Jeroboam I

The prophet Ahijah predicts that Jeroboam will become king of Israel.

Jeroboam ("increase of the people"), the son of Nebat, "an Ephrathite" (1 Kings 11:26-39), was the first king of the break-away ten tribes or Kingdom of Israel, over whom he reigned 22 years. As such, he was the founder of the northern Kingdom of Israel, which lasted under the Assyrian invasions and the exile of the Israelites in 722 B.C.E.

Biblical archaeologist William F. Albright has dated Jeroboam's reign to 922 B.C.E.-901 B.C.E., while Edwin R. Thiele offers the dates 931 B.C.E.-910 B.C.E.

Biblical data

Jeroboam was the son of a widow named Zeruah and while still young was promoted by Solomon to be chief superintendent of the bands of forced laborers from the tribe of Joseph (normally refering to both Ephraim and Manasseh) working on projects in Jerusalem.

Solomon, however, had incurred the disapproval of the prophet Ahijah by building high places to facilitate religious worship by his foreign wives. Specially named are the gods Molech of Ammon, and Chemosh of Moab, and the goddess Ashtoreth (Astarte) of Sidon.

Ahijah, a Shilohite and thus associated withe the shrine which formerly housed the sacred Ark of the Covenent which Solomon's father King David had caused to be removed to Jerusalem, recognized Jeroboam's potential and dramatically appointed him as the future leader of the Israelite rebellion against Jerusalem's central authority.

Ahijah the prophet of Shiloh met him on the way, wearing a new cloak. The two of them were alone out in the country, and Ahijah took hold of the new cloak he was wearing and tore it into twelve pieces. Then he said to Jeroboam, "Take ten pieces for yourself, for this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: 'See, I am going to tear the kingdom out of Solomon's hand and give you ten tribes. But for the sake of my servant David and the city of Jerusalem, which I have chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, he will have one tribe.(1 Kings 11:29-32)

Although Jeroboam's actions thereafter are not described, he soon came to be seen by Solomon as a threat, and the king now sought to kill him the potential rebel. Jeroboam fled to Egypt (1 Kings 11:29-40), where he remained for a length of time under the protection of Shoshenq I, probably identical to the biblical Shishak.

On the death of Solomon, Jeroboam returned to Israel around the time that Solomon's son Rehoboam was crowned at the northern city of Shechem. There Rehoboam rebuffed the requests of northern delegates to lighten their force labor requirements. This provoked a rebellion under the old battle cry:

What share do we have in David, what part in Jesse's son?

To your tents, O Israel! Look after your own house, O David!"

The northern tribes rallied to Jeroboam, who was proclaimed King of Israel, while Rehoboam was left with only the tribes of Judah and Simeon, whose territory was within Judah's borders. (1 Kings 12:1-20). The biblical record is ambiguous as to Rehoboam's military response. 1 Kings and by 2 Chronicles both report that he raised a powerful army to suppress the rebellion. However a prophet named Shemaiah proclaimed God's words as: "Do not go up to fight against your brothers, the Israelites." Rehoboam thus abandoned his plans for a full scale invasion. However, there are indications that another factor in Rehoboam's change of plans may have been an attack by Jeroboam's former protector, Shishak of Egypt. According to the biblical record, in the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, Shishak and his African allies invaded Judah in a campaign so effective that even Jerusalem, itself, was taken (2 Chronicles 11:5-12). The biblie also reports attempts by Rehoboam to seize territory held by Jerooam throughout the remainder of the southern leader's reign.

He rebuilt and fortified Shechem as the capital of his kingdom. He at once adopted means to perpetuate the division thus made between the two parts of the kingdom, and erected at Dan and Bethel, the two extremities of his kingdom, "golden calves," which he set up as symbols of God, enjoining the people not any more to go up to worship at Jerusalem, but to bring their offerings to the shrines he had erected. Thus he became distinguished as the man "who made Israel to sin." This policy was followed by all the succeeding kings of Israel.

While he was engaged in offering incense at Bethel, a prophet from Judah appeared before him with a warning message from the Lord. Attempting to arrest the prophet for his bold words of defiance, his hand was "dried up," and the altar before which he stood was rent asunder. At his urgent entreaty his "hand was restored him again" (1 Kings 13:1-6, 9; compare 2 Kings 23:15); but the miracle made no abiding impression on him. This can be also interpreted he had contracted paralytic polio. His reign was one of constant war with the house of Judah. He died soon after his son Abijah (1 Kings 14:1-18).

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Tribe of Ephraim
Preceded by: Solomon	King of Israel Albright: 922 B.C.E. – 901 B.C.E. Thiele: 931 B.C.E. – 910 B.C.E. Galil: 931 B.C.E. – 909 B.C.E.	Succeeded by: Nadab