CLARITY EDITION · OLD TESTAMENT
1 Kings 14
Chapter 14 of 22
Chapter Overview
What happens in 1 Kings 14
Jeroboam's son becomes sick, and the prophet Ahijah delivers a devastating message about the future of Jeroboam's family. The chapter then shifts to Judah, where Rehoboam's reign is marked by idol worship and an invasion by Egypt.
Scripture
1 Kings 14
Ahijah's Prophecy Against Jeroboam's Family
Study note
When Jeroboam's son Abijah became sick, Jeroboam sent his wife in disguise to the prophet Ahijah at Shiloh. Though Ahijah was now blind, God told him she was coming. He delivered a terrible message: because Jeroboam had done more evil than anyone before him, God would wipe out his entire family. The sick child would die the moment his mother stepped into the city, and he would be the only member of Jeroboam's family to receive a proper burial, because he was the only one in whom God found anything good.
1 Around that time, Jeroboam's son Abijah became seriously ill. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam fell sick.
2 Jeroboam told his wife, "Put on a disguise so nobody recognizes you as my wife. Then travel to Shiloh, where the prophet Ahijah lives -- the one who told me I would become king." And 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.
3 "Bring along ten loaves of bread, some cakes, and a jar of honey. Go see him, and he will tell you what will happen to our boy." And 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.
4 Jeroboam's wife did as he said. She traveled to Shiloh and went to Ahijah's house. By this time, Ahijah had lost his sight because of his old age. And 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.
5 But the Lord had already told Ahijah, "Jeroboam's wife is on her way to ask about her sick son. Here is what you should tell her." When she arrived at his door, she was in disguise. And 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.
6 But the moment Ahijah heard her footsteps, he called out, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam! Why the disguise? I have difficult news for you." And 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.
7 "Go tell Jeroboam what Israel's God says. 'I picked you from common people. I made you the leader of my people Israel.'" Go, 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,
8 "I ripped the kingdom away from David's family and handed it to you. But you have not been like my servant David, who followed my commands and devoted his whole heart to doing only what pleased me." And 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;
9 "You have behaved worse than anyone who came before you. You created other gods for yourself -- metal images -- to insult me. You have tossed me aside." But 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:
10 "Because of this, I am going to bring disaster crashing down on Jeroboam's family. I will destroy every last male in his line, whether slave or free. I will sweep away Jeroboam's house the way someone sweeps away garbage." Therefore, 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.
11 "Any of Jeroboam's family who die in the city will be devoured by dogs. Any who die out in the fields will be eaten by scavenging birds. The Lord has spoken." Him 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.
12 "Now go home. The moment you set foot in your city, the boy will die." Arise thou therefore, get thee to thine own house: and when thy feet enter into the city, the child shall die.
13 "All Israel will be sad for him and give him a proper burial. He will be the only one in Jeroboam's family to get a proper burial. He is the only one the Lord found anything good in." And 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.
14 "The Lord will raise up a new king over Israel who will wipe out Jeroboam's family. And it will happen very soon." Moreover the LORD shall raise him up a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam that day: but what? even now.
15 "The Lord will strike Israel like a reed swaying in the water. He will pull Israel out of this good land he gave their ancestors. He will scatter them beyond the Euphrates River, because they set up Asherah poles and made the Lord angry." For 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.
16 "He will give up on Israel. This is because of the sins Jeroboam did. He also led all of Israel into sin." And he shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin.
17 Jeroboam's wife got up and made the journey back to Tirzah. The very instant she stepped across the threshold of her home, the boy died. And Jeroboam's wife arose, and departed, and came to Tirzah: and when she came to the threshold of the door, the child died;
18 They buried him, and all Israel mourned for him, exactly as the Lord had said through his servant the prophet Ahijah. And 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.
Jeroboam's Death and Nadab's Reign
Study note
Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years. After he died, his son Nadab became king of Israel.
19 All else Jeroboam did is in the records of Israel's kings. His wars and his rule are there. And 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.
20 Jeroboam reigned for twenty-two years. When he died, his son Nadab took his place on the throne. And the days which Jeroboam reigned were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers, and Nadab his son reigned in his stead.
Rehoboam's Wicked Reign in Judah
Study note
Rehoboam ruled Judah for seventeen years. Under his reign, Judah also fell into terrible sin, building hilltop shrines, setting up sacred pillars and Asherah poles, and practicing all the detestable things of the nations God had driven out of the land.
21 Meanwhile, in Judah, Rehoboam son of Solomon became king. He was forty-one when he started his reign and ruled seventeen years from Jerusalem -- the city the Lord had chosen from all of Israel's tribes to bear his name. His mother was Naamah, an Ammonite. And 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.
22 The people of Judah did what was evil in the Lord's sight. Their sins provoked the Lord's jealousy even more than their ancestors had. And 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.
23 They built hilltop shrines. They set up stone pillars and idol poles on every high ridge. They put them under every shady tree. For they also built them high places, and images, and groves, on every high hill, and under every green tree.
24 There were even male shrine prostitutes throughout the land. The people copied all the disgusting practices of the nations the Lord had driven out to make room for Israel. And 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.
Egypt Plunders Jerusalem
Study note
In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of both the temple and the royal palace, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields. There was constant warfare between Rehoboam and Jeroboam. When Rehoboam died, his son Abijam became king.
25 During Rehoboam's fifth year as king, Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem. And it came to pass in the fifth year of king Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem:
26 He looted the Lord's temple and the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made. And 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.
27 King Rehoboam replaced them with bronze shields. He gave them to the officers who guarded the palace. And 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.
28 Whenever the king went to the Lord's temple, the guards carried the shields along. Afterward they brought them back to the guardroom. And 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.
29 The rest of what Rehoboam did is written in the official records of the kings of Judah. Now 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?
30 Rehoboam and Jeroboam were at war with each other the entire time. And there was war between Rehoboam and Jeroboam all their days.
31 Rehoboam died and was buried alongside his ancestors in the City of David. His mother was Naamah the Ammonite. His son Abijam became the next king. And 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.
Key Themes
Themes in 1 Kings 14
God sees through our disguises and deceptionsThe generational consequences of unfaithful leadershipEven in judgment, God notices what is goodThe rapid erosion of spiritual heritage
Apply This Today
Living 1 Kings 14
Jeroboam's wife disguised herself, but the blind prophet saw right through the deception because God revealed it. We cannot hide from God. He sees our true motives and intentions. The encouraging note is that God also noticed the one good thing in Jeroboam's dying son, reminding us that God always sees and values genuine faith, however small.
Go Deeper
Study 1 Kings in Covenant Path
Read every chapter with study aids, bookmarks, and daily reading plans — free in the app.