1 Kings 12:24

24. for this thing is from me] See above on 1Ki_12:15.

and returned to depart] This is the literal rendering of the original, but is Hebrew rather than English. In R.V. the sense is given by ‘and returned and went their way.’ The LXX. has καὶ κατέπαυσαν τοῦ πορευθῆναι, ‘and they ceased from going.’

At this point the LXX. (Vat.) has a long passage inserted, for an account of which see additional note at the end of this chapter.

On the addition in the LXX. after 1Ki_12:24

This long passage has many peculiarities not only in the arrangement, which differs considerably from that of the narrative of the Hebrew text, but also in some portions of its contents. It takes up the history at 1Ki_11:43 with Solomon’s death and Rehoboam’s accession. But it gives different numbers, both for the age of Rehoboam when he began to reign and for the duration of his reign, from those in the Hebrew text. Instead of 41 years old (as in 1Ki_14:21) he is here stated to have been 16, and to have reigned 12 and not 17 years. It must be owned that the conduct of Rehoboam is much more like that of a very young man than of one who had passed middle-age. The LXX. continues the history with an account of Jeroboam, stating that his mother’s name was Sarira, γυνὴ πόρνη, and that he was put over the levy of the house of Joseph. And Jeroboam built for Solomon a city, also called Sarira, in the hill country of Ephraim, and was employed in the buildings around Jerusalem, and began to aspire to the kingdom. Then follows Solomon’s attempt to kill him, and his flight into Egypt, the king of which is Shishak (Σουσακίμ). After this the story is an exact parallel of what is given in the Hebrew about Hadad (1Ki_11:19-22). Jeroboam finds favour with Shishak, and marries Ano, the elder sister of Thekemina, the wife of the king. He seeks to return, but is hardly allowed to go. At length he comes back to Sarira, gathers the people and fortifies the place. After this follows the sickness of his son and his wife’s visit to Ahijah, somewhat like the narrative in 1Ki_14:1-13. Next we are told of a gathering at Shechem where both Rehoboam and Jeroboam are present, and it is said that on this occasion Shemaiah the prophet (and not Ahijah) rent his garment and gave ten parts to Jeroboam to signify the ten tribes over which he was hereafter to be king. Next comes the account of the popular petition to Rehoboam, and his delay and final answer; then his flight from Shechem to Jerusalem and the preparations for war, which is forbidden by Shemaiah.

Among other peculiarities of this form of the story may be added that the Egyptian wife is said to have been given to Jeroboam after his first request to be allowed to depart, apparently with a view to make him more contented. In the account of the visit of inquiry about the sick child, Ahijah says, ‘Thou shalt go forth from me, and it shall be when thou enterest into the city, into Sarira, that thy maidens shall come out to meet thee, and shall say, ‘The child is dead,’ and further on it is added ‘and the cry of mourning came to meet her.’ There is an addition also to the complaint which is presented to Rehoboam, ‘Thy father made his yoke heavy upon us’, καὶ ἐβάρυνε τὰ βρώματα τῆς τραπέζης αὐτοῦ, ‘and he made burdensome the meat of his table’; a sentence which seems to relate to the demands made so largely on the various districts for the supply of Solomon’s table. A different form is given also when the revolt begins, ‘And all the people spake, as one man, each to his neighbour, and they all cried out, saying, We have no part in David &c.… Each of you to your tents, O Israel, for this man is not to be our prince or our leader.’ It is also said that Rehoboam’s preparation for war was made ἐνισταμένου τοῦ ἐνιαυτοῦ, ‘when the year came round’: a phrase which has very close parallels in the Greek of 2Sa_11:1; 1Ki_20:22; 1Ki_20:26; and is so completely after the Hebrew manner that from this and much beside in the passage we can hardly doubt that it is derived from some Hebrew original. But the numerous inconsistencies found in it make it unworthy to be put in comparison with the story as recorded in the sacred text. It partakes very much of the character of those additions which we find made in the LXX. to the story of Ezra and Daniel, and, though of interest as a specimen of this kind of literature, cannot be accepted as raising any serious questions about the general correctness of the Massoretic text in the history of Jeroboam.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki 12:24 Thus saith the LORD, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren the children of Israel: return every man to his house; for this thing is from me. They hearkened therefore to the word of the LORD, and returned to depart, according to the word of the LORD.

Ver. 24. They hearkened therefore.] This was much; but yet no more than hath been done here in Albion at the command of one of their Bardi, which were a kind of poets or priests among our heathen ancestors

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

1Ki_12:24

This thing is from me.

This thing is from me

I. Some events are specially from God. God is in events which are produced by the sin and the stupidity of men. This breaking up of the kingdom of Solomon into two parts was the result of Solomons sin and Rehoboams folly; yet God was in it. God had nothing to do with the sin or the folly, but in some way, which we can never explain, God was in it alL The most notable instance of this truth is the death of our Lord Jesus Christ; that was the greatest of human crimes, yet it was foreordained and predetermined of the Most High, to whom there can be no such thing as crime, nor any sort of compact with sire How, then, was this thing from God?

1. First, it was so as a matter of prophecy.

2. And, secondly, this thing was from God as a matter of punishment. God setteth evil against evil that He may destroy evil, and He uses that which cometh of human folly that He may manifest His own wisdom.

II. When events are seen to be from the Lord, they are not to be fought against. Rehoboam had summoned his soldiers to go to war against the house of Israel; but, inasmuch as it was from God that the ten tribes had revolted from him, he must not march into the territories of Israel, nor even shoot an arrow against them.

1. The thing that is happening to you is of the Lord, therefore resist it not, for it would be wicked to do so. If it be the Lords will, so may it be.

2. But, next, it is also vain, for what can we do against the will of God?

3. Next, it would be mischievous, and would be sure to bring a greater evil upon us if we did resist.

III. This general principle has many special applications. I believe it often happens that events are most distinctly from the Lord, and when it is so, our right and proper way is to yield to them.

1. A case in which this principle applies is when severe afflictions arise.

2. Sometimes, also, we are troubled by certain disquieting plans proposed by our friends or our children.

3. A very pleasant phase of this same truth is when some singular mercy comes. (C. H. Spurgeon.)

Tracing events back to the final cause

The scribe is more properly said to write than the pen, and he that maketh and keepeth the clock is more properly said to make it go and strike than the wheels and poises that hang upon it, and every workman to effect his works rather than the tools which he useth as his instruments. So the Lord, who is the chief agent and mover in all actions, may more fitly be said to bring to pass all things which are done in the earth than any subordinate causes, as meat to nourish, clothes to keep us warm, the sun to lighten us, friends to provide for us, etc., seeing that they are but His instruments. (T. Downame.)

Gods overrule of national events

Those who care to watch the hand of God in history may soon discern this truth in this incident. The attempts of France to acquire the sovereignty of the British Isles, and the corresponding efforts of the earlier English kings to become what their coins so long styled them, King of France, have all been marvellously foiled by the Almighty Ruler of nations to the true welfare of both. Sir A. Alison has described the scene on the French coast in 1804, when the first Napoleon surveyed the flotilla which was to carry an invading army across the Channel, and saw them broken and dispersed by Him who rules the waves. God will not suffer the might or the cunning of man to wrest the sceptre from His hands.

God in history

The Old Testament philosophy of history regards all events as at once the results of human forces and of Gods purposes, and finds no contradiction in the double aspect. Rehoboam was no less a criminal fool, Jeroboam no less a crafty traitor, because they were both working out Gods purpose. The possible co-existence of freedom of action, necessarily involving responsibility, and Gods sovereignty, is inexplicable, and as certain as it is inexplicable. Metaphysicians and metaphysical theologians may fumble at, or cut, the knot till doomsday, but it will not be untied or denied. Rehoboam ran the ship on the rocks, but God willed that it should be wrecked. But another mystery emerges, for the Divine resolve to shatter the kingdom was due to the thwarting of the Divine purpose in establishing it. Sovereign as that Divine will is, man has power to oppose it and to block its course, and lead to changes of its direction, as we sometimes hear of an army of caterpillars stopping a train. Gods methods vary, but His purposes remain the same. The ship tacks as the wind shifts, but its always steering for the one port. The unifying of the tribes into a kingdom, and the disruption of the kingdom, were equally in the Divine plan, and were both, in a real sense, also the direct results of mens sin and opposition to God. Hence it follows that the history of the world is the judgment of the world. The natural consequences of national acts are the punishments or rewards of these acts. Solomons tyranny, Rehoboams folly, the rebels indifference to the unity of the nation worked out the catastrophe, which was both a political effect, produced by political causes, and a Divine judgment, and was the latter just because it was the former. For nations, and for individuals, God makes whips to scourge them of their vices, and in the mighty maze of human acts, has so ordered the issues of things that every transgression and disobedience receives its just recompense of reward. So the undevout historian is mad. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Who of his just judgment will punish the trespasser, and of his mercy spare the innocent people.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 24. For this thing is from me.] That is, the separation of the ten tribes from the house of David.

They - returned to depart] This was great deference, both in Rehoboam and his officers, to relinquish, at the demand of the prophet, a war which they thought they had good grounds to undertake. The remnant of the people heard the Divine command gratefully, for the mass of mankind are averse from war. No nations would ever rise up against each other, were they not instigated to it or compelled by the rulers.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And Jeroboam said in his heart, As he was musing about the state of his kingdom and the affairs of it:

now shall the kingdom return to the house of David; such were his fears, unless some method could be taken to prevent it, particularly with respect to religion, which was what his thoughts were employed about.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Them. This shews the great authority of Semeias. He wrote the history of Roboam, 2 Paralipomenon xii. 15. He also foretold the irruption of Sesac, to punish the house of Israel; but not to destroy it. (Calmet) --- The obedience of Roboam deserves applause; though it would have been a vain attempt to resist God, who was resolved to punish his family. (Menochius) --- God must have touched the hearts of the leaders, to convince them that he spoke by the mouth of Semeias. (Salien) --- The Vatican Septuagint here subjoins almost the whole history of Jeroboam, improperly. (Haydock) See chap. xiv.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

This thing is from me; this event is from my counsel and providence, to punish Solomon’s apostacy, though they procured it by sinful means; and therefore, if you proceed, you must fight with me as well as them.

They hearkened therefore to the word of the Lord; either from conscience of their duty, or because they durst not oppose so potent an adversary.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

24. Returned to depart — They turned from their attempt to go and fight Jeroboam, and went or returned to their homes. The reading in 2Ch_11:4, is, They returned from going against Jeroboam.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Thus saith the Lord, Ye shall not go up, nor fight against your brethren a timely reminder of the unity of the race, notwithstanding the division of the kingdom the children of Israel: return every man to his house: for this thing i.e., the division, rupture is lit., was from me. A prophet of Judah now confirms what a prophet of Israel had already announced. They hearkened therefore unto the word of the Lord, and returned not "because they probably saw that a war with the numerically greater, and just now bitterly excited, ten tribes would bring them into a worse condition still" (Bahr), but because of the "word of the Lord." It was the remonstrance of the prophet alone restrained them. They knew their numerical inferiority before, but they nevertheless mustered for battle to depart a common Hebraism. The phrase in 2Ch_11:4, Tk,l,mi WbWvy; "they returned from going," was probably designed as an explanation, according to the word of the Lord.

At this point the Vat. LXX inserts along addition, which differs from, and indeed contradicts, the Hebrew text in some important particulars. Rehoboam is represented as 16 years of age (Hebrews 40), as reigning 12 years (Hebrews 17); his mother is Naanan (Heb. Naamah), and is the daughter of Ana, son of Nahash, king of Ammon. Jeroboam is described as son of Sarira, a harlot. He is appointed by Solomon superintendent of the levy of Ephraim, and builds for him a city Sarira, and also completes the circumvallation of Jerusalem. He has 300 chariots and aims at royalty. Solomon seeking to slay him, he flees to Shishak, king of Egypt, who treats him with distinction, giving him the sister of his own wife in marriage. Here his son Abijah is born, when Rehoboam has been, something like a year upon the throne. After his birth, Jeroboam asks a second time to be released: he returns to his own country, takes up his abode at Sarira, fortifies it, and gathers the tribe of Ephraim round him. Here Abijah falls sick, and the visit to the prophet, narrated in chap. 14., takes place. The child dies; there is general mourning, after which Jeroboam goes to Shechem, and collects the tribes. Here the prophet Shemaiah (not Ahijah) tears a new garment in twelve pieces, gives him ten, and promises him the dominion over ten tribes. After which follow the events of vers. 5-24 of this chapter.

The great circumstantiality of this narrative has led some scholars Dean Stanley among them to prefer it before the Hebrew version. But its details will not bear careful examination, and there is little doubt that it is a compilation of later date. Its untrustworthiness has been well shown among others by Rawlinson, Speaker"s Commentary in loc. But he omits to notice what is perhaps its strongest condemnation, viz., that this LXX addition is in conflict with the LXX (and Hebrews) text of chap. 11. The account of Jeroboam"s marriage with the sister of the queen, e.g., is manifestly a variation of the history of Hadad (ch. 11. ver. 19; see also ver. 22). Nor does it harmonize with the preceding history of this chapter, as given by the LXX

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

From me - This event is from my counsel and providence, to punish Solomon's apostasy.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.