And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
Parallel translations
- WEB The king answered the people roughly, and abandoned the counsel of the old men which they had given him,
- BSB And the king answered the people harshly. He rejected the advice of the elders
- NKJV Then the king answered the people roughly, and rejected the advice which the elders had given him;
- NASB And the king answered the people harshly, for he ignored the advice of the elders which they had given him,
- NLT But Rehoboam spoke harshly to the people, for he rejected the advice of the older counselors
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Rehoboam answers the people harshly, rejecting the elders' wise advice. His pride seals the breach.
Overview
The king responds roughly, casting aside the counsel of the experienced elders. His harshness reveals a leader unwilling to serve those he governs. This fateful choice fulfills the consequences of pride and sets in motion the kingdom's division.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Prov 13:20He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.
- Prov 10:32The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable: but the mouth of the wicked speaketh frowardness.
- Jas 3:17But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
- Eccl 10:12The words of a wise man’s mouth are gracious; but the lips of a fool will swallow up himself.
- Prov 18:23The poor useth intreaties; but the rich answereth roughly.
- Prov 10:11The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
- 1 Sam 25:10–11And Nabal answered David’s servants, and said, Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now a days that break away every man from his master.
- 1 Sam 20:10Then said David to Jonathan, Who shall tell me? or what if thy father answer thee roughly?
- Gen 42:7And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food.
- 1 Kgs 20:6–11Yet I will send my servants unto thee to morrow about this time, and they shall search thine house, and the houses of thy servants; and it shall be, that whatsoever is pleasant in thine eyes, they shall put it in their hand, and take it away.
- Exod 10:28And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.
- Gen 42:30The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country.
- Gen 16:6But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
- 2 Sam 19:43And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said, We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
- Exod 5:2And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.
- 1 Sam 20:30–31Then Saul’s anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness?
- Judg 12:1–6And the men of Ephraim gathered themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire.
- Prov 15:1A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.
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Christ at the center
Solomon's glory, wisdom, and temple where God's presence dwells are a shadow of the greater Son of David — 'one greater than Solomon is here' — and of the true Temple, Christ himself.
How 1 Kings 12:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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