Biblical Profile: Jeroboam I

Jeroboam I

Jeroboam I, son of Nebat from the tribe of Ephraim, was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel (931–910 BC). He led the northern ten tribes into the sins that brought about the destruction of the northern kingdom.

Jeroboam began his political career by supervising Solomon’s labor forces in the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh (1 Kgs 11:26-28). Because Solomon had drifted away from the Lord, God determined to remove the ten northern tribes from the rule of David’s descendants. The prophet Ahijah told Jeroboam that the Lord had chosen him to lead those tribes and to give him a lasting dynasty if he was faithful (11:29-39). Solomon apparently caught wind of what had happened and tried to kill Jeroboam, who sought refuge in Egypt (11:40; cp. Saul and David, 1 Sam 18:5–20:42).

When Solomon died, his son Rehoboam was immediately proclaimed king in Judah, but the northern tribes had to affirm his kingship separately. Seizing the opportunity, Jeroboam took the northern leaders to Rehoboam to seek relief from the harsh labor Solomon had forced on them (1 Kgs 12:1-4). Rehoboam foolishly spurned their request (12:5-14), so the north rebelled and appointed Jeroboam as its king (12:20). Thus the kingdom was divided, as God had promised.

Jeroboam did not remain committed to God, however. He worried that if his people went to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, they would support the southern kingdom. He had no confidence in God to secure his reign, so he carried out his own plan to secure his people’s spiritual allegiance. He built two gold calf shrines, at the north and south of his kingdom (12:26-33). God was displeased with these shrines and sent a prophet to condemn Jeroboam. Though Jeroboam initially responded to the prophet’s display of divine power, the calf shrines remained intact throughout the northern kingdom’s history (931–722 BC). Jeroboam’s false religion was a key reason for the destruction of the northern kingdom in 722 BC (14:14-16; 2 Kgs 17:5-23).

Because of Jeroboam’s sins, God did not give him a dynasty (1 Kgs 13:33-34). Though Jeroboam’s son Nadab inherited the throne when his father died, he was assassinated—along with the rest of Jeroboam’s descendants—two years later by a usurper named Baasha (14:20; 15:25-31).

Passages for Further Study

1 Kgs 11:26–14:20; 15:6-7, 25-28; 2 Chr 10:1–13:22