1 Kings 12:8 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
1 Kings 12:8
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, and consulted with the young men that were grown up with him, and which stood before him:
to loosen · conjunction + verb, qal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
counsel
עֲצַ֥ת'a.Tzat
H6098
advice · noun, common feminine singular construct
men
הַזְּקֵנִ֖יםha.ze.ke.Nim
H2205
old · definite article + adjective, masculine plural absolute
given
יְעָצֻ֑הוּye.'a.Tzu.hu
H3289
to advise · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
consulted
וַיִּוָּעַ֗ץvai.yi.va.'Atz
H3289
to advise · conjunction + verb, niphal sequential imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
men
הַיְלָדִים֙hay.la.Dim
H3206
something born · definite article + noun, common masculine plural absolute
up
גָּדְל֣וּga.de.Lu
H1431
to be (causatively make) large (in various senses · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person common plural
stood
הָעֹמְדִ֖יםha.'o.me.Dim
H5975
to stand · definite article + verb, qal active participle, masculine plural absolute
before
לְפָנָֽיוle.fa.Nav
H6440
the face (as the part that turns) · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 19:20 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.
2 Chronicles 10:8 But he forsook the counsel which the old men gave him, and took counsel with the young men that were brought up with him, that stood before…
2 Chronicles 25:15-16 Wherefore the anger of the LORD was kindled against Amaziah, and he sent unto him a prophet, which said unto him, Why hast thou sought after…
Proverbs 1:2-5 To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;
Proverbs 1:25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof:
Proverbs 1:30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof.
Proverbs 25:12 As an earring of gold, and an ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover upon an obedient ear.
Ecclesiastes 10:2-3 A wise man’s heart is at his right hand; but a fool’s heart at his left.
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on 1 Kings 12:1-15
Solomon had 1000 wives and concubines, yet we read but of one son he had to bear up his name, and he a fool. It is said (Hos 4:10), They shall commit whoredom, and shall not increase. Sin is a bad way of building up a family. Rehoboam was the son of the wisest of men, yet did not inherit his father's wisdom, and then it stood him in little stead to inherit his father's throne. Neither wisdom nor grace runs in the blood. Solomon came to the crown very young, yet he was then a wise man. Rehoboam came to the crown at forty years old, when men will be wise if ever they will, yet he was then foolish. Wisdom does not go by age, nor is it the multitude of years nor the advantage of education that r…
he said . . . Depart yet for three days--It was prudent to take the people's demand into calm and deliberate consideration. Whether, had the advice of the sage and experienced counsellors been followed, any good result would have followed, it is impossible to say. It would at least have removed all pretext for the separation. [See on Ch2 10:7.] But he preferred the counsel of his young companions (not in age, for they were all about forty-one, but inexperienced), who recommended prompt and decisive measures to quell the malcontents.
Adam Clarke on 1 Kings 12:7
If thou wilt be a servant unto this people - This is a constitutional idea of a king: he is the servant, but not the slave of his people; every regal act of a just king is an act of service to the state. The king is not only the fountain of law and justice; but as he has the appointment of all officers and judges, consequently he is the executor of the laws; and all justice is administered in his name. Properly speaking, a good and constitutional king is the servant of his people; and in being such he is their father and their king.
They will be thy servants for ever - The way to insure the obedience of the people is to hold the reins of empire with a steady and impartial hand; let the peopl…
Age — Used to denote the period of a man’s life (Gen. 47:28), the maturity of life (John 9:21), the latter end of life (Job 11:17), a generation of the human race (Job 8:8), and an indefinite period (Eph.…
Ephraim, The tribe of — Took precedence over that of Manasseh by virtue of Jacob’s blessing (Gen. 41:52; 48:1). The descendants of Joseph formed two of the tribes of Israel, whereas each of the other sons of Jacob was the…
Imla — Replenisher, the father of Micaiah the prophet (2 Chr. 18:7, 8).
Israel, Kingdom of — (B.C. 975-B.C. 722). Soon after the death of Solomon, Ahijah’s prophecy (1 Kings 11:31-35) was fulfilled, and the kingdom was rent in twain. Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, was scarcely…
Jeroboam — Increase of the people. (1.) The son of Nebat (1 Kings 11:26-39), “an Ephrathite,” the first king of the ten tribes, over whom he reigned twenty-two years (B.C. 976-945). He was the son of a widow of…
Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Exemplified: Rehoboam — Exemplified: Rehoboam
Jeroboam · toward Rehoboam, and ma — toward Rehoboam, and ma
Kings · Who reigned over all Israel: Rehoboam (first part of his reign) — Who reigned over all Israel: Rehoboam (first part of his reign)
Petition · Rehoboam — Rehoboam
Rehoboam · Refuses to reform abuses
John Gill on 1 Kings 12:8
But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him,.... He did not rightly relish it, nor cordially receive it; it did not suit with his haughty temper, he could not brook it, to stoop to his people; he thought it a lessening of his dignity to do anything that looked like courting their favour; and therefore determined not to take the advice given him by the old men, but to seek for other:
and consulted with the men, that were grown up with him, and which stood before him; the sons of nobles, with whom he had his education, and who were his companions from his youth upwards, and who were now officers in his court, and of his privy council, being his favourites, and those he…
The jealousy which had prevailed from time immemorial between Ephraim and Judah, the two most powerful tribes of the covenant nation, and had broken out on different occasions into open hostilities (Jdg 8:1.; Sa2 2:9; Sa2 19:42.), issued, on the death of Solomon, in the division of the kingdom; ten tribes, headed by Ephraim, refusing to do homage to Rehoboam, the son and successor of Solomon, and choosing Jeroboam the Ephraimite as their king. Now, although the secession of the ten tribes from the royal house of David had been ordained by God as a punishment for Solomon's idolatry, and not only had Solomon been threatened with this punishment, but the sovereignty over ten tribes had been pro…
Young Men · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
