Bible Strands
1 Kings 12:23
“Tell Rehoboam son of Solomon king of Judah, all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the rest of the people
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A divine messenger commands Shemaiah to relay instructions to Rehoboam, the house of Judah and Benjamin, and the remaining people. This occurs at the moment northern forces prepare to march against the southern tribes following the kingdom's split.
The words — The Hebrew imperative אֱמֹ֗ר ('e.Mor) commands "say," establishing the prophetic transmission of the message. The preposition אֶל\־ ('el-) marks the recipients, explicitly naming Rehoboam as king of Judah and defining the territorial scope.
The thread — The command to halt fighting against "your brothers, the Israelites" is fulfilled in 1 Kings 12:24, where the armies obey and return home. The resulting political reality, that Rehoboam continues to rule the cities of Judah, is recorded in 1 Kings 12:17.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to acknowledge that human political boundaries and military restraint are governed by divine decree rather than human strategy. It asks for immediate obedience to a command that halts conflict and accepts a divinely orchestrated division.
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
Speak unto Rehoboam, the son of Solomon, king of Judah, and unto all the house of Judah and Benjamin, and to the remnant of the people, saying,
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 12:17 but Rehoboam still reigned over the Israelites living in the cities of Judah.