Meaning of the Name Rehoboam
Rehoboam comes from the Hebrew form Rehav'am. Most interpreters explain it as "the people have increased" or "the people are enlarged," supported by the elements rehav and am. The basic etymology is widely accepted, though it may be rendered in slightly different ways.
Origin
The name Rehoboam is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Rehoboam in the Bible?
Rehoboam was the son of Solomon and the first king of Judah in the divided monarchy. His refusal to lighten the people's burden led the northern tribes to break away, firmly splitting the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. His story is told especially in 1 Kings 12 and 2 Chronicles 10-12.
The story of Rehoboam in the Bible
Rehoboam was Solomon's son and the first king of Judah in the era of the divided kingdom. According to 1 Kings 12:1 he went to Shechem after his father's death to be proclaimed king, and there the people asked him to lighten the heavy burdens Solomon had laid on them. Rehoboam first consulted the elders who had served his father, and they urged him to answer the people gently. Instead he followed the advice of the young men he had grown up with and declared that he would make their yoke even heavier. At that harsh reply, as 2 Chronicles 10:16 recounts, the northern tribes announced they had no share in the house of David and went home; the kingdom split, ten tribes forming a separate state under Jeroboam while Judah and Benjamin remained with Rehoboam. During his reign King Shishak of Egypt attacked Jerusalem and carried off the temple treasures. According to 2 Chronicles 12:13 he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, and his story shows how a single decision can change the fate of an entire kingdom.
Is Rehoboam mentioned in the Quran?
The name Rehoboam does not appear in the Quran; while his father Solomon (Sulayman) is honored as a prophet in Islamic tradition, Rehoboam's story is found in the Old Testament books of 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles.
Verses where Rehoboam appears
- 1 Kings 12:1 —
Rehoboam went to Shechem: for all Israel had come to Shechem to make him king.
- 2 Chronicles 10:16 —
When all Israel saw that the king didn’t listen to them, the people answered the king, saying, “What portion have we in David? Neither have we inheritance in the son of Jesse! Every man to your tents, Israel! Now see…
- 2 Chronicles 12:13 —
So king Rehoboam strengthened himself in Jerusalem, and reigned: for Rehoboam was forty-one years old when he began to reign, and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which Yahweh had chosen out of all the…