Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

1 KINGS 12:28KJV
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1 Kings 12:28 (KJV)

What does 1 Kings 12:28 mean?

1 Kings 12:28 describes how King Jeroboam, after seeking advice, made two golden calves and told the people of Israel that it was too difficult for them to travel to Jerusalem to worship, presenting these calves as the gods who brought them out of Egypt. This verse shows Jeroboam creating new objects of worship and encouraging the people to turn away from the temple in Jerusalem.

Jeroboam is the king of the northern kingdom of Israel, and he is speaking to his own people. The situation is that Jeroboam fears losing his people's loyalty if they continue to go to Jerusalem (in the southern kingdom of Judah) for worship. To solve this, he sets up alternative worship centers with golden calves, echoing the story of the golden calf in Exodus, and claims these idols represent the gods who delivered Israel from Egypt.

The Hebrew behind 1 Kings 12:28

  • "counsel" (יָעַץ, ya‘ats): This word means advice or consultation. Jeroboam does not act alone; he seeks input from others, showing that this decision was deliberate and planned, not a rash impulse.
  • "calves" (עֵגֶל, ‘egel): The word refers to young bulls or calves. The choice of calves is significant because it directly recalls the golden calf incident in Exodus, suggesting a repeat of a past mistake.
  • "gods" (אֱלֹהִים, ’elohim): This word can mean "God" or "gods" depending on context. Here, Jeroboam uses it in the plural, misleadingly presenting the calves as the divine beings responsible for Israel’s deliverance from Egypt.

Why 1 Kings 12:28 matters

  • This verse clarifies that Jeroboam’s actions were not just political but involved a major religious shift, introducing idol worship to prevent people from returning to Jerusalem.
  • The verse highlights how Jeroboam rewrites Israel’s history, attributing their deliverance from Egypt to these new idols rather than to the God worshipped in Jerusalem.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain the later condemnation of Jeroboam’s reign throughout the books of Kings, as his actions here set a pattern of idolatry for the northern kingdom.

Where else these words appear

“calves” Hebrew H5695 · used in 35 verses

  • Exodus 32:4 And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf: and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
  • 1 Samuel 28:24 And the woman had a fat calf in the house; and she hasted, and killed it, and took flour, and kneaded it, and did bake unleavened bread thereof:
  • Isaiah 27:10 Yet the defenced city shall be desolate, and the habitation forsaken, and left like a wilderness: there shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down, and consume the branches thereof.

“counsel” Hebrew H3289 · used in 74 verses

  • Exodus 18:19 Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God:
  • 2 Chronicles 25:16 And it came to pass, as he talked with him, that the king said unto him, Art thou made of the king's counsel? forbear; why shouldest thou be smitten? Then the prophet forbare, and said, I know that God hath determined to destroy thee, because thou hast done this, and hast not hearkened unto my counsel.
  • Isaiah 3:3 The captain of fifty, and the honourable man, and the counsellor, and the cunning artificer, and the eloquent orator.