdom (11:29-39) — now pronounces its destruction. Meanwhile in Judah, Rehoboam presides over a nation that sinks into Canaanite abominations, and Pharaoh Shishak's invasion strips away the golden glory of Solomon's era. The gold shields become bronze — a perfect symbol of the entire chapter: what was glorious has become cheap imitation.
Classification: Historical Narrative
Key Themes: A disguise sent to a prophet who already knows she is coming before she arrives, heavy tidings delivered to a queen still standing at the door in her costume, a child's death timed to the exact moment her feet cross the threshold, Judah descending into the same abominations the Canaanites were displaced for practicing, and gold shields replaced with bronze after Shishak's invasion, kept up with the same ceremony but none of the substance
Jeroboam's Son Falls Ill (vv.1-4): Jeroboam's son Abijah falls sick, and Jeroboam sends his wife in disguise to the prophet Ahijah at Shiloh. The disguise reveals Jeroboam's spiritual condition: he wants God's prophet to help him, but he does not want to face God's prophet honestly. He knows his relationship with God is broken — the disguise is an admission of guilt. He sends his wife rather than going himself. He sends gifts (ten loaves, cracknels, honey) — a commoner's offering, not a king's, to maintain the deception. Yet he still turns to Ahijah — the true prophet — not to his own golden calves. In crisis, even apostates know where truth resides. Ahijah is now old and blind ("his eyes were set by reason of his age"), but God's revelation does not depend on physical sight.
Ahijah's Prophecy Against Jeroboam (vv.5-16): God tells Ahijah the disguised woman is coming before she arrives — the disguise is useless before omniscience. Ahijah's greeting is devastating: "Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam; why feignest thou thyself to be another? for I am sent to thee with heavy tidings" (v.6). The prophecy recounts God's grace to Jeroboam (exalted from the people, given the kingdom torn from David's house) and then indicts him: "thou hast done evil above all that were before thee" (v.9). The specific charge: making "other gods, and molten images" and casting God "behind thy back." The judgment is total: every male of Jeroboam's house will be cut off, their bodies left for dogs and birds — the ultimate disgrace in the ancient world. Only the sick child Abijah will receive proper burial "because in him there is found some good thing toward the LORD" (v.13). The child's death is actually mercy — he is spared from seeing the destruction to come. The prophecy extends beyond Jeroboam to all Israel: scattered "beyond the river" (v.15) — a prophecy of the Assyrian exile fulfilled in 722 BC, over 200 years later.
The Child Dies (vv.17-20): Jeroboam's wife returns to Tirzah (the capital), and "when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died" (v.17). The timing is precise — exactly as Ahijah said: "when thy feet enter into the city." God's word is fulfilled to the letter. Jeroboam reigns 22 years total and dies; Nadab succeeds him.
Rehoboam's Reign in Judah (vv.21-24): The narrative shifts south. Rehoboam reigns 17 years in Jerusalem. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonitess — one of Solomon's foreign wives. Under Rehoboam, Judah descends into full Canaanite paganism: high places, images (pillars), groves (Asherim) "on every high hill, and under every green tree" (v.23). Most shocking: "there were also sodomites in the land" (v.24) — male cult prostitutes associated with Canaanite fertility worship. They did "according to all the abominations of the nations which the LORD cast out." Judah has become what the Canaanites were — the very people God displaced to give Israel the land.
Shishak's Invasion (vv.25-28): In Rehoboam's fifth year, Pharaoh Shishak (Shoshenq I, confirmed by Egyptian records and the Bubastite Portal at Karnak) invades Jerusalem. He takes "the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house... all the shields of gold which Solomon had made" (v.26). Rehoboam replaces them with bronze shields. This is the chapter's central image: gold replaced by bronze. The glory of Solomon's kingdom is gone — what remains is a cheap substitute maintained with the same ceremony ("the guard bare them") but without the substance. The nation keeps up appearances while the reality has departed.
Rehoboam's Death (vv.29-31): Rehoboam dies after continual war with Jeroboam. His son Abijam succeeds him. The author twice mentions his mother Naamah the Ammonitess — emphasizing that Solomon's foreign marriages continue to bear bitter fruit in the next generation.

Map & Geography

  • Jerusalem is central — site of Solomon's Temple and royal palace; capital of the united kingdom, then of Judah (southern kingdom) after the division.
  • The kingdom divides after Solomon: Israel (north, capital eventually at Samaria) and Judah (south, capital Jerusalem).
  • Key locations: Gibeon (Solomon's dream, ch.3), Tyre (Hiram's city in Phoenicia, chs.5-7), Mount Carmel (Elijah vs. Baal prophets, ch.18), Zarephath (Sidonian widow, ch.17), Mount Horeb/Sinai (Elijah flees, ch.19), Ramoth-gilead (Ahab's death, ch.22).

Places on this map

  • JerusalemJerusalemA hill town about 2,500 feet up in the central spine of Judah, roughly 35 miles inland from the Mediterranean and 15 miles west of the Jordan. It sits on no trade route and has no river, which is why it mattered as a fortress and a sanctuary rather than as a market. Wikipedia
  • SamariaSebastia, West BankOmri bought a bare hill and built a capital on it, which gave the northern kingdom a fortress with no prior claim on it, the same calculation David made with Jerusalem. It commands the pass west toward the coastal plain. The name later spread to the whole region between Galilee and Judea. Wikipedia
  • TyreSour, LebanonOriginally an island fortress a half mile off the Phoenician coast, which is why it held out against Assyria and Babylon and only fell when Alexander built a causeway to it. That causeway silted up, and Tyre has been a peninsula ever since. Wikipedia
  • Phoeniciacoastal LebanonA narrow strip of coast backed hard against the Lebanon range, with too little farmland to feed itself and excellent harbours. That combination made its cities trade by sea, plant colonies as far as Spain, and supply Israel with timber, craftsmen and Jezebel. Wikipedia
  • Mount CarmelHaifa, IsraelA wooded limestone ridge that runs 15 miles from the coast inland, reaching about 1,700 feet and forcing the main north-south road through the passes at Megiddo. Rain clouds break on it first, which is why Elijah's contest over rain was staged here. Wikipedia
  • Mount SinaiJebel Musa, Sinai Peninsula, EgyptTraditionally Jebel Musa in the granite mountains of the southern Sinai peninsula, about 7,500 feet high. The identification dates from Christian monastic tradition rather than from the text, and other candidates have been proposed, but this has been the pilgrimage site since the fourth century. Wikipedia
  • Gileadnorthern JordanThe wooded highlands east of the Jordan between the Yarmuk and the Arnon, good grazing country and a source of the resin traded as balm. Being across the river left its tribes perpetually worried about being written out of Israel. Wikipedia
  • Gibeonel-Jib, West BankSix miles north-west of Jerusalem on the plateau, with an enormous rock-cut water system. Its people tricked Joshua into a treaty, and the tabernacle stood here in Solomon's early reign. Wikipedia
  • ZarephathSarafand, LebanonA Phoenician coastal village between Tyre and Sidon, outside Israel and inside Jezebel's home territory, where Elijah was fed through the drought by a widow. Wikipedia

Towns sit on their excavated or traditional site. Regions, rivers and seas are ringed rather than dotted, because for those a single point is only an anchor. Coastlines from Natural Earth.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik highlights the irony of Jeroboam's disguise: the man who created a false religion now sends his wife in a false identity to consult the true prophet. Jeroboam knows his golden calves cannot help — in crisis, he turns to the God he rejected. Guzik also emphasizes the gold-to-bronze replacement as a picture of spiritual decline: maintaining religious forms while the glory has departed.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

1 Kings 14 Summary: 5 Minute Bible Study
2BeLikeChrist

1 Kings 12-14 | An Upside-Down Exodus | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Trading Gold for Bronze - 1 Kings 14:26-27
David Guzik

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of the book of 1 Kings -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • What Crisis Reveals About Real Faith (vv.2-3) — With his son dying, Jeroboam doesn't turn to the golden calves he built but sends in secret to God's true prophet. What do you actually run to when life truly falls apart, and does that match what you claim to trust the rest of the time?
  • Nothing Is Hidden From God (v.6) — Jeroboam's wife disguises herself to fool a blind prophet, but God tells Ahijah exactly who is coming before she arrives. Where are you managing appearances with others, or even with yourself, while forgetting that God already sees the whole truth?
  • Mercy Hidden Inside a Hard Providence (v.13) — The one member of Jeroboam's household who receives an honorable burial is a child who dies young, spared from witnessing the destruction still to come on his family. Can you look back on a painful loss in your own life and recognize, even faintly, a mercy you didn't see at the time?
  • The Weight of Leading Others Into Sin (v.16) — Ahijah's judgment falls on Jeroboam not only for his own idolatry but for leading the whole nation into it with him. Whose faith or habits are shaped by your example, and are you leading them toward God or away from Him?
  • Keeping the Form After the Substance Is Gone (vv.26-28) — After Shishak strips Jerusalem's gold shields, Rehoboam replaces them with bronze and keeps the same ceremonial procession as if nothing had changed. Where in your own life might you be maintaining the outward routine of faith after the real substance has quietly drained out?