4 Thy father H1 made H7185 our yoke H5923 grievous: H7185 now therefore make thou the grievous H7186 service H5656 of thy father, H1 and his heavy H3515 yoke H5923 which he put H5414 upon us, lighter, H7043 and we will serve H5647 thee.
And he said, H559 This will be the manner H4941 of the king H4428 that shall reign H4427 over you: He will take H3947 your sons, H1121 and appoint H7760 them for himself, for his chariots, H4818 and to be his horsemen; H6571 and some shall run H7323 before H6440 his chariots. H4818 And he will appoint H7760 him captains H8269 over thousands, H505 and captains H8269 over fifties; H2572 and will set them to ear H2790 his ground, H2758 and to reap H7114 his harvest, H7105 and to make H6213 his instruments H3627 of war, H4421 and instruments H3627 of his chariots. H7393 And he will take H3947 your daughters H1323 to be confectionaries, H7548 and to be cooks, H2879 and to be bakers. H644 And he will take H3947 your fields, H7704 and your vineyards, H3754 and your oliveyards, H2132 even the best H2896 of them, and give H5414 them to his servants. H5650 And he will take the tenth H6237 of your seed, H2233 and of your vineyards, H3754 and give H5414 to his officers, H5631 and to his servants. H5650 And he will take H3947 your menservants, H5650 and your maidservants, H8198 and your goodliest H2896 young men, H970 and your asses, H2543 and put H6213 them to his work. H4399 He will take the tenth H6237 of your sheep: H6629 and ye shall be his servants. H5650 And ye shall cry out H2199 in that day H3117 because H6440 of your king H4428 which ye shall have chosen H977 you; and the LORD H3068 will not hear H6030 you in that day. H3117
Judah H3063 and Israel H3478 were many, H7227 as the sand H2344 which is by the sea H3220 in multitude, H7230 eating H398 and drinking, H8354 and making merry. H8056 And Solomon H8010 reigned H4910 over all kingdoms H4467 from the river H5104 unto the land H776 of the Philistines, H6430 and unto the border H1366 of Egypt: H4714 they brought H5066 presents, H4503 and served H5647 Solomon H8010 all the days H3117 of his life. H2416 And Solomon's H8010 provision H3899 for one H259 day H3117 was thirty H7970 measures H3734 of fine flour, H5560 and threescore H8346 measures H3734 of meal, H7058 Ten H6235 fat H1277 oxen, H1241 and twenty H6242 oxen H1241 out of the pastures, H7471 and an hundred H3967 sheep, H6629 beside harts, H354 and roebucks, H6643 and fallowdeer, H3180 and fatted H75 fowl. H1257 For he had dominion H7287 over all the region on this side H5676 the river, H5104 from Tiphsah H8607 even to Azzah, H5804 over all the kings H4428 on this side H5676 the river: H5104 and he had peace H7965 on all sides H5650 H5676 round about H5439 him. And Judah H3063 and Israel H3478 dwelt H3427 safely, H983 every man H376 under his vine H1612 and under his fig tree, H8384 from Dan H1835 even to Beersheba, H884 all the days H3117 of Solomon. H8010
But of the children H1121 of Israel H3478 did Solomon H8010 make H5414 no bondmen: H5650 but they were men H582 of war, H4421 and his servants, H5650 and his princes, H8269 and his captains, H7991 and rulers H8269 of his chariots, H7393 and his horsemen. H6571 These were the chief H8269 of the officers H5324 that were over Solomon's H8010 work, H4399 five H2568 hundred H3967 and fifty, H2572 which bare rule H7287 over the people H5971 that wrought H6213 in the work. H4399
Thy father H1 made our yoke H5923 grievous: H7185 now therefore ease H7043 thou somewhat the grievous H7186 servitude H5656 of thy father, H1 and his heavy H3515 yoke H5923 that he put H5414 upon us, and we will serve H5647 thee. And he said H559 unto them, Come again H7725 unto me after three H7969 days. H3117 And the people H5971 departed. H3212
Take G142 my G3450 yoke G2218 upon G1909 you, G5209 and G2532 learn G3129 of G575 me; G1700 for G3754 I am G1510 meek G4235 and G2532 lowly G5011 in heart: G2588 and G2532 ye shall find G2147 rest G372 unto your G5216 souls. G5590 For G1063 my G3450 yoke G2218 is easy, G5543 and G2532 my G3450 burden G5413 is G2076 light. G1645
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on 1 Kings 12
Commentary on 1 Kings 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
The glory of the kingdom of Israel was in its height and perfection in Solomon; it was long in coming to it, but it soon declined, and began to sink and wither in the very next reign, as we find in this chapter, where we have the kingdom divided, and thereby weakened and made little in comparison with what it had been. Here is,
1Ki 12:1-15
Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines, yet we read but of one son he had to bear up his name, and he a fool. It is said (Hos. 4:10), They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase. Sin is a bad way of building up a family. Rehoboam was the son of the wisest of men, yet did not inherit his father's wisdom, and then it stood him in little stead to inherit his father's throne. Neither wisdom nor grace runs in the blood. Solomon came to the crown very young, yet he was then a wise man. Rehoboam came to the crown at forty years old, when men will be wise if ever they will, yet he was then foolish. Wisdom does not go by age, nor is it the multitude of years nor the advantage of education that reaches it. Solomon's court was a mart of wisdom and the rendezvous of learned men, and Rehoboam was the darling of the court; and yet all was not sufficient to make him a wise man. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong. No dispute is made of Rehoboam's succession; upon the death of his father, he was immediately proclaimed. But,
1Ki 12:16-24
We have here the rending of the kingdom of the ten tribes from the house of David, to effect which,
1Ki 12:25-33
We have here the beginning of the reign of Jeroboam. He built Shechem first and then Penuel-beautified and fortified them, and probably had a palace in each of them for himself (v. 25), the former in Ephraim, the latter in Gad, on the other side Jordan. This might be proper; but he formed another project for the establishing of his kingdom which was fatal to the interests of religion in it.