The Meaning of 1 Kings 12:33 Explained

1 Kings 12:33

KJV: So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Bethel the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.

YLT: And he offereth up on the altar that he made in Beth-El, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month that he devised of his own heart, and he maketh a festival to the sons of Israel, and offereth on the altar -- to make perfume.

Darby: And he offered upon the altar that he had made in Bethel, on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and he made a feast for the children of Israel, and he offered upon the altar, burning incense.

ASV: And he went up unto the altar which he had made in Beth-el on the fifteenth day in the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart: and he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and went up unto the altar, to burn incense.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

So he offered  upon the altar  which he had made  in Bethel  the fifteenth  day  of the eighth  month,  [even] in the month  which he had devised  of his own heart;  and ordained  a feast  unto the children  of Israel:  and he offered  upon the altar,  and burnt incense. 

What does 1 Kings 12:33 Mean?

Context Summary

1 Kings 12:25-33 - Man-Made Religion
Jeroboam knew better than to make these two calves. The prophet had clearly told him that the stability of his throne was contingent upon his obedience, 1 Kings 11:38. It was definitely promised that if he would hearken to do all that was commanded him, God would be with him and build him a sure house. But he was not content with this.
Fearing that if his people went up to the annual feasts at Jerusalem, they would return to their ancient loyalty to David's throne and kill him, Jeroboam set up the worship of Jehovah under the semblance of these two calves. He thus broke not the First but the Second Commandment, and sowed seeds from which his descendants were destined to reap a succession of bitter harvests. He was like the foolish man of our Lord's parable, who heard and did not; and whose house, however carefully it might have been constructed, was sapped by the rising waters. Expediency always deceives those who turn from God and rely on the devices of their own hearts. It seems that Jeroboam constituted himself priest as well as king. There is no knowing to what lengths men may drift, when they lose their moorings in God.
1 Kings 12:1-33 - Breaking Three Commandments
From a worldly point of view Naboth might have done a good stroke of business by selling his estate to. Ahab. A royal price and assured favor might have been his-but he had a conscience! Above the persuasive tones of the monarch's offer sounded the voice of God: "The land shall not be sold for ever, for the land is mine." See Leviticus 25:23; Numbers 36:7; Ezekiel 46:18.
Ahab knew perfectly well that Jezebel could not give him the property of another except by foul means, but he took pains not to inquire. Though the direct orders for Naboth's death did not come from him, yet, by his silence, he was an accomplice and an accessory; and divine justice penetrates all such specious excuses. God holds us responsible for wrongs which we do not arrest, though we have the power. The crime was blacker because of the pretext of religion, as suggested by a fast. See also 2 Kings 9:26. The blood of murdered innocence cries to God, and his requital, though delayed, is inevitable. See Revelation 6:9-10. [source]

Chapter Summary: 1 Kings 12

1  The Israelites, assembled at Shechem to crown Rehoboam,
4  by Jeroboam make a suit of relaxation unto him
6  Rehoboam, refusing the old men's counsel, answers them roughly
16  Ten tribes revolting, kill Adoram, and make Rehoboam flee
21  Rehoboam, raising an army, is forbidden by Shemaiah
25  Jeroboam strengthens himself by cities
26  and by idolatry of the two calves

What do the individual words in 1 Kings 12:33 mean?

So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the five [and] ten day of the month eighth in the month he had devised - in his own heart and he ordained a feast for the sons of Israel and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense -
וַיַּ֜עַל עַֽל־ הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ ׀ אֲשֶׁר־ עָשָׂ֣ה בְּבֵֽית־ אֵ֗ל בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֨ה עָשָׂ֥ר יוֹם֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ בָּדָ֣א [מלבד] (מִלִּבּ֑וֹ) וַיַּ֤עַשׂ חָג֙ לִבְנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל וַיַּ֥עַל עַל־ הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ לְהַקְטִֽיר פ

וַיַּ֜עַל  So  he  made  offerings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֣חַ ׀  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
עָשָׂ֣ה  he  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בְּבֵֽית־  at 
Parse: Preposition
אֵ֗ל  Bethel 
Parse: Preposition, Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֵּית־אֵל  
Sense: ancient place and seat of worship in Ephraim on border of Benjamin, identified with Luz (former name).
בַּחֲמִשָּׁ֨ה  on  the  five 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Number, masculine singular
Root: חָמֵשׁ  
Sense: five.
עָשָׂ֥ר  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
יוֹם֙  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ  of  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַשְּׁמִינִ֔י  eighth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁמִינִי  
Sense: eighth (ordinal number).
בַּחֹ֖דֶשׁ  in  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
בָּדָ֣א  he  had  devised 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּדָא  
Sense: to devise, contrive, invent (bad sense).
[מלבד]  - 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
(מִלִּבּ֑וֹ)  in  his  own  heart 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
וַיַּ֤עַשׂ  and  he  ordained 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
חָג֙  a  feast 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַג  
Sense: festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast.
לִבְנֵ֣י  for  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל  of  Israel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יִשְׂרָאֵל  
Sense: the second name for Jacob given to him by God after his wrestling with the angel at Peniel.
וַיַּ֥עַל  and  offered  sacrifices 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֖חַ  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
לְהַקְטִֽיר  and  burned  incense 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct
Root: מֻקְטָר 
Sense: .
פ  - 
Parse: Punctuation