1 Kings 14:21-24·~1 min

Rehoboam Reigns in Judah

Rehoboam reigns in Jerusalem, the city the LORD chose for His Name, but Judah provokes the LORD more than its fathers. The people build shrines and poles across the land and adopt the abominations of the nations before them.

M²¹eanwhile, Rehoboam son of Solomon reigned 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 all the tribes of Israel in which to put His Name. His mother’s name was Naamah the Ammonite. ²²And Judah did evil in the sight of the LORD, and by the sins they committed they provoked Him to jealous anger more than all their fathers had done. ²³They also built for themselves high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every high hill and under every green tree. ²⁴There were even male shrine prostitutes in the land. They imitated all the abominations of the nations the LORD had driven out before the Israelites.

Section summaryThe account turns to Rehoboam in Judah and notes the chosen city of Jerusalem where he reigns. Yet Judah also does evil before the LORD, filling the land with high places, Asherah poles, pillars, and the practices of the nations driven out before them.

Role in the chapterThis section broadens the chapter’s judgment from Israel to Judah. It shows that the southern kingdom, despite Jerusalem and David’s line, is following the same path of covenant unfaithfulness.