1 Kings 12:25

1 Kings 12:25 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
• New International Version (NIV)Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. And he went out from there and built Penuel.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel.

Context of 1 Kings 12:25

23“Tell Rehoboam the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and all the house (fighting men) of Judah and Benjamin and the rest of the people, 24‘Thus says the Lord, “You shall not go up and fight against your brothers, the sons of Israel. Let every man return to his house, for this thing has come about from Me.” ’ ” So they listened to the word of the Lord and returned to go home, in accordance with the word of the Lord. Then Jeroboam built Shechem [as his royal city] in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. He went out from there and rebuilt Penuel [as a stronghold]. 26Jeroboam [doubted God’s promise to him and] said in his heart, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David. 27If these people go up to the house of the Lord in Jerusalem to offer sacrifices, then their heart will turn to their lord, to Rehoboam king of Judah; and they will kill me and return to Rehoboam king of Judah.”

1 Kings 12:25 word by word

וַיִּ֨בֶן יָרָבְעָ֧ם אֶת־שְׁכֶ֛ם בְּהַ֥ר אֶפְרַ֖יִם וַיֵּ֣שֶׁב בָּ֑הּ וַיֵּצֵ֣א מִשָּׁ֔ם וַיִּ֖בֶן אֶת־פְּנוּאֵֽל׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Then Jeroboamיָֽרָבְעָםyârob‛âm · JeroboamH3379
• builtבָּנָהbânâh · to buildH1129
• Shechemשְׁכֶםshekem · ShechemH7927
• in mountהַרhar · mountain: hill countryH2022
• Ephraimאֶפְרַ֫יִם'ephrayim · EphraimH669
• and dweltיָשַׁבyâshab · to dwellH3427
• therein; and went outיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• Penuelפְּנוּאֵלpenû'êl penîy'êl · PenielH6439

Cross-references for 1 Kings 12:25

• 1 Kings 9:15Now this is the account of the forced labor which King Solomon conscripted to build the house of the Lord, his own house, the Millo (fortification), the wall of Jerusalem, [and the fortress cities of] Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
• 1 Kings 15:17Baasha king of Israel went up against Judah and fortified Ramah [north of Jerusalem], in order to prevent anyone from going out or coming in to Asa king of Judah.
• 1 Kings 16:24Omri bought the hill Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and he built a city on the hill [and fortified it], and named the city which he built Samaria, after the owner of the hill, Shemer.
• 2 Chronicles 11:5Rehoboam lived in Jerusalem and built [fortified] cities for defense in Judah.
• 1 Kings 12:1Rehoboam went to Shechem, for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
• Judges 9:1Now Abimelech the son of Jerubbaal (Gideon) went to Shechem to his mother’s relatives, and said to them and to the whole clan of the household of his mother’s father,
• Genesis 32:30So Jacob named the place Peniel (the face of God), saying, “For I have seen God face to face, yet my life has not been snatched away.”
• Judges 8:8He went from there up to Penuel and spoke similarly to them; and the men of Penuel answered him just as the men of Succoth had answered.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 12:25

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 25Built Shechem - In the sense of “enlarged and fortified.” See Daniel 4:30. The first intention of Jeroboam seems to have been to make Shechem his capital, and therefore he immediately set about its fortification. So also he seems to have fortified Penuel for the better security of his Trans-Jordanic possessions (marginal reference).Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 25-33Verses 25-33 Jeroboam distrusted the providence of God; he would contrive ways and means, and sinful ones too, for his own safety. A practical disbelief of God's all-sufficiency is at the bottom of all our departures from him. Though it is probable he meant his worship for Jehovah the God of Israel, it was contrary to the Divine law, and dishonourable to the Divine majesty to be thus represented. The people might be less shocked at worshipping the God of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25Both Shechem (1 Kings 12:1) and Peniel, which Jeroboam built across the Jordan River, were important defense sites against the Arameans.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2525. Jeroboam built Shechem--destroyed by Abimelech (Jud 9:1-49). It was rebuilt, and perhaps fortified, by Jeroboam, as a royal residence. built Penuel--a ruined city with a tower (Jud 8:9), east of Jordan, on the north bank of the Jabbok. It was an object of importance to restore this fortress (as it lay on the caravan road from Gilead to Damascus and Palmyra) and to secure his frontier on that quarter.Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 12:25

• Beth-El
• Ephraim
• Jeroboam
• Penuel
• Shechem

In the dictionaries

• Ephraim
• Jeroboam
• Shechem
• Mount Ephraim
• Add
• Aholah
• Consult
• Ephraim, The tribe of
• Heavy
• Israel, Kingdom of

Commentaries on 1 Kings 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings