Bible Strands
1 Kings 11:35
But I will take ten tribes of the kingdom from the hand of his son and give them to you.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — God speaks to the prophet Ahijah, delivering a decree regarding Jeroboam’s future authority. This declaration occurs during the final days of Solomon’s reign, as God outlines the impending division of the united monarchy.
The words — The verb לָקַחְתִּי (la.kach.Ti) literally means “I will take,” paired with נְתַתִּי (ne.ta.Ti) “I will give.” These verbs frame the transfer of political power from Solomon’s heir to Jeroboam.
The thread — This judicial transfer echoes the warning in 1 Kings 11:12 that the kingdom would be torn from Solomon’s line, and it directly precedes the fulfillment recorded in 1 Kings 12:15. The division also sets the stage for the ongoing covenantal tension first noted in Exodus 20:5 regarding divine jealousy and judgment.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human political structures remain subject to divine sovereignty. It requires the reader to acknowledge that leadership is delegated, not inherent, and must be exercised under covenant boundaries.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
But I will take the kingdom out of his son’s hand, and will give it unto thee, even ten tribes.
Cross-references
- Exodus 20:5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
- 1 Kings 11:12 Nevertheless, for the sake of your father David, I will not do it during your lifetime; I will tear it out of the hand of your son.
- 1 Kings 12:15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from the LORD, to fulfill the word He had spoken to Jeroboam son of Nebat through Ahijah the Shilonite.
- 1 Kings 12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. Only the tribe of Judah followed the house of David.
- 2 Chronicles 10:15 So the king did not listen to the people, and indeed this turn of events was from God, in order that the LORD might fulfill the word that He had spoken through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam son of Nebat.