Rehoboam

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OT Divided Monarchy

Solomon's son, whose harsh answer to Israel's request for relief split the united kingdom permanently into Israel and Judah; a son of Solomon's foreign wife Naamah, later slipping into the idolatry his father had introduced.

For younger readers

Rehoboam became king after his father Solomon died. The people asked him to be kinder than his father had been, but Rehoboam listened to bad advice from his friends and answered them harshly instead. Because of this, most of the twelve tribes broke away and chose a different king, splitting God's people into two separate kingdoms. Later, Rehoboam stopped following God's ways, and an enemy army invaded and took treasures from the temple. But when Rehoboam and his leaders were sorry and humbled themselves before God, God was merciful and did not let the enemy destroy the city completely. Rehoboam's story shows how one unkind decision can cause a lot of damage — but also how God still shows mercy when people humble themselves, even after making big mistakes.

Life Story

Rehoboam inherited Solomon's throne and, at Shechem, was asked by the northern tribes to lighten the harsh labor Solomon had imposed. Rejecting his father's experienced elders for the bravado of the young men he'd grown up with, Rehoboam answered, "My father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:1-14). The ten northern tribes rebelled immediately, crowning Jeroboam king over Israel and leaving Rehoboam only Judah and Benjamin — Scripture calls this "a turn of events from the LORD," fulfilling judgment on Solomon's idolatry even though Rehoboam's own folly triggered it (1 Kings 12:15-24; 11:11-13). Rehoboam fortified Judah's cities and, for a time, walked in some faithfulness, but once established he "abandoned the law of the LORD, and all Israel with him," reviving the pagan high places Solomon had allowed (2 Chronicles 12:1). In his fifth year, Pharaoh Shishak invaded and stripped the temple and palace treasures, including Solomon's gold shields — a humiliation Scripture attributes directly to Judah's unfaithfulness (1 Kings 14:25-28; 2 Chronicles 12:2-12). When Rehoboam and his officials humbled themselves at the prophet Shemaiah's warning, God tempered the judgment, sparing Jerusalem from destruction even though Shishak still plundered it. Rehoboam remained in David's line despite the split, so the covenant promise to David's house continued through him toward Christ (Matthew 1:7).

First named in 1 Kings 11:40-43

References: 1 Kings 11:40-43; 1 Kings 12:1-27; 1 Kings 14:21-31; 1 Kings 15:6; 1 Chronicles 3:10; 2 Chronicles 9:31; 2 Chronicles 10:1-18; 2 Chronicles 11:1-22; 2 Chronicles 12:1-16; 2 Chronicles 13:7; Matthew 1:7

Genealogy

Father

Solomon

Mother

Naamah

Spouse(s)

Mahalath

Children

Abijah, Attai, Jeush, Shelomith, Shemariah, Zaham, Ziza

Connections

Solomon — begot → Rehoboam
Naamah — bore → Rehoboam
Rehoboam — begot → Abijah
Rehoboam — begot → Jeush
Rehoboam — begot → Shemariah
Rehoboam — begot → Zaham
Rehoboam — begot → Attai
Rehoboam — begot → Ziza
Rehoboam — begot → Shelomith
Rehoboam ↔ married ↔ Mahalath

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