1 Kings 14 26

1 Kings 14:26 kjv

And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD, and the treasures of the king's house; he even took away all: and he took away all the shields of gold which Solomon had made.

1 Kings 14:26 nkjv

And he took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.

1 Kings 14:26 niv

He carried off the treasures of the temple of the LORD and the treasures of the royal palace. He took everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

1 Kings 14:26 esv

He took away the treasures of the house of the LORD and the treasures of the king's house. He took away everything. He also took away all the shields of gold that Solomon had made,

1 Kings 14:26 nlt

He ransacked the treasuries of the LORD's Temple and the royal palace; he stole everything, including all the gold shields Solomon had made.

1 Kings 14 verses

1 Kings 14 26 Meaning

1 Kings 14:26 recounts Pharaoh Shishak’s plundering of Jerusalem, specifically targeting the treasuries of both the house of the Lord (the Temple) and the royal palace, in the fifth year of King Rehoboam’s reign. The verse emphasizes the complete and utter removal of all valuables, prominently highlighting the valuable golden shields that King Solomon had originally made. This comprehensive seizure serves as a direct divine judgment upon Judah for its pervasive unfaithfulness, idolatry, and covenant disobedience.

1 Kings 14 26 Context

This verse is embedded in the narrative of King Rehoboam's reign over Judah, immediately following the split of the Israelite kingdom. While his father Solomon had built the glorious Temple and amassed immense wealth, Rehoboam’s period quickly deteriorated due to his folly and Judah's widespread spiritual rebellion. 1 Kings 14 describes how Judah engaged in idolatry, building high places and Asherim, and practicing detestable acts that "provoked the Lord to jealousy." Consequently, in the fifth year of Rehoboam’s reign, Pharaoh Shishak of Egypt invaded Judah, laying siege to fortified cities and ultimately reaching Jerusalem. The plunder of the Temple and palace, as recounted in verse 26, is depicted as God's just judgment and a direct fulfillment of the curses threatened in the Mosaic covenant for national apostasy. It highlights a sharp decline from the previous era of divinely bestowed prosperity and protection, visibly signaling God's displeasure.

1 Kings 14 26 Word analysis

• He took away (וַיִּקַּח - wa·yiq·qaḥ): A strong verb indicating active seizure and appropriation, not merely removal. This underscores Shishak's role as an instrument of divine judgment, completely dispossessing Judah of its wealth.
• the treasures (אוֹצְרוֹת - 'otsrot): Denotes accumulated wealth, valuables, and stored riches. Its plural form emphasizes the vast quantity and precious nature of what was confiscated.
• of the house of the Lord (בֵּית יְהוָה - Beit YHWH): Refers specifically to Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem. The Temple treasury contained holy offerings, vessels, and vast quantities of dedicated gold and silver. Its vulnerability and plundering signified a desecration and the perceived withdrawal of divine protection.
• and the treasures of the king's house (וְאוֹצְרוֹת בֵּית הַמֶּלֶךְ - ve·'otsrot beit ha-melekh): This indicates the royal palace's wealth, which would include national reserves, state valuables, and the personal riches of the king. The double plunder signifies a complete and humiliating national impoverishment affecting both sacred and secular spheres.
• he took away everything (הַכֹּל לָקָח - hak-kol la·qaḥ): A powerful reiteration, emphasizing the absolute and comprehensive nature of the seizure. "Everything" highlights the exhaustive scope of the plunder, leaving no valuable item behind, thereby magnifying the severity of God's judgment.
• He also took away (וַיִּקַּח - wa·yiq·qaḥ): A repeated action verb, stressing the continuity and deliberateness of Shishak’s plundering.
• all the gold shields (כָּל־מָגִנֵּי הַזָּהָב - kol-maggine ha-zahav): These were ceremonial shields made of pure gold by Solomon (1 Ki 10:16-17). They symbolized Judah’s royal splendor, divine favor, and wealth. Their loss was a significant blow not just economically, but also symbolically, representing a dramatic downgrade in national glory and a removal of what had been a visible sign of God's blessing.
• which Solomon had made (אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה שְׁלֹמֹה - 'asher 'asah Shelomoh): This phrase draws a stark contrast between Solomon's era of divinely granted wisdom and unparalleled prosperity, and Rehoboam's time of decline and loss due to disobedience. It highlights that the very items symbolizing past glory became instruments of present humiliation.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "He took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house": This combined phrase details the scope of the plundering. It encompasses both the Temple (symbolizing God's direct presence and spiritual well-being) and the palace (representing political power and material prosperity). The assault on both centers signifies a judgment affecting the entire nation—its religious life, leadership, and economic foundations, demonstrating that no aspect of the unfaithful kingdom was exempt from the consequences.
• "he took away everything.": This concise yet forceful statement acts as a summarization, intensifying the impact of the previous statement. It conveys an act of complete confiscation, leaving nothing of value behind. This thoroughness reinforces the notion of an unmitigated divine punishment for their deep-seated unfaithfulness.
• "He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made.": While already encompassed by "everything," the explicit mention of the gold shields elevates their symbolic significance. These were not weapons of war, but magnificent displays of wealth and glory from Solomon's prosperous reign. Their seizure, specifically by a foreign monarch, was an undeniable sign of Judah's diminished glory and vulnerability. It symbolized the physical manifestation of God withdrawing His blessing and allowing the very tokens of their past divine favor to be stripped away.

1 Kings 14 26 Bonus section

The account of Shishak’s invasion provides one of the earliest instances of external archaeological corroboration for events described in the Books of Kings. The campaign of Pharaoh Sheshonq I (biblical Shishak) is independently recorded on the walls of the Temple of Amun at Karnak in Egypt, listing captured cities in Canaan, even though Jerusalem is not explicitly found among them. This convergence strengthens the historical authenticity of the biblical narrative concerning the significant plunder. Furthermore, the almost immediate necessity for Rehoboam to replace the valuable gold shields with inferior bronze ones (1 Ki 14:27) immediately after the raid strikingly illustrates the rapid and drastic decline of the kingdom from Solomon's opulence to Rehoboam's impoverished state. This stark contrast serves as a theological statement about the ephemeral nature of worldly glory and the transient possession of wealth when divorced from divine favor and obedience. The symbolic weight of losing such ostentatious and numerous golden objects highlights not just material deprivation but a profound loss of national honor and the visual manifestation of God’s departed glory.

1 Kings 14 26 Commentary

1 Kings 14:26 serves as a powerful historical and theological statement on the direct consequences of national unfaithfulness. The meticulous enumeration of what was taken—the precious contents of both the sacred Temple and the king's opulent palace, notably Solomon's unique golden shields—underscores the depth of Judah's spiritual fall. What God had richly bestowed upon Solomon, leading to an age of unprecedented wealth and glory, was systematically stripped away under Rehoboam as a direct consequence of the people's widespread idolatry and covenant breaking.

This event is not merely a record of a foreign invasion; it's depicted as a divinely orchestrated discipline. Pharaoh Shishak acts as an instrument of God's judgment, reminding Israel that the blessings of the covenant are contingent upon obedience. The loss of the Temple treasures signified not only economic depletion but also a spiritual emptiness, a demonstration that the physical presence of God’s dwelling place did not guarantee protection if the people defiled themselves. The gold shields, once dazzling symbols of power and God-given wealth, becoming foreign spoil powerfully communicated Judah’s degraded status and loss of divine favor, illustrating that true security and prosperity come from faithfulness to the Lord, not from accumulated earthly riches or impressive symbols of power.

Examples:

• A community experiencing societal breakdown when it deviates from core ethical or spiritual principles it once held.
• An institution that loses its foundational purpose and influence after neglecting its original mandate or compromising its values.
• An individual facing personal hardships that serve as consequences of persistent rebellion against God's Word.