New Living Translation
1 Kings 12:32
32And Jeroboam instituted a religious festival in Bethel, held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in imitation of the annual Festival of Shelters in Judah. There at Bethel he himself offered sacrifices to the calves he had made, and he appointed priests for the pagan shrines he had made.
1 Kings 12:32 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth–el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth–el the priests of the high places which he had made.
- New International Version (NIV)He instituted a festival on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the festival held in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. This he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves he had made. And at Bethel he also installed priests at the high places he had made.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Jeroboam appointed a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he made. And he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made.
Context of 1 Kings 12:32
30But this became a great sin, for the people worshiped the idols, traveling as far north as Dan to worship the one there. 31Jeroboam also erected buildings at the pagan shrines and ordained priests from the common people—those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi. And Jeroboam instituted a religious festival in Bethel, held on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in imitation of the annual Festival of Shelters in Judah. There at Bethel he himself offered sacrifices to the calves he had made, and he appointed priests for the pagan shrines he had made. 33So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a day that he himself had designated, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He instituted a religious festival for Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn incense.
Read all of 1 Kings 121 Kings 12:32 word by word
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ יָרָבְעָ֣ם׀ חָ֡ג בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִ֣י בַּחֲמִשָּֽׁה־עָשָׂר֩ י֨וֹם׀ לַחֹ֜דֶשׁ כֶּחָ֣ג׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּיהוּדָ֗ה וַיַּ֙עַל֙ עַל־הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ כֵּ֤ן עָשָׂה֙ בְּבֵֽית־אֵ֔ל לְזַבֵּ֖חַ לָעֲגָלִ֣ים אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂ֑ה וְהֶעֱמִיד֙ בְּבֵ֣ית אֵ֔ל אֶת־כֹּהֲנֵ֥י הַבָּמ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And Jeroboamיָֽרָבְעָםyârob‛âm · JeroboamH3379
- ordainedעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to makeH6213
- a feastחַגchag châg · feastH2282
- in the eighthשְׁמִינִיshemîynîy · eighthH8066
- monthחֹ֫דֶשׁchôdesh · monthH2320
- on the fifteenthעָשָׂר‛âώâr · tenH6240
- on the fifteenthחָמֵשׁchâmêsh chămishshâh · fiveH2568
- dayיוֹםyôm · dayH3117
- in Judahיְהוּדָהyehûdâh · JudahH3063
- and he offeredעָלָה‛âlâh · to ascend: offer upH5927
- upon the altarמִזְבֵּחַmizbêach · altarH4196
- So didעָשָׂה‛âώâh · to make: doH6213
- he in Beth–elבֵּֽיתְ־אֵלbêyth-'êl · BethelH1008
- sacrificingזָבַחzâbach · to sacrificeH2076
- unto the calvesעֵ֫גֶל‛êgel · calfH5695
- and he placedעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: putH5975
- the priestsכֹּהֵןkôhên · priestH3548
- of the high placesבָּמָהbâmâh · high placeH1116
Cross-references for 1 Kings 12:32
- 1 Kings 8:2So all the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the annual Festival of Shelters, which is held in early autumn in the month of Ethanim.
- Leviticus 23:33And the Lord said to Moses,
- Numbers 29:12“Five days later, on the fifteenth day of the same month, you must call another holy assembly of all the people, and you may do no ordinary work on that day. It is the beginning of the Festival of Shelters, a seven-day festival to the Lord.
- Ezekiel 43:8They put their idol altars right next to mine with only a wall between them and me. They defiled my holy name by such detestable sin, so I consumed them in my anger.
- Matthew 15:8‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
- Amos 7:10Then Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, sent a message to Jeroboam, king of Israel: “Amos is hatching a plot against you right here on your very doorstep! What he is saying is intolerable.
Commentaries on 1 Kings 12:32
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 32Ordained a feast - The Jews held their feast of tabernacles on the fifteenth day of the seventh month; Jeroboam, who would meet the prejudices of the people as far as he could, appointed a similar feast on the fifteenth of the eighth month; thus appearing to hold the thing while he subverted the ordinance.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 32A feast - Intended as a substitute for the Feast of tabernacles (marginal reference “c”). It may also have assumed the character of a feast of dedication, held at the same time, after the example of Solomon 1 Kings 8:2. His object in changing the month from the seventh to the eighth, and yet keeping the day of the month, is not clear. Perhaps it was on account of the later vintage of the more northern regions. It is remarkable that Josephus places the…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. 32-33Replacing the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel’s main ceremonial feast in the seventh month, with a festival in Bethel broke the law (Deuteronomy 16:13–15). Holding this imitation festival one month later in the eighth month might have matched the end of the Canaanite agricultural year. Jeroboam’s false religious practices led to Israel’s downfall (2 Kings 17:22). Jeroboam’s offering of sacrifices on the altar at Bethel set a poor example in spiritual…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 12:32
In the dictionaries
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
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries