King Jeroboam was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the united kingdom of Israel split into the northern kingdom of Israel and the southern kingdom of Judah following the death of King Solomon. Jeroboam’s story is told in 1 Kings 11-14 and 2 Chronicles 9-13 in the Old Testament.
Jeroboam was initially a trusted servant of King Solomon. But when God promised to tear most of the kingdom away from Solomon’s son Rehoboam and give ten tribes to Jeroboam, Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon. After Solomon’s death, the ten northern tribes rejected Rehoboam and made Jeroboam king over the new northern kingdom of Israel.
As king, Jeroboam feared that if the people continued going to Jerusalem in the southern kingdom for worship, their allegiance would return to Rehoboam. So he set up two idolatrous golden calves for the people to worship, one at Bethel and one at Dan, establishing a new non-Levitical priesthood. This was a great sin and led the northern kingdom into idolatry. The book of 1 Kings makes it clear that Jeroboam did evil in the eyes of the Lord by leading the people into sin.
Jeroboam also refused to listen to God’s prophets who warned him of judgment for his sins. The prophet Ahijah pronounced God’s judgment against Jeroboam. Despite seeing God confirm Ahijah’s word by withering Jeroboam’s hand and restoring it when he cried out to the Lord, Jeroboam still refused to repent. So the Lord brought judgment on Jeroboam’s family. His son Nadab only reigned two years before being killed by Baasha. This fulfilled Ahijah’s prophecy of judgment to Jeroboam’s house.
Jeroboam ruled over the northern kingdom of Israel for 22 years. Despite his military strength, he is remembered as an evil king who led the people away from worshiping the true God into idolatry. Jeroboam failed as king because he did not lead the people to fear and obey the Lord. The author of 1 Kings makes it clear that Jeroboam’s sins caused the downfall of Israel.
Jeroboam’s Background
Jeroboam was the son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim (1 Kings 11:26). His mother was named Zeruah, who was a widow (1 Kings 11:26). Jeroboam first appears in the biblical story as a trusted servant of King Solomon. He was a talented and industrious worker, so Solomon made him overseer of the labor force from the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh that built the terraces, walls, and buildings in Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:28).
While he was working in Jerusalem, the prophet Ahijah met Jeroboam outside the city and told him the Lord was going to tear most of the kingdom from Solomon’s son and give Jeroboam rulership over ten of the tribes. God was punishing Solomon for his idolatry and sins later in life by tearing the kingdom away from his descendants. Only one tribe would be left for Solomon’s son to rule over. This prophecy is recorded in 1 Kings 11:29-39.
Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam when he learned of Ahijah’s prophecy, but Jeroboam fled to Egypt and stayed there until after Solomon died (1 Kings 11:40). After Solomon’s death, Jeroboam returned when the people summoned him to become their leader.
Jeroboam Becomes King
After Solomon died, his son Rehoboam became king. Jeroboam led a delegation of Israelite leaders to ask Rehoboam to lighten the harsh labor and taxes that Solomon had laid on the people. But Rehoboam foolishly said he would make the people’s burdens even heavier (1 Kings 12:1-15).
This caused all the tribes except Judah to rebel against Rehoboam and make Jeroboam their king. Only the tribes of Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to Rehoboam in Jerusalem. The ten northern tribes made Jeroboam king over the new northern kingdom of Israel, fulfilling Ahijah’s prophecy (1 Kings 12:16-20).
Jeroboam reigned over the northern kingdom of Israel for 22 years, from 931-910 BC. He established Shechem as the first capital of his kingdom. The Bible says that Jeroboam rebuilt and fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim (1 Kings 12:25).
Jeroboam’s Golden Calves
After becoming king, Jeroboam feared that if the people kept going to Jerusalem to worship, they would eventually return their allegiance to Rehoboam (1 Kings 12:26-27). To keep the people from going to Jerusalem, Jeroboam cunningly made two golden calves and set one up at Bethel in the south and one at Dan in the north, establishing idolatrous worship centers within Israel’s borders (1 Kings 12:28-30).
Jeroboam told the people they didn’t need to travel to Jerusalem anymore since these gods had brought them out of Egypt. He built shrines on high places and appointed his own non-Levitical priests to lead worship at the idol centers (1 Kings 12:31). Many Israelites were lured into worshiping the golden calves.
But this was a clear violation of the second commandment against idols (Exodus 20:4-6). By promoting idolatry, Jeroboam led the northern kingdom into great sin. The book of 1 Kings emphasizes that Jeroboam’s idolatry caused Israel to sin greatly before the Lord and provoked the Lord’s anger (1 Kings 14:9, 15-16; 16:2, 26).
Jeroboam Rejects God’s Messengers
God sent prophets to warn Jeroboam that he was leading Israel into sin and judgment. The prophet Ahijah pronounced God’s judgment on Jeroboam for promoting idolatry (1 Kings 14:7-11). Later, a man of God came from Judah to denounce Jeroboam’s altar at Bethel (1 Kings 13:1-10).
Jeroboam still refused to repent even after God withered his hand for trying to seize the man of God, then restored his hand when he cried out to the Lord (1 Kings 13:4-6). Although he had seen God’s power, Jeroboam continued in his evil ways.
So the Lord brought judgment on Jeroboam’s house, just as Ahijah had prophesied. Jeroboam’s son Nadab only reigned 2 years before he was killed by Baasha (1 Kings 15:25-31). This fulfilled the word of the Lord against Jeroboam for his sins (1 Kings 15:29-30).
King Jeroboam’s Accomplishments
Despite Jeroboam’s unfaithfulness to the Lord, he did accomplish some important things during his 22-year reign:
- He established the northern kingdom of Israel as an independent nation separate from Judah after the kingdom split.
- He fortified and rebuilt the city of Shechem as his capital in the hill country of Ephraim (1 Kings 12:25).
- He seemed to gain some military strength for Israel early in his reign, although none of his specific military exploits are recorded (2 Chronicles 13:3, 20).
- He provided political stability for Israel during his reign, unlike the constant turnover of kings after him.
But these accomplishments faded due to the great evil Jeroboam did in the Lord’s sight. The book of 1 Kings makes it clear that Jeroboam caused Israel to sin and brought disaster on his house and ultimately the downfall of Israel itself because of his idolatry (1 Kings 14:16).
Jeroboam’s Death
The Bible does not record how Jeroboam died. First Kings 15:25 simply says he rested with his fathers and was buried. But because none of his mighty deeds were recorded, it implies he did not have an honorable death or burial fit for a king. The prophet Ahijah had pronounced that Jeroboam’s family members would die and not receive proper burial (1 Kings 14:10-11).
Jeroboam was succeeded as king by his son Nadab, who reigned only two years before being assassinated by Baasha while they were besieging Gibbethon (1 Kings 15:25-28). This fulfilled the word of the Lord spoken by Ahijah against Jeroboam.
Jeroboam’s Role in Israel’s History
Jeroboam played a major role in Israel’s history both for good and evil:
- Jeroboam rebelled against Solomon and became the first king over the breakaway northern kingdom when the united kingdom divided.
- He established idolatrous worship at Dan and Bethel that turned Israel away from the true God.
- He refused to listen to God’s prophets warning him of judgment.
- His promotion of idolatry provoked the anger of the Lord and ultimately led to judgment on his family and the downfall of Israel.
The predominant view of Jeroboam in Scripture is negative. He failed as Israel’s king because he did not lead the people to fear and obey the Lord. The book of 1 Kings makes Jeroboam the paradigmatic apostate king who caused Israel to stumble into sin and judgment.
Lessons from Jeroboam’s Life
Jeroboam’s life provides some important lessons:
- God opposes idolatry. Jeroboam thought the golden calves would be politically expedient, but they provoked the Lord to anger and judgment.
- God keeps His word. The Lord fulfilled His word of judgment on Jeroboam’s household. No one can escape the consequences of sin.
- Leaders face stricter judgment. As king, Jeroboam had great influence for evil and faced greater accountability before God.
- Partial obedience is disobedience. Jeroboam believed God’s prophecy but disobeyed His commands against idolatry.
- True repentance requires turning from sin. Despite seeing God’s power, Jeroboam persisted in his sins and did not repent.
Jeroboam’s negative example serves as a warning about the dangers of idolatry, the surety of God’s judgment for sin, and the need for wholehearted obedience to the Lord. The disasters that befell Jeroboam and Israel show the importance of godly leadership that follows the Lord fully.
Symbolic Significance
Jeroboam takes on symbolic significance in the Bible as the archetype of an apostate king. Many later kings of Israel are condemned for “walking in the ways of Jeroboam” by promoting idolatrous worship (1 Kings 16:2, 19, 26, 31; 22:52; 2 Kings 3:3; 10:29; 13:2, 11; 14:24). Jeroboam’s name becomes shorthand for leading the people away from true worship of God.
The prophet Hosea uses Jeroboam as a symbol of judgment to warn Israel and Judah of their coming exile for unfaithfulness, saying they will go into captivity just as they had gone into exile to Assyria in the days of King Jeroboam II (Hosea 9:3; 10:3, 7).
The sins of Jeroboam are presented as the turning point that ultimately led Israel away from God into idolatry, sin, and divine judgment. Jeroboam’s negative influence looms large over the history of Israel’s kings.
Jeroboam in the New Testament
Jeroboam is mentioned briefly in the New Testament as a name associated with wickedness and apostasy. Jesus refers to “the days of Jeroboam” as a time of apostasy when rebuking the unbelieving cities of Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum (Matthew 11:21). Paul similarly associates “Jeroboam the son of Nebat” with rebellion against God when giving his farewell speech at Ephesus (Acts 13:6-11).
These brief New Testament references build on Jeroboam’s established reputation from 1 and 2 Kings as the archetype of an ungodly, apostate king who led God’s people into idolatrous rebellion.
Summary of King Jeroboam’s Significance
In summary, Jeroboam:
- Was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the kingdom divided.
- Rebelled against King Solomon after Ahijah’s prophecy of a divided kingdom.
- Established idolatrous golden calves at Dan and Bethel to keep people from going to Jerusalem.
- Rejected God’s prophets and continued in idolatry, provoking God’s judgment.
- Caused Israel to sin greatly and brought disaster on his family and the nation.
- Serves as a symbolic archetype and warning of the dangers of apostasy and idolatry.
Jeroboam was an influential but ungodly leader who led the people away from true worship of the Lord. His negative example stands as a warning against idolatry and the inevitable judgment it brings.