◄ 1 Kings 14:12 ►
As for you, get up and go home. When your feet enter the city, the child will die.
Study Bible
As for you
This phrase is directed towards Jeroboam's wife, who had come to the prophet Ahijah seeking insight about her sick son. The Hebrew root here emphasizes a personal address, indicating a direct and specific message from God through the prophet. It underscores the personal responsibility and the direct involvement of individuals in the unfolding of God's plans.

get up and go home
The command to "get up" suggests urgency and immediacy. In the Hebrew context, this phrase often implies a call to action, a shift from passivity to movement. "Go home" indicates a return to one's place of origin or responsibility. It is a reminder that despite seeking divine intervention, one must return to face the realities and consequences of their actions.

When your feet enter the city
This phrase is rich with imagery and significance. The act of entering a city in ancient times often symbolized entering a place of safety, community, or judgment. The specific mention of "feet" highlights the physical act of crossing a threshold, which in biblical terms can represent a transition or a pivotal moment in God's plan.

the child will die
This is a sobering declaration of judgment. The Hebrew word for "die" here is often used in the context of divine judgment or the fulfillment of a prophetic word. It serves as a stark reminder of the consequences of sin and disobedience. In the broader biblical narrative, the death of a child is a profound tragedy, often used to illustrate the severity of turning away from God's commandments.

Persons / Places / Events
1. Ahijah the Prophet
A prophet of the Lord who delivers God's message to Jeroboam's wife. He is known for his earlier prophecy that Jeroboam would become king over Israel.

2. Jeroboam
The first king of the northern kingdom of Israel after the division of the united monarchy. He led Israel into idolatry, which brought God's judgment upon his house.

3. Jeroboam's Wife
She is sent by Jeroboam to Ahijah to inquire about the fate of their sick son. Her visit to Ahijah is marked by disguise, indicating a lack of faith and trust in God's word.

4. Abijah
The son of Jeroboam, who is sick and whose death is foretold by Ahijah as a sign of God's judgment on Jeroboam's house.

5. Shiloh
The place where Ahijah resides and where Jeroboam's wife goes to seek the prophet's counsel. It is historically significant as a religious center in Israel.
Teaching Points
The Consequences of Disobedience
Jeroboam's idolatry and disobedience to God's commands bring severe consequences, not only for himself but for his family. This serves as a warning about the far-reaching effects of sin.

The Certainty of God's Word
Ahijah's prophecy underscores the reliability and certainty of God's word. Believers are reminded to trust in God's promises and warnings.

The Role of Prophets
Prophets in the Bible serve as God's mouthpieces, delivering messages of both hope and judgment. Their role is crucial in guiding God's people back to righteousness.

The Importance of Genuine Faith
Jeroboam's wife's attempt to disguise herself reflects a lack of genuine faith and trust in God. Believers are encouraged to approach God with sincerity and honesty.

God's Sovereignty in Judgment
The death of Jeroboam's son, as foretold by Ahijah, highlights God's sovereignty in executing judgment. It reminds believers of God's ultimate authority over life and death.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the account of Jeroboam and his family illustrate the consequences of turning away from God's commandments?

2. In what ways does Ahijah's prophecy demonstrate the reliability of God's word, and how can this assurance impact our daily lives?

3. What lessons can we learn from Jeroboam's wife's approach to seeking God's guidance, and how can we apply these lessons to our own spiritual inquiries?

4. How does the role of prophets in the Old Testament compare to the role of spiritual leaders today, and what responsibilities do they hold in guiding believers?

5. Reflect on a time when you faced a difficult situation. How did your faith in God's sovereignty and promises help you navigate through it?
Connections to Other Scriptures
1 Kings 11:29-31
This passage describes Ahijah's earlier prophecy to Jeroboam about becoming king, establishing his role as a true prophet of God.

1 Kings 12:26-33
Details Jeroboam's establishment of idol worship in Israel, which sets the stage for God's judgment against his house.

Deuteronomy 18:20-22
Provides criteria for true and false prophets, affirming Ahijah's legitimacy as a prophet through the fulfillment of his prophecies.

2 Kings 17:21-23
Reflects on the consequences of Jeroboam's sins, leading to the eventual downfall of Israel.
Sermons
A Good Boy and a Bad FamilyA. McAuslane, D. D.1 Kings 14:1-18
Affliction and JudgmentJ. Urquhart 1 Kings 14:1-20
The Reprobate's DoomJ.A. Macdonald 1 Kings 14:12-14
People
Abijah, Abijam, Ahijah, David, Israelites, Jeroboam, Naamah, Nadab, Rehoboam, Shishak, Sodomites, Solomon, Tirzah
Places
Bethel, Egypt, Euphrates River, Jerusalem, Shiloh, Tirzah
Topics
Arise, Boy, Child, Death, Depart, Die, Died, Enter, Foot, Hour, Lad, Rise, Town
Dictionary of Bible Themes
1 Kings 14:6-16

     1431   prophecy, OT methods

1 Kings 14:7-13

     1429   prophecy, OT fulfilment

Library
Synopsis. --The Gradual Narrowing of the Miraculous Element in the Bible by Recent Discovery and Discussion. --The Alarm Thereby Excited in the Church. --The Fallacy Which
It is barely forty years since that beloved and fearless Christian scholar, Dean Stanley, spoke thus of the miracles recorded of the prophet Elisha: "His works stand alone in the Bible in their likeness to the acts of mediaeval saints. There alone in the Sacred History the gulf between Biblical and Ecclesiastical miracles almost disappears."[5] It required some courage to say as much as this then, while the storm of persecution was raging against Bishop Colenso for his critical work on the Pentateuch. …
James Morris Whiton—Miracles and Supernatural Religion

Jeroboam
BY REV. ALFRED ROWLAND, D.D., LL.B. "Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin."--1 KINGS xiv. 16. Jeroboam's character is worthy of serious study, not only because it influenced the destiny of God's ancient people, but because it suggests lessons of the utmost value to His people still. He may be fairly regarded as a type of those who are successful men of the world. He was not an example of piety, for he had none--nor of lofty principle, for he was an opportunist who made expediency …
George Milligan—Men of the Bible; Some Lesser-Known

Whether Contention is a Mortal Sin?
Objection 1: It would seem that contention is not a mortal sin. For there is no mortal sin in spiritual men: and yet contention is to be found in them, according to Lk. 22:24: "And there was also a strife amongst" the disciples of Jesus, "which of them should . . . be the greatest." Therefore contention is not a mortal sin. Objection 2: Further, no well disposed man should be pleased that his neighbor commit a mortal sin. But the Apostle says (Phil. 1:17): "Some out of contention preach Christ," …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Whether Divination by Drawing Lots is Unlawful?
Objection 1: It would seem that divination by drawing lots is not unlawful, because a gloss of Augustine on Ps. 30:16, "My lots are in Thy hands," says: "It is not wrong to cast lots, for it is a means of ascertaining the divine will when a man is in doubt." Objection 2: There is, seemingly, nothing unlawful in the observances which the Scriptures relate as being practiced by holy men. Now both in the Old and in the New Testament we find holy men practicing the casting of lots. For it is related …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

The Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants

Sovereignty and Human Responsibility
"So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:12). In our last chapter we considered at some length the much debated and difficult question of the human will. We have shown that the will of the natural man is neither Sovereign nor free but, instead, a servant and slave. We have argued that a right conception of the sinner's will-its servitude-is essential to a just estimate of his depravity and ruin. The utter corruption and degradation of human nature is something which …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

The Prophet Joel.
PRELIMINARY REMARKS. The position which has been assigned to Joel in the collection of the Minor Prophets, furnishes an external argument for the determination of the time at which Joel wrote. There cannot be any doubt that the Collectors were guided by a consideration of the chronology. The circumstance, that they placed the prophecies of Joel just between the two prophets who, according to the inscriptions and contents of their prophecies, belonged to the time of Jeroboam and Uzziah, is …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Kings
The book[1] of Kings is strikingly unlike any modern historical narrative. Its comparative brevity, its curious perspective, and-with some brilliant exceptions--its relative monotony, are obvious to the most cursory perusal, and to understand these things is, in large measure, to understand the book. It covers a period of no less than four centuries. Beginning with the death of David and the accession of Solomon (1 Kings i., ii.) it traverses his reign with considerable fulness (1 Kings iii.-xi.), …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
1 Kings 14:12 NIV
1 Kings 14:12 NLT
1 Kings 14:12 ESV
1 Kings 14:12 NASB
1 Kings 14:12 KJV

1 Kings 14:12 Commentaries

Bible Hub
1 Kings 14:11
Top of Page
Top of Page