Meaning of the Name Jeroboam
The etymology of Jeroboam is not certain, and several explanations have been proposed. Common suggestions include "the people increase" and "he contends for the people," depending on how the Hebrew roots are analyzed. It is therefore more honest to present the name as etymologically debated.
Origin
The name Jeroboam is of Hebrew origin.
Who is Jeroboam in the Bible?
The best-known Jeroboam is Jeroboam son of Nebat, the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. He rose to prominence in the post-Solomon division and later became a negative benchmark because of the cult centers at Bethel and Dan. There was also a second king of Israel with the same name, but the first is the most prominent.
The story of Jeroboam in the Bible
Jeroboam was the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel. According to 1 Kings 11:26 he was the son of Nebat, a capable official in Solomon's service who rose against the king. The prophet Ahijah announced that the kingdom would be torn apart and ten tribes given to him, and Jeroboam fled to Egypt from Solomon's anger. After Solomon's death he returned and became the leading figure in the revolt against Rehoboam, and the northern tribes made him king. Yet Jeroboam feared that if the people kept going up to Jerusalem to sacrifice, the kingdom would slip from his hands. As 1 Kings 12:28 relates, he made two golden calves, placing one at Bethel and the other at Dan, and told the people these were their gods who had brought them out of Egypt. That act became the standard by which later northern kings were judged, as in 1 Kings 14:16, so his name stands in Scripture both for the founder of a new kingdom and for the king who led Israel astray.
Is Jeroboam mentioned in the Quran?
The name Jeroboam does not appear in the Quran; in the Old Testament, in 1 Kings, he is the first king of the northern kingdom of Israel.
Verses where Jeroboam appears
- 1 Kings 11:26 —
Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephraimite of Zeredah, a servant of Solomon, whose mother’s name was Zeruah, a widow, he also lifted up his hand against the king.
- 1 Kings 12:28 —
Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold; and he said to them, “It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Look and see your gods, Israel, which brought you up out of the land of Egypt!”
- 1 Kings 14:16 —
He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, which he has sinned, and with which he has made Israel to sin.”