BIBLE QUESTION
Whose Counsel Cost Rehoboam Ten Tribes?
Rehoboam lost ten tribes by rejecting the advice of the old men who had served his father Solomon and instead following the counsel of the young men who had grown up with him.
Answer
Rehoboam faced a crisis: the people of Israel asked him to lighten the heavy yoke his father Solomon had placed on them (1 Kings 12:4). Before answering, he consulted two groups. The first were the old men who had "stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived" (1 Kings 12:6). They advised humility: "If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever" (1 Kings 12:7).
But Rehoboam "forsook the counsel of the old men" and instead "took counsel with the young men that were grown up with him" (1 Kings 12:8). These peers urged him to threaten the people: "My father made your yoke heavy, but I will add to your yoke: my father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions" (1 Kings 12:11, 14). Rehoboam followed their advice, and the result was the revolt of the ten northern tribes under Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:16-20).
The text itself notes that this turn of events was "brought about of Jehovah, that he might establish his word, which Jehovah spake by Ahijah the Shilonite to Jeroboam the son of Nebat" (1 Kings 12:15). Yet within that divine overruling, the human cause is plainly stated: Rehoboam listened to his young companions rather than the experienced elders.
Context
The question concerns the specific decision that led to the kingdom's division. The verses show that Rehoboam was not without wise counsel — he simply chose to ignore it. The old men's advice to serve the people contrasts sharply with the young men's advice to dominate them. The passage makes clear that it was Rehoboam's deliberate choice of the younger men's counsel ("he forsook the counsel of the old men") that precipitated the loss of ten tribes.
Readers should note that while the passage affirms God's sovereignty in fulfilling Ahijah's earlier prophecy, the text does not absolve Rehoboam of responsibility. His preference for flattering peers over experienced counselors is presented as the direct human cause of the rupture.
Related scriptures
- 1 Kings 12:6 This verse marks the beginning of Rehoboam's pivotal consultation. He first sought counsel from the old men who had served Solomon — men familiar with the weight of royal responsibility — but ultimately rejected their advice for that of his young peers.
Common questions
What exactly did the old men advise Rehoboam?
They told him: "If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever" (1 Kings 12:7). They urged humility and servanthood rather than force.
Did Rehoboam have any choice, or was the division inevitable?
The text states that the outcome was "brought about of Jehovah" to fulfill Ahijah's word (1 Kings 12:15). Yet it also records Rehoboam's deliberate rejection of the old men's counsel. Scripture holds both truths together: God's sovereign plan and the king's responsible choice.
Who were the young men Rehoboam consulted?
The text simply calls them "the young men that were grown up with him, that stood before him" (1 Kings 12:8). They were his peers — courtiers who had risen with him rather than seasoned advisors who had served his father. Their counsel reflected flattery and inexperience rather than wisdom.