Bible Strands
1 Kings 12:5
Rehoboam answered, “Go away for three days and then return to me.” So the people departed.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Rehoboam addresses the assembled crowd of Israelites immediately after their demand to lighten Solomon’s heavy yoke. He issues a temporary postponement before they disperse.
The words — The Hebrew לְכ֥וּ (le.Khu) commands a departure, while עֹ֛ד ('od) specifies a three-day interval (שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה יָמִ֖ים / she.lo.Shah ya.Mim) before the people must come back. וְ/שׁ֣וּבוּ (ve./Shu.vu) then functions as a subsequent command to return to the king.
The thread — This three-day delay establishes a narrative timeline that concludes in 1 Kings 12:12 when Jeroboam and the people return to deliver their final demand. The interval creates space for Rehoboam to consult the elders in 1 Kings 12:6.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to recognize how administrative delay functions as a political tactic rather than a resolution. It demands attention to the structural pacing of leadership decisions under pressure.
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
And he said unto them, Depart yet for three days, then come again to me. And the people departed.
Cross-references
- 1 Kings 12:12 After three days, Jeroboam and all the people returned to Rehoboam, since the king had said, “Come back to me on the third day.”