Yerovam's Rebellion/2

Yerovam's Rebellion

Exegetical Approaches

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Religious and Social Rebellion

Yerovam's initial revolt was a reaction to several of Shelomo's building projects which demonstrated that he cared more for the daughter of Paroh than for the people's religious and social welfare.

Sources:R. Yochanan in Bavli SanhedrinSanhedrin 101bAbout the Bavli, RashiMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Shelomo Yitzchaki, R. Yosef KaraMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Yosef Kara, RadakMelakhim I 11:26-27About R. David Kimchi, RalbagMelakhim I 11:26-28About R. Levi b. Gershom, AbarbanelMelakhim I 11About R. Yitzchak Abarbanel

"וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר הֵרִים יָד בַּמֶּלֶךְ"

• According to Rashi and R"Y Kara, the verse does not mean to introduce how Yerovam rebelled but rather the reason behind the attempted coup.  In English the verse would read, "this is the matter about which Yerovam rebelled: Shelomo had built the Milo...."¹
• The others apparently understand the verses to mean "And this is the manner in which Yerovam rebelled. [He said] 'And Shelomo built....'".  Alternatively, they understand the word "הַדָּבָר" to mean "הדיבור",‎² so that the verse reads "This is the speech [through which] Yerovam rebelled...".³ Either way, the verse introduces the actual rebellion: Yerovam's public rebuke of Shelomo's actions.

What is the מלוא? These sources disagree regarding the nature of the Milo:

• Closed breaches – According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara the word comes from the root "מלא" and refers to the filling in of the holes that David had left in the city walls.  Thus, the two building projects mentioned in the verse are really one and the same.
• Gathering place  – Radak, instead, suggests that it refers to some sort of square in which the people would gather, as in the verse "קָרְאוּ אַחֲרֶיךָ מָלֵא" in Yirmeyahu 12. [According to him, the closing of David's holes was a distinct building project.]

What was problematic about Shelomo's building projects? Most of these sources suggest that building the Milo was necessary only in order to construct a palace for the daughter of Paroh,⁴ and led to inconveniences for the rest of the nation:

• According to the Bavli, Rashi, and R"Y Kara, David had intentionally left entry points to ease the way of pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the holidays and enable them to seek out God.  With Shelomo's building of the Milo these were no longer accessible.
• Ralbag suggests instead that David had left entry points for the people to access the king whenever they had a grievance or a matter for him to judge.  By closing the openings, Shelomo sent a message of inaccessibility and that he was no longer interested in giving hearings to the nation.⁵

From these sources it is unclear if the people were most upset about Shelomo's misplaced priorities in placing the daughter of Paroh above their needs, the inconveniences themselves, or the king's distancing of himself from the people..

Marriage to Bat Paroh – The daughter of Paroh is singled out when the verses chastise Shelomo for having many wives, suggesting that she more than the others might have swayed his beliefs.⁶ This position builds off this negative evaluation of the marriage, suggesting that it both impacted Shelomo's decisions regarding the Mikdash and played a role in the people's negative feelings towards their king.⁷

Context – The chpater opens by telling of hashem's anger at Shelomo's marriages to his foreign wives.  the marriages might have played a role in the rebellion is supported by the fact that it is highlighted in the introduction to the "foes" sent by Hashem to punish Shelomo. While one might opine that the marriages were a source of dissatisfaction only to Hashem, but on the earthly plane there were other factors that led to the revolt, this position suggests that, in fact, both the heavenly and earthly, were upset by them.

Evaluation of Yerovam

Why Yerovam?

Achiyah's prophecy

Appointment of Yerovam

Economic Issues

Yerovam rebelled due to Shelomo's overly harsh and inequitable taxation policies.

Tribal Rivalry

Sources:Yerovam's rebellion was rooted in the age old tribal rivalry between Yehuda and Yosef.

¹ See Yehoshua 5:4 for a similar usage of the phrase "וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר".  There, too, it serves to provide the background for an action rather than introducing the action itself. [The verse states, "וְזֶה הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר מָל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ" and then describes why the circumcision was necessary, but not how Yehoshua circumcised the nation.]

² See Ibn Kaspi who explicitly states, but adds that Yerovam mocked Shelomo for not having done anything worthwhile in his reign.

³ See E. Samet, "חטאי שלמה ונבואת אחיה השילוני" who understands R. Yochanana in the Bavli to be saying this.

⁴ They point to Melakhim I 9:24 where the building of the Milo is juxtaposed to the building of her house, concluding that one was needed for the other.

⁵ He and Radak also bring the possibility that the original breaches were left as an escape route in case the king was attacked.  Yerovam mocked Shelomo's overconfidence in thinking that he could close them and need not fear rebellion. He pointed this out to the people as a sign of Shelomo's arrogance.

⁶ Their marriage is mentioned repeatedly in the chapters covering Shelomo's reign, hinting that it was of consequence.

⁷