1 Kings 12:30

1 Kings 12:30 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
• New International Version (NIV)And this thing became a sin; the people came to worship the one at Bethel and went as far as Dan to worship the other.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then this thing became a sin, for the people went as far as Dan to be before one.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan.

Context of 1 Kings 12:30

28So King Jeroboam talked to his advisors. He used gold to make images of two young cows. He said to the people, ‘It is too difficult for you to go to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, as you have done before. So I have made these gold cows for you instead. Look at them, Israelite people! These are your gods that rescued you and brought you out from Egypt.’ 29Jeroboam put one gold cow in Bethel. He put the other gold cow in Dan. But that caused the Israelite people to do a very bad thing. They went to Bethel and to Dan to worship the gold cows. 31Jeroboam also built places on hills for people to worship. He chose men who were not from Levi's tribe to be priests. 32He decided to have a festival on the 15th day of the eighth month each year. He wanted it to be like the festival that they had in Judah. He offered sacrifices on the altar in Bethel to the gold cows that he had made. He also chose priests to serve at the places that he built for people to worship.

1 Kings 12:30 word by word

וַיְהִ֛י הַדָּבָ֥ר הַזֶּ֖ה לְחַטָּ֑את וַיֵּלְכ֥וּ הָעָ֛ם לִפְנֵ֥י הָאֶחָ֖ד עַד־דָּֽן׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And this thingדָּבָרdâbâr · word: thingH1697
• became a sinחַטָּאתchaţţâ'âh chaţţâ'th · sinH2403
• for the peopleעַם‛am · peopleH5971
• wentיָלַךְyâlak · to walkH3212
• beforeפָּנֶהpânîym · face: beforeH6440
• the oneאֶחָד'echâd · oneH259
• unto Danדָּןdân · DanH1835

Cross-references for 1 Kings 12:30

• 1 Kings 13:34This sin caused Jeroboam's family to disappear from the earth. He would no longer have descendants to rule the kingdom.
• 2 Kings 10:31But Jehu was not careful to obey completely the law of the Lord, Israel's God. He did not turn away from the sins of Jeroboam which he had caused Israel to do.
• 2 Kings 17:21God made Israel become a separate kingdom from David's family, Judah. Then Israel chose Nebat's son Jeroboam to be their king. Jeroboam caused the Israelites to turn away from the Lord. He led them to do terrible sins.

Commentaries on 1 Kings 12:30

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 30This thing became a sin - i. e., this act of Jeroboam‘s became an occasion of sin to the people. The author perhaps wrote the following words thus: “The people went to worship before the one to Bethel and before the other to Dan.”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. 29-30Jeroboam placed calf idols in Bethel (southern Israel) and Dan (northern Israel). These locations had long religious traditions (see Genesis 12:8; 28:11–19; Judges 18:30–31). Archaeologists found a high place, an altar for pagan worship, in Dan. Bethel was where Jacob dreamed (Genesis 28:10–22). It was also where the ark of the covenant rested during the time of the judges (Judges 20:18–28) and served as a sanctuary in Samuel’s time (1 Samuel 7:16; 10:3).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 26-3226-32. Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David--Having received the kingdom from God, he should have relied on the divine protection. But he did not. With a view to withdraw the people from the temple and destroy the sacred associations connected with Jerusalem, he made serious and unwarranted innovations on the religious observances of the country, on pretext of saving the people the trouble and expense of a distant…Read the comment

Topics related to 1 Kings 12:30

• Beth-El
• Calf
• Church and State
• Jeroboam
• Religion
• Rulers
• Statecraft

In the dictionaries

• Dan
• Add
• Aholah
• Bethel
• Consult
• Ephraim, The tribe of
• Heavy
• Ordain
• Scorpion
• Thick

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