The Meaning of 1 Kings 12:32 Explained

1 Kings 12:32

KJV: And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places which he had made.

YLT: and Jeroboam maketh a festival in the eighth month, in the fifteenth day of the month, like the festival that is in Judah, and he offereth on the altar -- so did he in Beth-El -- to sacrifice to the calves which he made, and he hath appointed in Beth-El the priests of the high places that he made.

Darby: And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like the feast that was in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made; and he placed in Bethel the priests of the high places that he had made.

ASV: And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he went up unto the altar; so did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places that he had made.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And Jeroboam  ordained  a feast  in the eighth  month,  on the fifteenth  day  of the month,  like unto the feast  that [is] in Judah,  and he offered  upon the altar.  So did  he in Bethel,  sacrificing  unto the calves  that he had made:  and he placed  in Bethel  the priests  of the high places  which he had made. 

What does 1 Kings 12:32 Mean?

Study Notes

eighth month i.e. November. 1 Kings 12:33 .
altar See 1 Kings 12:25-33 ; Deuteronomy 12:4-14 .
Beth-el
Cf. 1 Kings 12:25-33 . Any altar at Beth-el, after the establishment of Jehovah's worship at Jerusalem was of necessity divisive and schismatic. Deuteronomy 12:4-14 . Cf.; John 4:21-24 ; Matthew 18:20 ; Hebrews 13:10-14 .

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 12:32 mean?

And ordained Jeroboam a feast of the month eighth on the five [and] ten day of the month like the feast that [was] in Judah and offered sacrifices on the altar So he did at Bethel sacrificing to the calves that he had made And he installed at Bethel - the priests of the high places which he had made
וַיַּ֣עַשׂ יָרָבְעָ֣ם ׀ חָ֡ג בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁמִינִ֣י בַּחֲמִשָּֽׁה־ עָשָׂר֩ י֨וֹם ׀ לַחֹ֜דֶשׁ כֶּחָ֣ג ׀ אֲשֶׁ֣ר בִּיהוּדָ֗ה וַיַּ֙עַל֙ עַל־ הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ כֵּ֤ן עָשָׂה֙ בְּבֵֽית־ אֵ֔ל לְזַבֵּ֖חַ לָעֲגָלִ֣ים אֲשֶׁר־ עָשָׂ֑ה וְהֶעֱמִיד֙ בְּבֵ֣ית אֵ֔ל אֶת־ כֹּהֲנֵ֥י הַבָּמ֖וֹת אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה

וַיַּ֣עַשׂ  And  ordained 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
יָרָבְעָ֣ם ׀  Jeroboam 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יָרָבְעָם  
Sense: the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel when the kingdom split at the death of Solomon and the 0 tribes split off from Judah and Benjamin and the kingdom under Solomon’s son Rehoboam; idolatry was introduced at the beginning of his reign.
חָ֡ג  a  feast 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַג  
Sense: festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast.
בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ  of  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
הַשְּׁמִינִ֣י  eighth 
Parse: Article, Number, ordinal masculine singular
Root: שְׁמִינִי  
Sense: eighth (ordinal number).
בַּחֲמִשָּֽׁה־  on  the  five 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Number, masculine singular
Root: חָמֵשׁ  
Sense: five.
עָשָׂר֩  [and]  ten 
Parse: Number, masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂר 
Sense: ten, -teen (in combination with other numbers).
י֨וֹם ׀  day 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
לַחֹ֜דֶשׁ  of  the  month 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חֹדֶשׁ  
Sense: the new moon, month, monthly.
כֶּחָ֣ג ׀  like  the  feast 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חַג  
Sense: festival, feast, festival-gathering, pilgrim-feast.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  that  [was] 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
בִּיהוּדָ֗ה  in  Judah 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
וַיַּ֙עַל֙  and  offered  sacrifices 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
הַמִּזְבֵּ֔חַ  the  altar 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מִזְבֵּחַ  
Sense: altar.
כֵּ֤ן  So 
Parse: Adverb
Root: כֵּן 
Sense: so, therefore, thus.
עָשָׂה֙  he  did 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
בְּבֵֽית־  at 
Parse: Preposition
אֵ֔ל  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).
לְזַבֵּ֖חַ  sacrificing 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Piel, Infinitive construct
Root: זָבַח  
Sense: to slaughter, kill, sacrifice, slaughter for sacrifice.
לָעֲגָלִ֣ים  to  the  calves 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: עֵגֶל  
Sense: calf, bull-calf.
אֲשֶׁר־  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
עָשָׂ֑ה  he  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
וְהֶעֱמִיד֙  And  he  installed 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
בְּבֵ֣ית  at 
Parse: Preposition
אֵ֔ל  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).
אֶת־  - 
Parse: Direct object marker
Root: אֹות 
Sense: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative.
כֹּהֲנֵ֥י  the  priests 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: כֹּהֵן  
Sense: priest, principal officer or chief ruler.
הַבָּמ֖וֹת  of  the  high  places 
Parse: Article, Noun, feminine plural
Root: בָּמָה  
Sense: high place, ridge, height, bamah (technical name for cultic platform).
עָשָֽׂה  he  had  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.