1 Kings 14 21

1 Kings 14:21 kjv

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty and one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD did choose out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. And his mother's name was Naamah an Ammonitess.

1 Kings 14:21 nkjv

And Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he became king. He reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put His name there. His mother's name was Naamah, an Ammonitess.

1 Kings 14:21 niv

Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel in which to put his Name. His mother's name was Naamah; she was an Ammonite.

1 Kings 14:21 esv

Now Rehoboam the son of Solomon reigned in Judah. Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city that the LORD had chosen out of all the tribes of Israel, to put his name there. His mother's name was Naamah the Ammonite.

1 Kings 14:21 nlt

Meanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon was king in Judah. He was forty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the LORD had chosen from among all the tribes of Israel as the place to honor his name. Rehoboam's mother was Naamah, an Ammonite woman.

1 Kings 14 verses

1 Kings 14 21 Meaning

This verse introduces Rehoboam as the rightful successor to Solomon, ruling over the southern kingdom of Judah. It provides key biographical details: his age at ascension, the duration of his reign, and the divinely chosen location of his rule, Jerusalem, where the Lord had uniquely chosen to establish His presence. The verse also significantly reveals the identity of his mother, Naamah, an Ammonitess, a detail with theological implications.

1 Kings 14 21 Context

This verse is part of 1 Kings 14, a chapter that narrates significant spiritual decline and judgment. Immediately preceding this verse, the prophet Ahijah delivers a severe message of judgment against Jeroboam and the Northern Kingdom of Israel due to their idolatry. In contrast, this verse briefly pivots to the southern kingdom of Judah, introducing its king, Rehoboam, and his specific details, before delving into Judah's own spiritual failures (1 Kgs 14:22-24). Historically, this period marks the formal establishment of the divided monarchy after Solomon's death (1 Kgs 12), with Rehoboam ruling Judah and Benjamin, and Jeroboam ruling the remaining ten tribes. The mention of Jerusalem as the "chosen city" underscores Judah's unique divine privilege as the location of the Temple and the Davidic throne, contrasting with the apostasy spreading in the north. The revelation of Naamah, Rehoboam's Ammonitess mother, subtly but profoundly foreshadows the moral and spiritual compromise that will plague Judah, continuing Solomon's problematic legacy of foreign wives.

1 Kings 14 21 Word analysis

• And Rehoboam: Hebrew: רְחַבְעָם (Reḥav‘am), meaning "He enlarges the people" or "the people have broadened." Ironic, given that under his reign, the kingdom tragically contracted and divided. This immediately connects him as the direct, intended heir to the Davidic throne after Solomon.

• the son of Solomon: Establishes his lineage to King Solomon, emphasizing the continuity of the Davidic dynasty. However, he inherited both the glory and the spiritual pitfalls of his father.

• reigned in Judah: This highlights the divided kingdom. Judah now refers to the Southern Kingdom, comprising the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, and maintaining Jerusalem as its capital. This specifies his dominion after the ten northern tribes seceded.

• Rehoboam was forty and one years old: A significant age indicating maturity and readiness for leadership in the ancient world. It contrasts with his actions later described (1 Kgs 12), where he displayed the foolishness of youth rather than the wisdom expected of an experienced man.

• when he began to reign: Marks the commencement of his official rule, initiating a new era for the reduced kingdom.

• and he reigned seventeen years: A relatively short reign compared to some other kings, perhaps indicating the instability and challenges he faced in a fractured kingdom.

• in Jerusalem: Hebrew: יְרוּשָׁלַיִם (Yerushalaim), meaning "foundation of peace." This city was the established capital of the united kingdom and remained the capital of Judah, distinct from the new centers of power in the Northern Kingdom. It was the center of legitimate worship.

• the city which the Lord did choose: This phrase is critical. Hebrew: אֲשֶׁר בָּחַר יְהוָה (’asher bakhar YHVH), emphasizing God's direct, sovereign selection. It denotes Jerusalem's unique, divinely appointed status among all cities. This choice was for a specific theological purpose, not based on strategic or aesthetic merits. It strongly emphasizes divine sovereignty and distinguishes Jerusalem from humanly chosen cultic sites like Bethel and Dan.

• out of all the tribes of Israel: Reaffirms that Jerusalem's selection was paramount, meant for all twelve tribes as the central place of worship, even if ten had apostatized. It underscored the legitimacy of the worship practiced in Judah versus the idolatry elsewhere.

• to put his name there: This signifies God's direct presence, authority, and special relationship. Hebrew: לָשׂוּם אֶת־שְׁמוֹ שָׁם (lasum et-sh'mo sham). It does not mean God is confined to Jerusalem but that His character, covenant faithfulness, and reputation were manifested there, especially through the Temple where He commanded His worship to take place. This served as a polemic against the numerous local altars and, later, the golden calves.

• And his mother's name was Naamah: Hebrew: נַעֲמָה (Na'amah), meaning "pleasant." While a common name, the identity of a king's mother was often recorded due to her influence on him and royal succession.

• an Ammonitess: This specific ethnic identifier is highly significant. The Ammonites were an adversarial nation to Israel, and Deut 23:3 explicitly prohibited them from entering "the assembly of the Lord," underscoring their historical antagonism (cf. their refusal to assist Israel during the Exodus). This detail highlights the dangerous legacy of Solomon's foreign marriages (1 Kgs 11:1), which were contrary to the Mosaic Law and known to lead Israel into idolatry. It immediately suggests an underlying weakness in Rehoboam's spiritual foundation, providing a subtle foreshadowing of Judah's impending spiritual decline under his reign. This lineage explains why Judah quickly mirrored the idolatry that was punished in Israel.

• Words-group Analysis:

  • "Rehoboam... reigned in Judah... Jerusalem... to put his name there": This cluster underscores the continuation of the Davidic dynasty and God's faithful choice of Jerusalem despite the national division. It highlights Judah's enduring status as the place of legitimate covenant worship, even as the king and people fall into sin.
  • "Forty and one years old... seventeen years": These numerical details contrast an age of expected wisdom with a relatively short reign characterized by foolishness and political/spiritual decline (as revealed in subsequent verses). The lifespan suggests capacity, yet his actions often contradicted it.
  • "The city which the Lord did choose... to put his name there": This foundational theological statement about Jerusalem and the Temple grounds the legitimacy of Judah's worship. It emphasizes God's divine initiative in covenant relation and sets up a stark contrast to Jeroboam's man-made worship centers. It signifies that even in division, God remains faithful to His promises concerning His chosen dwelling place.
  • "Naamah an Ammonitess": This phrase immediately reveals a significant spiritual vulnerability. It hints at foreign, possibly idolatrous influences from the queen mother's background, echoing Solomon's own fatal compromises (1 Kgs 11). Such foreign alliances and marriages were condemned by the Law due to their corrupting spiritual impact on Israel.

1 Kings 14 21 Bonus section

• The naming of the king's mother, particularly her foreign ethnicity, underscores her perceived influence within the royal court, highlighting how breaches of Mosaic law regarding foreign marriages could weaken the spiritual fabric of the leadership and the nation from within.
• The emphasis on Jerusalem as the city "the Lord did choose... to put his name there" serves as a counter-narrative to Jeroboam's newly established cultic sites at Bethel and Dan in the Northern Kingdom. It subtly champions Jerusalem's divine legitimacy for true worship even as the historical narrative unfolds Judah's own departure from the Lord's commands.
• Rehoboam, despite his advanced age at ascension, demonstrated profound foolishness in listening to young, inexperienced advisors rather than the wisdom of the elders (1 Kgs 12), illustrating that age does not automatically confer wisdom. This detail makes his foolishness all the more poignant.

1 Kings 14 21 Commentary

1 Kings 14:21 offers a succinct overview of King Rehoboam and the pivotal conditions of his reign in Judah, even amidst the backdrop of his kingdom's recent fragmentation. It establishes Rehoboam's lineage and the physical location of his authority in Jerusalem, a city explicitly chosen by the Lord for the manifestation of His Name—a declaration of divine ownership and a challenge to any alternative worship. Despite Jerusalem's divinely appointed status, the seemingly innocuous detail of his mother being an Ammonitess serves as a crucial theological signpost. It echoes the historical and spiritual compromises of his father Solomon, whose many foreign wives led him to tolerate idolatry. This heritage from a forbidden people subtly but clearly hints at the impending spiritual struggles and deviations from God's Law that would mark Rehoboam's reign in Judah. This detail highlights that the problems within Israel did not solely stem from the Northern Kingdom but were deeply rooted even in the legitimate Davidic line due to unfaithfulness to God's commands regarding intermarriage, which profoundly influenced national spirituality. Thus, the verse presents a complex picture of God's unwavering choice alongside man's inherent flaws, demonstrating the continuity of God's covenant purposes despite the pervasive human unfaithfulness from even the most privileged positions.