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JEROBOAM (Heb. ydrob`dm, apparently "...

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Originally appearing in Volume V15, Page 326 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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JEROBOAM (Heb. ydrob`dm, apparently " Am ['the See also:clan,' here perhaps a divine name] contends "; LXX. iepof3oaµ) , the name of two See also:kings, in the See also:Bible. I. The first See also:king of (See also:north) See also:Israel after the disruption (see SotomoN). According to the traditions of his See also:early See also:life (1 Kings xi. 26 sqq. and LXX.), he was an Ephraimite who for his ability was placed over the forced See also:levy of See also:Ephraim and See also:Manasseh. Having subsequently incurred See also:Solomon's suspicions he fled to Shishak, king of See also:Egypt, and remained with him until See also:Rehoboam's See also:accession. When the latter came to be made king at See also:Shechem, the old religious centre (see See also:ABIMELECH), hopes were entertained that a more lenient policy would be introduced. But Rehoboam refused to depart from Solomon's despotic See also:rule, and was tactless enough to send Adoniram, the overseer of the corvee. He was stoned to See also:death, and Rehoboam realizing the See also:temper of the See also:people fled. to See also:Jerusalem and prepared for See also:war. Jeroboam became the recognized See also:leader of the See also:northern tribes.' Conflicts occurred (1 Kings xiv. 3o), but no details are preserved except the See also:late See also:story of Rehoboam's son See also:Abijah in 2 Chron. xiii. Jeroboam's See also:chief achievement was the fortification of Shechem (his new See also:capital) and of Penuel in See also:east See also:Jordan.

To counteract the See also:

influence of Jerusalem he established See also:golden calves at See also:Dan and See also:Bethel, an See also:act which to later ages was as See also:gross a piece of wickedness as his See also:rebellion against the legitimate See also:dynasty of See also:Judah. No See also:notice has survived of Shishak's invasion of Israel (see REHOBOAM), and after a reign of twenty-two years Jeroboam was succeeded by Nadab, whose violent death two years later brought the whole See also:house of Jeroboam to an end. The See also:history of the separation of Judah and Israel in the loth See also:century B.c.was written from a strong religious standpoint at a date considerably later than the event itself. The visit of Ahijah to See also:Shiloh (xi. 29–39), to announce symbolically the rending of the See also:kingdom, replaces some See also:account of a rebellion in which Jeroboam " lifted up his See also:hand " (v. 27) against Solomon. To such an account, not to the incident of Ahijah and the cloak, his See also:flight (v. }o) is the natural sequel. The story of Ahijah's prophecy against Jeroboam (ch. xiv.) is not in the See also:original LXX., but another version of the same narrative appears at xii. 24 (LXX.), in which there is no reference to a previous promise to Jeroboam through Ahijah, but the See also:prophet is introduced as a new See also:character. Further, in this version (xii. 24) the incident of the tearing of the cloak is related of Shemaiah and placed at the See also:convention of Shechem.

Shemaiah is the prophet who counselled Rehoboam to refrain from war (xii. 21–24); the in-junction is opposed to xiv. 3o, but appears to be intended to explain Rehoboam's failure to overcome north Israel. (See W. R. See also:

Smith, Old Test. in Jewish See also:Church (2nd ed.), 117 sqq.; Winckler, Alte Test. Untersuch. 12 sqq., and J. See also:Skinner, Century Bible: Kings, pp. 443 sqq.) 2. JEROBOAM, son of See also:Joash (2) a contemporary of See also:Azariah king of Judah. He was one of the greatest of the kings of Israel.

He succeeded in breaking the See also:

power of See also:Damascus, which had See also:long been devastating his See also:land, and extended his kingdom from Hamath on the See also:Orontes to the Dead See also:Sea. The brief See also:summary of his achievements preserved in 2 Kings xiv. 23 sqq. may be supplemented by the original writings of See also:Amos and See also:Hosea.' There appears to be an allusion in Amos vi. 13 to the recovery of Ashteroth-Karnaim and Lodebar in E. Jordan, and the See also:conquest of See also:Moab (Isa. xv. seq.) is often ascribed to this reign. After a See also:period of prosperity, See also:internal disturbances See also:broke out and the northern kingdom hastened to its fall. Jeroboam was succeeded by his son See also:Zechariah, who after six months was killed at Ibleam (so read in 2 Kings xv. io; cp. ix. 27, See also:murder of See also:Ahaziah) by Shallum the son of Jabesh—i.e. possibly of Jabesh-See also:Gilead—who a See also:month later See also:fell to See also:Menahem (q.v.). (S. A. C.) See, further, See also:JEws §§ 7, 9 and §§ 12, 13.

End of Article: JEROBOAM (Heb. ydrob`dm, apparently " Am ['the clan,' here perhaps a divine name] contends "; LXX. iepof3oaµ)

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