1 Kings 12 33

1 Kings 12:33 kjv

So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

1 Kings 12:33 nkjv

So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense.

1 Kings 12:33 niv

On the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a month of his own choosing, he offered sacrifices on the altar he had built at Bethel. So he instituted the festival for the Israelites and went up to the altar to make offerings.

1 Kings 12:33 esv

He went up to the altar that he had made in Bethel on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, in the month that he had devised from his own heart. And he instituted a feast for the people of Israel and went up to the altar to make offerings.

1 Kings 12:33 nlt

So on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a day that he himself had designated, Jeroboam offered sacrifices on the altar at Bethel. He instituted a religious festival for Israel, and he went up to the altar to burn incense.

1 Kings 12 verses

1 Kings 12 33 Meaning

Jeroboam, king of the Northern Kingdom of Israel, engaged in comprehensive religious innovation contrary to divine law. This verse details his establishment of a false feast at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, a date he himself invented, instead of the seventh month as ordained by God. He not only instituted this unauthorized festival but also performed priestly functions by offering sacrifices and burning incense upon an altar he had constructed, thereby leading the Israelites into idolatry and disobedience.

1 Kings 12 33 Context

1 Kings 12 records the momentous division of the united kingdom of Israel after Solomon's reign. Rehoboam, Solomon's son, refused to lighten the burden on the people, leading to a revolt of ten tribes who made Jeroboam their king. Fearing that regular pilgrimages to Jerusalem for worship would turn the hearts of the people back to Rehoboam and Judah, Jeroboam strategically established alternative religious centers. He set up golden calves in Bethel and Dan (1 Kgs 12:29), appointed priests who were not from the tribe of Levi, and, as detailed in this verse, instituted his own unauthorized feast to directly counteract the established, God-given feasts centered in Jerusalem. This was a deliberate act of political pragmatism disguised as religious provision, leading the entire Northern Kingdom into persistent spiritual apostasy from its very foundation.

1 Kings 12 33 Word analysis

• "So he offered": The Hebrew verb is qatar (קָטַר), meaning "to burn," often used for burning incense or sacrificing. It denotes an act of worship. The issue is who offered and what they offered it upon, not the act itself being foreign.
• "upon the altar": The Hebrew mizbe'ach (מִזְבֵּחַ) signifies a place of sacrifice. This altar was not the one in Jerusalem commanded by God, but one "he had made," an unauthorized altar at Bethel.
• "which he had made in Bethel": Bethel, meaning "House of God," was significant historically (Gen 28:10-22), but its choice here signifies a calculated effort to legitimize a false religious center by appealing to past reverence. Jeroboam re-purposes a sacred place for profane worship.
• "on the fifteenth day of the eighth month": This is a direct parallel and deviation from the Mosaic Law's Feast of Booths (Sukkot), which was ordained for the "fifteenth day of the seventh month" (Lev 23:34, Num 29:12). Jeroboam intentionally delayed it by a month, asserting his authority over God's calendar.
• "even in the month which he had devised of his own heart": The key phrase here is "devised of his own heart." The Hebrew word badah (בָּדָא) means "to invent, contrive, fabricate, imagine." It starkly contrasts with divine revelation or command. This highlights the human origin of Jeroboam's religion, emphasizing its illegitimate and self-willed nature.
• "and ordained a feast": The Hebrew word chag (חַג) refers to a pilgrim festival, like Passover, Weeks, or Booths. Jeroboam imitates God's legitimate feasts but imbues them with ungodly content and purpose.
• "for the children of Israel": This phrasing implies it was ostensibly for their benefit or religious participation, yet it was a snare that led them into sin.
• "and offered upon the altar, and burnt incense": Repetition of the action for emphasis. Burning incense was a sacred act, specifically reserved for the Aaronic priesthood (Num 3:10). Jeroboam's direct participation in, or supervision of, this act—which would have involved non-Levitical priests he appointed (1 Kgs 12:31)—was a serious usurpation of divine authority, mirroring Uzziah's later transgression (2 Chr 26:16-19).

Words-group analysis:

• "So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel": This phrase encapsulates the illegality of Jeroboam's worship in terms of place and object. It underscores the unauthorized altar built by man, not divinely appointed, as well as the deliberate move away from Jerusalem as the sole legitimate worship center.
• "on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart": This highlights Jeroboam's arrogant assertion of authority over divine time. It was a complete defiance of God's commanded religious calendar, substituting human invention for divine ordinance. This self-devised timing symbolized his full deviation from God's pattern.
• "and ordained a feast for the children of Israel: and offered upon the altar, and burnt incense": This phrase encapsulates Jeroboam's usurping of God's authority and the perversion of worship personnel and practices. He was performing sacred duties reserved for priests and dictating religious life according to his political fears, leading the nation into direct idolatry.

1 Kings 12 33 Bonus section

The lasting impact of Jeroboam's innovations, often referred to as "the sin of Jeroboam," highlights how the foundational actions of leaders can determine a nation's spiritual trajectory. The prophets repeatedly condemn Israel for following these ungodly practices established by Jeroboam, directly linking the apostasy to his initial disobedience (e.g., 1 Kgs 14:16, 15:30; 2 Kgs 3:3; 10:29). This verse effectively details the strategic political move that severed the Northern Kingdom spiritually from YHWH's covenant requirements, ultimately leading to their exile. It serves as a stark reminder of the danger of syncretism – blending divine worship with human traditions and idolatry – a pattern frequently condemned throughout the Old Testament and warned against in the New.

1 Kings 12 33 Commentary

1 Kings 12:33 meticulously records Jeroboam's full-scale perversion of Yahwistic worship, establishing the core sin of the Northern Kingdom that would persist through generations. Driven by political insecurity, he counterfeited God's commands regarding worship place, object, personnel, and time. His act of "devising" a feast "of his own heart" signifies the heart of his sin: replacing God's explicit commands with human wisdom, fear, and ambition. This human-centered innovation stands in stark contrast to true biblical faith, which demands humble obedience to divine revelation. The delay of the feast by one month was not a mere detail but a deliberate and brazen assertion of human control over sacred time, serving to further isolate the Northern tribes from Jerusalem's legitimate spiritual authority. His usurpation of priestly functions (burning incense) further solidified his contempt for God's order. This systematic re-imagination of religion was foundational to the spiritual decline of Israel, sealing their fate as a kingdom steeped in "the sin of Jeroboam."

Practical usage:

1. Beware of human traditions over divine command: Don't substitute what feels right or what is convenient for what God has clearly commanded in His Word.
2. Examine motivations: Religious activities can be undertaken with impure motives, such as fear, ambition, or personal gain, rather than genuine worship of God.
3. Respect God's boundaries: Recognize that God sets specific boundaries and methods for worship and life that should not be unilaterally altered or ignored.