Discovery Box1 Kings 12:2 
Context12:2 1 When Jeroboam son of Nebat heard the news, he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon and had been living ever since. 2
1 Kings 12:20-24
Context12:20 When all Israel heard that Jeroboam had returned, they summoned him to the assembly and made him king over all Israel. No one except the tribe of Judah remained loyal to the Davidic dynasty. 3
12:21 When Rehoboam arrived in Jerusalem, he summoned 180,000 skilled warriors from all of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin 4 to attack Israel and restore the kingdom to Rehoboam son of Solomon. 12:22 But God told Shemaiah the prophet, 5 12:23 “Say this to King Rehoboam son of Solomon of Judah, and to all Judah and Benjamin, as well as the rest of the people, 12:24 ‘The Lord says this: “Do not attack and make war with your brothers, the Israelites. Each of you go home, for I have caused this to happen.”’” 6 They obeyed the Lord and went home as the Lord had ordered them to do. 7
1 tc Verse 2 is not included in the Old Greek translation. See the note on 11:43.
2 tn Heb “and Jeroboam lived in Egypt.” The parallel text in 2 Chr 10:2 reads, “and Jeroboam returned from Egypt.” In a purely consonantal text the forms “and he lived” and “and he returned” are identical (וישׁב).
3 tn Heb “there was no one [following] after the house of David except the tribe of Judah, it alone.”
4 tn Heb “he summoned all the house of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin, one hundred eighty thousand chosen men, accomplished in war.”
5 tn Heb “and the word of God came to Shemaiah the man of God, saying.”
6 tn Heb “for this thing is from me.”
7 tn Heb “and they heard the word of the
