Pt2 Pride, Idolatry, and the Rejection of Repentance: Talmudic Interpretations of the Wicked Biblical King Jeroboam (Sanhedrin 101b-102a)
This is the second and final installment of a two-part series. The first part is here, the outline can be found there.
Jeroboam’s Rise and Punishment: Rewarded for Rebuke, Punished for Public Humiliation of Solomon
R'Yoḥanan explains that Jeroboam was rewarded with kingship because he courageously rebuked King Solomon for his sins.
However, he lost everything due to his misdeed of humiliating Solomon publicly:
Jeroboam criticized Solomon for sealing the breaches in the City of David1—openings that Solomon’s father King David had left so the people could easily ascend for pilgrimage.
Jeroboam also criticized Solomon for using forced labor2 for the benefit of Pharaoh’s daughter (בת פרעה), one of Solomon's wives.
This public shaming led to Jeroboam’s punishment.
אמר רבי יוחנן:
מפני מה זכה ירבעם למלכות?
מפני שהוכיח את שלמה
ומפני מה נענש?
מפני שהוכיחו ברבים
שנאמר (מלכים א יא, כז):
"וזה הדבר אשר הרים יד במלך
שלמה בנה את המלוא
סגר את פרץ עיר דוד אביו"
אמר לו:
דוד אביך פרץ פרצות בחומה, כדי שיעלו ישראל לרגל
ואתה גדרת אותם, כדי לעשות אנגריא לבת פרעה
R' Yoḥanan says:
For what virtue was Jeroboam privileged to ascend to monarchy?
It is due to the fact that he rebuked Solomon for his sins.
And for what misdeed was he punished and lost everything?
It is due to the fact that he rebuked Solomon and humiliated him in public,
as it is stated:
“And this was the cause that he lifted his hand against the king:
Solomon built the Millo,
and repaired the breaches of the city of David his father” (I Kings 11:27).
Jeroboam said to Solomon:
David, your father, created breaches in the wall so that the Jewish people could ascend for the pilgrimage Festival,
and you sealed them in order to marshal forced labor [angarya] for the daughter of Pharaoh, your wife.
A Gesture of Defiance: Removing Phylacteries as a Sign of Disrespect Toward King Solomon
The phrase “and this was the cause that he lifted his hand against the king” is explained by Rav Naḥman to mean that the individual removed his tefillin in front of King Solomon, symbolically showing that he did not recognize Solomon as his superior.
This act of removing the phylacteries was a deliberate gesture of defiance or disrespect.
ומאי "וזה אשר הרים יד במלך"?
אמר רב נחמן: שחלץ תפיליו בפניו
And what is the meaning of the phrase “and this was the cause that he lifted his hand against the king”?
Rav Naḥman says: He removed his phylacteries before Solomon, thereby demonstrating that he does not consider Solomon his superior.
Jeroboam’s Dilemma: Fear of Disloyalty in the Temple Courtyard
Rav Naḥman explains that Jeroboam's arrogance cost him his place in the World-to-Come.
Jeroboam reasoned that only kings from the tribe of Judah are permitted to sit in the Temple courtyard (עזרה).
He feared that if people saw him standing while Rehoboam (the Judahite king) sat, they would view Rehoboam as the rightful king and him as a servant.
If he dared to sit, he would be seen as a rebel and face death, with people likely then choosing to follow Rehoboam instead.
אמר רב נחמן:
גסות הרוח שהיה בו בירבעם, טרדתו מן העולם
שנאמר (מלכים א יב, כו):
"ויאמר ירבעם בלבו:
עתה תשוב הממלכה לבית דוד
אם יעלה העם הזה לעשות זבחים בבית ה' בירושלים
ושב לב העם הזה אל אדוניהם
אל רחבעם מלך יהודה
והרגוני
ושבו אל רחבעם מלך יהודה"
אמר:
גמירי:
דאין ישיבה בעזרה אלא למלכי בית יהודה בלבד
כיון דחזו ליה לרחבעם דיתיב, ואנא קאימנא
סברי: הא מלכא, והא עבדא
ואי יתיבנא, מורד במלכות הואי
וקטלין לי, ואזלו בתריה
מיד (מלכים א יב, כח):
"ויועץ המלך
ויעש שני עגלי זהב
ויאמר אליהם:
רב לכם מעלות ירושלים
הנה אלהיך ישראל, אשר העלוך מארץ מצרים
וישם את האחד בבית אל, ואת האחד נתן בדן"
Rav Naḥman says:
The arrogance that existed in Jeroboam drove him from the World-to-Come,
as it is stated:
“And Jeroboam said in his heart:
Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David.
If this people go up to offer sacrifices in the House of the Lord in Jerusalem,
then shall the heart of this people turn again to their lord,
even to Rehoboam, king of Judea,
and they shall kill me
and return to Rehoboam, king of Judea” (I Kings 12:26–27).
Jeroboam calculated and said:
It is learned as a tradition
that sitting in the Temple courtyard is permitted only for kings of the house of Judah alone.
Once they see Rehoboam, who is sitting, and they see me standing,
they will think: This, Rehoboam, is king, and that, Jeroboam, is the servant.
And if I sit there, I will be considered a traitor against the throne,
and they will kill me and follow him.
Immediately, the following took place:
“And the king took counsel,
and made two calves of gold,
and said to them:
It is too much for you to ascend to Jerusalem;
behold your gods, Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.
And he placed the one in Bethel and the other he placed in Dan” (I Kings 12:28–29).
Jeroboam's Counsel: Manipulating the Righteous with the Wicked
R' Yehuda interprets the phrase “and the king took counsel” to mean that Jeroboam convened people, placing a wicked person beside a righteous one.
Jeroboam sought their signature for his authority and future actions, asking if they would obey him fully—even in the case of idol worship.
When a righteous person objected to idol worship, the wicked person reassured him, suggesting Jeroboam was merely testing their loyalty, not intending real idol worship.
The passage concludes with the fact that even the prophet Ahijah the Shilonite (see my intro on him) “erred and signed” (that he would accept all of Jeroboam’s pronouncements).
מאי "ויועץ"?
אמר רבי יהודה:
שהושיב רשע אצל צדיק
אמר להו: חתמיתו על כל דעבידנא?
אמרו ליה: הין
אמר להו: מלכא בעינא למיהוי
אמרו ליה: הין
כל דאמינא לכו, עבידתו?
אמרו ליה: הין
אפילו למפלח לעבודת כוכבים?
אמר ליה צדיק: ח"ו
אמר ליה רשע לצדיק:
ס"ד דגברא כירבעם פלח לעבודת כוכבים?!
אלא למינסינהו הוא דקא בעי, אי קבליתו למימריה
ואף אחיה השילוני טעה וחתם
[...]
What is the meaning of the phrase “and the king took counsel”?
R' Yehuda says:
It means that he assembled the elders of the kingdom of Israel and seated a wicked person alongside a righteous person and consulted them.
He said to the elders: Do you sign a writ of authorization for all that I am doing?
They said to him: Yes. He said to them: I want to be the king.
They said to him: Yes.
Jeroboam said to them: Will you do everything I tell you to do?
They said to him: Yes. He said to them: Even to worship idols?
A righteous man said: Heaven forfend; idol worship is unacceptable.
The wicked man seated alongside him said to the righteous man:
Does it enter your mind that a man like Jeroboam would worship idols?!
Rather, he merely seeks to test those sitting here, to determine if they accept and will obey his pronouncements.
And even Ahijah the Shilonite erred in this matter and signed that he would accept all of Jeroboam’s pronouncements.
[...]
Jeroboam’s Extreme Measures to Prevent Pilgrimage to Jerusalem
The Talmud discusses Jeroboam’s actions to prevent the Israelites from going to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage Festival.
Referring to Hosea 5:2, R' Yoḥanan interprets that God criticizes Jeroboam and his followers for enacting extreme decrees, even harsher than God’s:
While God commanded that failing to go to Jerusalem violates a positive commandment (עשה), Jeroboam threatened death3 to anyone who made the pilgrimage to Jerusalem (as opposed to the new sites of worship that he had set up in Bethel and Dan).
דכתיב (הושע ה, ב):
"ושחטה שטים העמיקו
ואני מוסר לכולם"
אמר רבי יוחנן:
אמר הקב"ה:
הם העמיקו משלי
אני אמרתי: כל שאינו עולה לרגל -- עובר בעשה
והם אמרו: כל העולה לרגל -- ידקר בחרב
[...]
With regard to that which is written:
“And the apostates are deep in slaughter
and I am rejected by them all” (Hosea 5:2),
R' Yoḥanan says that
the Holy One, Blessed be He, says:
They issued decrees that are more profound and more extreme than my own.
I said: Anyone who does not ascend to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage Festival violates a positive mitzva,
and they said: Anyone who ascends to Jerusalem for the pilgrimage Festival will be stabbed with the sword. In that way, Jeroboam successfully prevented the residents of the kingdom of Israel from ascending to Jerusalem.
[...]
Divine Voice at Jeroboam’s Coronation, Rebuking Israel's Betrayal of David’s Legacy
A verse in Micah 1:14 speaks of "parting gifts" given to Moresheth Gath and refers to the "houses of Achzib" as deceitful for the kings of Israel.
R' Ḥanina bar Pappa homiletically interprets this as a rebuke from a Divine Voice at the time of Jeroboam’s coronation, addressing Israel's betrayal.
It reminds Israel of David, who defeated “the Philistine” and secured Gath for them, yet they now reject his dynastic descendants by supporting Jeroboam in revolt.
The prophecy warns that, in the end, Israel's own kings will face abandonment from their subjects, as symbolized by the deceitful "houses of Achzib."
(מיכה א, יד) "לכן תתני שלוחים על מורשת גת
בתי אכזיב לאכזב למלכי ישראל"
אמר ר' חנינא בר פפא:
יצאה בת קול ואמרה להן:
מי שהרג את הפלשתי
והוריש אתכם גת
תתנו שילוחים לבניו?!
"בתי אכזיב לאכזב למלכי ישראל"
[...]
The verse states:
“Therefore shall you give parting gifts to Moresheth Gath;
the houses of Achzib are a deceitful thing for the kings of Israel” (Micah 1:14).
R' Ḥanina bar Pappa says:
When they crowned Jeroboam, a Divine Voice emerged and said to the subjects of the kingdom of Israel:
He who killed the Philistine
and bequeathed the city of Gath to you, i.e., King David,
will you give parting gifts to his sons and revolt against them?!
Ultimately, the houses of Achzib are a deceitful thing for the kings of Israel, as the kings of Israel will also be forsaken by their subjects.
[...]
Jeroboam’s Missed Opportunity: Refusal to Repent Over Pride in Following David in Garden of Eden
The verse in I Kings 13:33, “And after this matter, Jeroboam returned not from his evil way,” is homiletically interpreted by R' Abba (רבי אבא) as referring to a missed opportunity for Jeroboam’s repentance.
God urged Jeroboam to repent, offering him the promise that he, God, Jeroboam, and David (the "son of Yishai") would walk together in the Garden of Eden.
However, when Jeroboam asked who would lead, and God responded that David would, Jeroboam declined to repent out of pride, unwilling to accept David as his superior.
(מלכים א יג, לג) "אחר הדבר הזה
לא שב ירבעם מדרכו הרעה"
מאי "אחר"?
אמר ר' אבא:
אחר שתפשו הקב"ה לירבעם בבגדו
ואמר לו:
חזור בך,
ואני, ואתה, ובן ישי נטייל בגן עדן
אמר לו: מי בראש?
בן ישי בראש
אי הכי, לא בעינא
The verse states:
“And after this matter,
Jeroboam returned not from his evil way” (I Kings 13:33).
To what event is the verse alluding, when it states: “After this matter”?
R' Abba says:
It is after the Holy One, Blessed be He, grabbed Jeroboam by his garment, i.e., he sent prophets and implored him,
and said to him:
Repent,
and you and I and the son of Yishai will stroll together in the Garden of Eden.
Jeroboam said to Him: Who will walk in the lead?
God said to Jeroboam: The son of Yishai will walk in the lead.
Jeroboam said: If so, I do not wish to repent.
community service, impressment into public service
This word is used in (archaic) English as well, see Wikipedia, “Angary“:
Angary (Latin: jus angariae; French: droit d'angarie; German: Angarie; from the Ancient Greek ἀγγαρεία, angareia, "the office of an ἄγγαρος (courier or messenger)") is the right of a belligerent (most commonly, a government or other party in conflict) to seize and use, for the purposes of war or to prevent the enemy from doing so, any kind of property on belligerent territory - including what may belong to subjects or citizens of a neutral state.
ידקר בחרב - literally: “will be stabbed with a sword”.