1 Kings 11:26

Yahweh Raises Up Jeroboam

26 Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah (now the name of his mother [was] Zeruah, a widow woman), a servant of Solomon {rebelled against the king}.

1 Kings 11:26 Meaning and Commentary

1 Kings 11:26

And Jeroboam the son of Nebat
According to some Jewish writers ^F18, this was Sheba the son of Bichri; but, as Kimchi observes, he was of the tribe of Benjamin, this of Ephraim; and besides, his head was cut off, and thrown over the wall to Joab, ( 2 Samuel 20:1 2 Samuel 20:22 ) ,

an Ephrathite of Zereda;
some where in the tribe of Ephraim, but nowhere else mentioned. There was a famous Jewish doctor, before the times of Christ, of this place, as it seems, who was called Jose ben Joezer, a man of Zereda ^F19:

Solomon's servant;
not only his subject, but one that had been advanced by him to an office, and served under him, ( 1 Kings 11:28 ) ,

whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman;
who very probably was supported by this her son, an industrious and ingenious man:

even he lifted up his hand against the king;
either against Solomon, by reproaching and reproving him for some things he did; or rather against Rehoboam his son, which was very ungrateful.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F18 Shalshalet Hakabala, p. 11.
F19 Pirke Abot, c. 1. sect. 4.

1 Kings 11:26 In-Context

24 He gathered men around him and he became the commander of bandits. When David killed [some of] them, they went to Damascus and settled {there}, and they reigned in Damascus.

25 He was an adversary for Israel all the days of Solomon, and [along with] the evil that Hadad [did], he detested Israel [while] he reigned over Aram.

26 Now Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite from Zeredah (now the name of his mother [was] Zeruah, a widow woman), a servant of Solomon {rebelled against the king}.

27 This [is] the reason that he rebelled against the king: [when] Solomon built the Millo, he closed the gap of the city of David his father.

28 Now the man Jeroboam [was] a man of ability, and Solomon saw that the young man {was a diligent worker}, so he appointed him over all of the forced labor for the house of Joseph.

Footnotes

• [a]. Literally "raised a hand against the king"