1 Kings 12:31 kjv
And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
1 Kings 12:31 nkjv
He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi.
1 Kings 12:31 niv
Jeroboam built shrines on high places and appointed priests from all sorts of people, even though they were not Levites.
1 Kings 12:31 esv
He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
1 Kings 12:31 nlt
Jeroboam also erected buildings at the pagan shrines and ordained priests from the common people ? those who were not from the priestly tribe of Levi.
1 Kings 12 31 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 12:2-5 | You shall surely destroy all the places where the nations... worshipped their gods... you shall seek the place that the LORD your God will choose... to put His name... and there you shall come. | Centralized worship requirement. |
| Deut 12:13-14 | Be careful not to offer your burnt offerings in any place you see... but at the place the LORD chooses... you shall offer your burnt offerings. | Prohibition of localized altars. |
| Ex 29:9 | You shall dress them with sashes, Aaron and his sons, and bind caps on them... and the priesthood shall be theirs for a perpetual statute. | Aaronic priesthood's perpetual nature. |
| Num 3:10 | You shall appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall guard their priesthood; but any outsider who comes near shall be put to death. | Exclusive Aaronic/Levitical priesthood. |
| Num 8:6 | "Take the Levites from among the people of Israel and cleanse them." | Levites consecrated for temple service. |
| Deut 10:8 | At that time the LORD set apart the tribe of Levi to carry the ark of the covenant... and to bless in his name, to this day. | Levi's specific role. |
| Deut 18:5 | For the LORD your God has chosen him and his sons out of all your tribes to stand always to minister in the name of the LORD. | Chosen nature of Levitical ministry. |
| Lev 17:3-9 | If anyone of the house of Israel slaughters an ox... outside the entrance of the tent of meeting... bloodguilt shall be imputed to that man. | Proper place for sacrifices. |
| Lev 26:30 | I will destroy your high places and cut down your incense altars. | God's condemnation of high places. |
| 1 Ki 12:28-29 | So the king took counsel and made two calves of gold... He set one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. | Jeroboam's initial religious deviation. |
| 1 Ki 13:33-34 | After this thing Jeroboam did not turn from his evil way, but made priests from all sorts of people for the high places... This thing became sin to the house of Jeroboam. | Continual sin of Jeroboam and its consequences. |
| 1 Ki 14:16 | He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he sinned and which he made Israel to sin. | Jeroboam's lasting legacy of sin. |
| 2 Ki 10:29 | Only, he did not turn from the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, which he made Israel to sin—that is, the golden calves that were in Bethel and in Dan. | Subsequent kings followed Jeroboam's sin. |
| 2 Ki 17:9-11 | The people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places in all their towns... and served idols. | Northern Kingdom's widespread idolatry. |
| 2 Ki 17:21-22 | When he tore Israel from the house of David, they made Jeroboam son of Nebat king, who drove Israel from following the LORD and made them commit great sin. The people of Israel walked in all the sins that Jeroboam did. | Summary of Jeroboam's leading Israel astray. |
| Neh 12:47 | And all Israel in the days of Zerubbabel and in the days of Nehemiah gave the daily portions for the singers and the gatekeepers; and they set apart that which was for the Levites. | Legitimate support for Levitical ministry. |
| Ezek 6:3 | You mountains of Israel, hear the word of the Lord GOD: Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains and the hills... 'Behold, I am bringing a sword upon you, and I will destroy your high places.' | Prophetic judgment against high places. |
| Hos 8:4 | They set up kings, but not by me. They made princes, but I knew it not. With their silver and gold they made idols for their own destruction. | God's displeasure with self-appointed authority/idolatry. |
| Mal 2:4-7 | So shall you know that I have sent this commandment to you, that my covenant with Levi may stand... The law of truth was in his mouth, and unrighteousness was not found on his lips. | God's specific covenant with Levi for true teaching. |
| Heb 7:12 | For when there is a change in the priesthood, there must also be a change in the law. | Highlights the immutability of law tied to priesthood; Jesus changed priesthood not in the sense of defying law but fulfilling. |
| 1 Pet 2:9 | But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession. | Contrasts false priesthood with the true "royal priesthood" of believers. |
1 Kings 12 verses
1 Kings 12 31 Meaning
The verse describes Jeroboam's further steps in establishing an alternative religious system in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. It details his creation of cult centers on "high places" and his appointment of priests from outside the divinely ordained Levitical lineage, selecting them from "all sorts of people." This action fundamentally rejected God's commandments regarding the exclusive sanctuary in Jerusalem and the divinely chosen priesthood, establishing a system of worship directly contrary to the Law.
1 Kings 12 31 Context
Chapter 12 details the division of the United Monarchy of Israel. After Solomon's death, his son Rehoboam ascended the throne. The northern tribes petitioned for lighter taxes and service, but Rehoboam rejected their plea, acting harshly. This led to ten tribes rebelling and choosing Jeroboam, son of Nebat, as their king. Fearing that continued worship at the legitimate Temple in Jerusalem would lead his people back to Rehoboam, Jeroboam established new religious centers at Bethel and Dan, constructing golden calves for worship. Verse 31 builds on this, explaining how Jeroboam further institutionalized his alternative cult by appointing non-Levitical priests and building houses on high places, completing the perversion of Yahwistic worship in the North. This was a direct, political, and religious countermeasure to consolidate his power and separate the northern kingdom permanently from Jerusalem's influence.
1 Kings 12 31 Word analysis
- He also made: (וַיַּעַשׂ גַּם wayyaʿas gam) The conjunction "also" or "furthermore" emphasizes that this action is an addition to Jeroboam's prior sin of making golden calves. It underscores a progression in his religious deviance, showing a systematic establishment of an alternative cult.
- houses on high places: (בֵּית בָּמֹות beit bâmôt)
- Houses (בֵּית beit): Refers to shrines or cultic structures, specifically for worship. This implies built structures rather than just open-air altars.
- High places (בָּמֹות bâmôt): These were elevated cultic sites, traditionally associated with Canaanite fertility worship (Baal, Asherah). While Israelites had used "high places" for legitimate worship before the Temple's centralization, Deuteronomy strictly prohibited them. Jeroboam's action revived and formalized these illicit sites for Israelite worship, signifying a move away from Mosaic Law and closer to pagan practices. This directly contravenes the divine command for a single, centralized place of worship in Jerusalem (Deut 12).
- and appointed: (וַיַּעַשׂ wayyaʿas) Again the verb ʿas "made" or "did," here used causatively as "appointed" or "ordained." This shows Jeroboam's active role in setting up the illegitimate priesthood, mirroring God's divine ordination of the Levitical priests but in perversion.
- priests from all sorts of people: (כֹהֲנֵי קְצֹות עָם kohanei qtsot ʿam)
- Priests (כֹהֲנֵי kohanei): Individuals designated to perform cultic rituals, sacrifices, and mediate between the deity and the people.
- from all sorts of people (קְצֹות עָם qtsot ʿam): The phrase is crucial. While some translations render it "from the lowest of the people" (KJV), scholarly consensus points to "from all kinds of people," meaning "anyone who was willing" or "not from the specifically designated Levitical tribe." It highlights the deliberate disregard for the divinely appointed lineage, not necessarily their social standing. This was a radical break from Mosaic Law.
- who were not of the sons of Levi: (אֲשֶׁר לֹא הָיוּ מִבְּנֵי לֵוִי asher lo hayu mibb'nei Levi) This explicit negative statement serves as a polemic against Jeroboam's innovation. It directly states the problem: the Levitical tribe had been specifically chosen by God for priestly service (Num 3, Num 8, Deut 10). Jeroboam's bypassing of Levi was a direct usurpation of divine authority and a clear act of disobedience and apostasy, establishing an entirely man-made and illicit priesthood. This set a dangerous precedent for the subsequent kings of Israel.
1 Kings 12 31 Bonus section
- Jeroboam's actions were driven by practical political necessity (preventing defection to Judah) but quickly devolved into spiritual apostasy, illustrating how pragmatism can compromise divine truth.
- The "sin of Jeroboam" became a recurring phrase and theological benchmark in subsequent biblical accounts (e.g., 1 Ki 14:16; 2 Ki 10:29), identifying his religious innovations as the primary cause of Northern Israel's decline and ultimate destruction.
- This verse indirectly sets up a future confrontation with prophets like Elijah, who fiercely championed the legitimate worship of Yahweh against the syncretistic practices initiated by Jeroboam and further developed by Ahab and Jezebel.
1 Kings 12 31 Commentary
1 Kings 12:31 succinctly describes a pivotal moment in Israelite religious history: Jeroboam's systemic dismantling of the legitimate Yahwistic cult. His establishment of "houses on high places" represented a direct defiance of the Mosaic Law, which mandated centralized worship at the Jerusalem Temple. By appointing "priests from all sorts of people," specifically those "not of the sons of Levi," he created a self-serving, unauthorized religious leadership that usurped the exclusive, God-ordained role of the Aaronic/Levitical priesthood. This act was deeply political, designed to sever the religious ties between the northern tribes and Jerusalem, thereby securing his kingship. However, it consecrated widespread idolatry and false worship, becoming the foundational "sin of Jeroboam" that plagued the Northern Kingdom for generations, ultimately contributing to its downfall. This verse demonstrates the human tendency to craft religious systems convenient for political gain or personal comfort, rather than adhering to divine commands, and highlights the tragic consequences of such spiritual compromise.