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1 Kings 11 · a question people ask

Why was the kingdom torn from Solomon's son, and not from Solomon?

In the text

The chapter gives the LORD's own reason: "Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand" (11:12). Ahijah says it again: "I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes" (11:34), "but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes" (11:35). Even the son is not left with nothing: "I will give one tribe to your son" (11:13). The next chapter tells how it came about. Rehoboam "answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men" (12:13), "for it was a thing brought about from the LORD, that he might establish his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat" (12:15). The chapter gives no other reason, and these notes don't add one.

The verses

“Nevertheless, I will not do it in your days, for David your father’s sake; but I will tear it out of your son’s hand. However, I will not tear away all the kingdom; but I will give one tribe to your son, for David my servant’s sake, and for Jerusalem’s sake which I have chosen.””
1 Kings 11:12-13 · World English Bible
““‘However, I will not take the whole kingdom out of his hand, but I will make him prince all the days of his life for David my servant’s sake whom I chose, who kept my commandments and my statutes, but I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand and will give it to you, even ten tribes.”
1 Kings 11:34-35 · World English Bible
“The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him, and spoke to them according to the counsel of the young men, saying, “My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke. My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions.” So the king didn’t listen to the people; for it was a thing brought about from the LORD, that he might establish his word, which the LORD spoke by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat.”
1 Kings 12:13-15 · World English Bible

From Favor's study of 1 Kings 11

1 Kings 11: His heart turned away

The verb of "Solomon loved the LORD" (3:3) is the verb of "King Solomon loved many foreign women" (11:1), and the verb of his blessing, that the LORD "may incline our hearts to him" (8:58), is the verb of "his wives turned away his heart" (11:4). Even then the LORD kept one tribe "that David my servant may have a lamp always before me in Jerusalem" (11:36), and said, "but not forever" (11:39).

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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions