
Jeroboam (died 954 BC) was King of Israel from 975 to 954 BC, succeeding Solomon and preceding Nadab.
Biography[]
Jeroboam was the son of Nebat and Zeruah. As a young man, he was appointed by King Solomon to supervise his public works projects in Jerusalem, and he became disillusioned with Solomon's extravagances. Jeroboam - influenced by Ahijah the Shilonite - began plotting to unite the ten northern tribes of Israel in rebellion with himself as their leader, but, on Solomon discovering this, Jeroboam was forced to flee to Egypt. Protected by Pharaoh Shishak, he returned to Israel after Solomon's death in 975 BC and led the northern tribes in rebellion against Solomon's tyrannical son Rehoboam, founding the Kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam fortified Shechem as the capital of Israel and built two new temples to rival Solomon's Temple as centers of Judaism. These pagan temples were prophesied to be destroyed by Jeroboam's descendant Josiah. In 974 BC, Jeroboam excluded the Levite priests from worship, forcing them to resettle in Judah. In 971 BC, Jeroboam's Egyptian allies invaded Judah and plundered Jerusalem. In 957 BC, Jeroboam's 800,000-strong army battled that of Rehoboam's son Abijah of Judah, losing 500,000 men in the bloodiest battle recorded in the Bible. Jeroboam died in 954 BC.