And the king answered the people roughly, and forsook the old men’s counsel that they gave him;
On the third day, when Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, this verse describes how the king responded to them. He forsook the older men's counsel to treat the people kindly and answer them with good, gentle words. Following the young men's counsel instead, he answered the people roughly, declaring that his father had made their yoke heavy and he would add to it, that his father had chastised them with whips but he would chastise them with scorpions, making the heavy burden his father had imposed even heavier and punishing them even more severely. Pride in his authority led him to prefer the younger advisers' stern policy.
Pride and refusal to make reforms led him to continue the oppressive policies of Solomon's reign. His refusal to listen to the people was from the Lord to carry out what the Lord had said through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat, as had been foretold. The harsh answer led all Israel to renounce any portion in David and any inheritance in the son of Jesse, depart to their tents, and divide into the kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving Rehoboam to reign only over those who dwelt in the cities of Judah.
On the third day, when Jeroboam and all the people came back to Rehoboam, this verse describes how the king responded to them. He forsook the older men's counsel to treat the people kindly and answer them with good, gentle words. Following the young men's counsel instead, he answered the people roughly, declaring that his father had made their yoke heavy and he would add to it, that his father had chastised them with whips but he would chastise them with scorpions, making the heavy burden his father had imposed even heavier and punishing them even more severely. Pride in his authority led him to prefer the younger advisers' stern policy.
Pride and refusal to make reforms led him to continue the oppressive policies of Solomon's reign. His refusal to listen to the people was from the Lord to carry out what the Lord had said through Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat, as had been foretold. The harsh answer led all Israel to renounce any portion in David and any inheritance in the son of Jesse, depart to their tents, and divide into the kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel, leaving Rehoboam to reign only over those who dwelt in the cities of Judah.