Bible Strands
1 Kings 12:4
“Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The Israelite elders, speaking through Jeroboam, address Rehoboam immediately following Solomon’s death to demand immediate relief from royal taxation and forced labor.
The words — The text employs הִקְשָׁה (hik.shah, “he made hard”) to describe Solomon’s imposition of service and עֻלָּה (‘ullah, “yoke”) to denote the resulting obligation. It then commands Rehoboam to use הָקֵל (ha.qel, “lighten”) the weight of that service.
The thread — The “yoke” motif reappears in 1 Samuel 8:11 as a warning against royal conscription and in Matthew 11:29 as a contrast to royal oppression, while Solomon’s administrative burden is outlined in 1 Kings 4:7.
Why it lands — The verse demands a concrete assessment of leadership by measuring authority against the tangible weight it places on the governed. It frames obedience as conditional upon the ruler’s willingness to reduce imposed burdens.
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
Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
Cross-references
- 1 Samuel 8:11 He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots.
- 1 Kings 4:7 Solomon had twelve governors over all Israel to provide food for the king and his household. Each one would arrange provisions for one month of the year,
- Matthew 11:29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
- 1 Kings 4:20 The people of Judah and Israel were as numerous as the sand on the seashore, and they were eating and drinking and rejoicing.
- 2 Chronicles 10:4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”
- Matthew 23:4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.
- 1 Kings 9:15 This is the account of the forced labor that King Solomon imposed to build the house of the LORD, his own palace, the supporting terraces, and the wall of Jerusalem, as well as Hazor, Megiddo, and Gezer.
- 1 Kings 9:22 But Solomon did not consign any of the Israelites to slavery, because they were his men of war, his servants, his officers, his captains, and the commanders of his chariots and cavalry.
- 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome,