He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
English Standard Version (ESV)
What's easy to miss here is the deliberate rejection of God's prescribed worship system. By appointing priests from any background, not just the Levitical lineage God specifically chose, Jeroboam wasn't just creating a new religious practice; he was actively dismantling the sacred covenant God had established through Moses, aiming to solidify his own kingdom apart from God's rule.
He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites.
English Standard Version (ESV)
King Jeroboam, after the kingdom split, is trying to solidify his rule in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. To prevent his people from returning to worship in Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, he sets up alternative worship sites. This verse describes his establishment of unauthorized religious centers, directly challenging God's appointed system of worship and the Levitical priesthood.
When leaders try to reinvent worship to suit their own agenda, it rarely ends well. Jeroboam's actions were a critical turning point.
King Jeroboam, after the split of the kingdom, faced a dilemma: How to keep his people from returning to the unified kingdom in Jerusalem to worship. Instead of trusting God's plan, he chose a dangerous shortcut.
A Man-Made System
Jeroboam wasn't just establishing a new religious center; he was creating a counterfeit faith, one designed for political control rather than genuine devotion to the Lord.
Jeroboam's new religion looked similar enough on the surface, but it was fundamentally broken. What's the danger in worship that seems fine but misses God's mark?
Jeroboam's actions weren't an outright rejection of God, but a subtle, insidious alteration of His commands. He wanted to keep the of Israelite worship but corrupt its .
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Why This Was So Bad
This created a situation where generations grew up with a distorted understanding of God and how to approach Him, setting the stage for widespread spiritual decline in the northern kingdom.
Understand the original words
bamah · Hebrew Noun
Places of worship located on elevated ground, often associated with idolatrous practices that were forbidden by God, who commanded that worship be centralized at the place He chose.
kohen · Hebrew Noun
Individuals set apart for religious service; under the Mosaic law, this role was exclusively reserved for the tribe of Levi and the descendants of Aaron.
Jeroboam's creation of unauthorized temples and priesthood was a political move designed to sever ties with Jerusalem and Judah, but it tragically led the northern kingdom into a long path of religious deviation and idolatry.
c. 970 BC
Death of King Solomon
Solomon's reign ended, and his vast kingdom, built on wealth and a united people, began to show cracks of division.
c. 970 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Solomon's son Rehoboam's harsh response to the people's grievances led to the northern tribes seceding, forming the Kingdom of Israel. Rehoboam ruled only the southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 970 BC— this verse
Jeroboam Becomes King of Israel
Jeroboam, who had previously fled Solomon's court, was made king over the ten northern tribes. He sought to solidify his new kingdom's independence from Judah and its religious center in Jerusalem.
c. 970 BC
Establishment of Alternative Shrines
To prevent his people from returning to worship in Jerusalem (under Rehoboam's rule), Jeroboam set up golden calves at Bethel and Dan. He also established unauthorized places of worship.
c. 970 BC
Appointing Non-Levitical Priests
Jeroboam further broke from tradition by appointing any Israelite willing to serve as priests at these new shrines, bypassing the divinely appointed Levitical priesthood.
c. 970 BC
Religious Syncretism and Division
Jeroboam's actions mixed elements of traditional Israelite worship with Canaanite practices, creating a distinct religious identity for the northern kingdom that led to centuries of spiritual compromise.
This passage shows a very early instance of Israelite idolatry and the creation of unauthorized religious objects, mirroring Jeroboam's later actions.
Deuteronomy 12:2-5This passage from the Law explicitly commands Israel to worship God only at the place He chooses, directly contrasting with Jeroboam's establishment of multiple worship centers.
1 Kings 13:1-3This chapter provides a dramatic narrative of a man of God confronting Jeroboam's altar, prophesying its destruction and the spiritual corruption it represents.
2 Chronicles 11:14-15This passage describes how priests and Levites who remained faithful to God abandoned Jeroboam's kingdom and went to Judah, highlighting the rejection of his unauthorized religious system.
What's easy to miss here is the deliberate rejection of God's prescribed worship system. By appointing priests from any background, not just the Levitical lineage God specifically chose, Jeroboam wasn't just creating a new religious practice; he was actively dismantling the sacred covenant God had established through Moses, aiming to solidify his own kingdom apart from God's rule.
King Jeroboam, after the kingdom split, is trying to solidify his rule in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. To prevent his people from returning to worship in Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, he sets up alternative worship sites. This verse describes his establishment of unauthorized religious centers, directly challenging God's appointed system of worship and the Levitical priesthood.
King Jeroboam, after the kingdom split, is trying to solidify his rule in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. To prevent his people from returning to worship in Jerusalem, the capital of the Southern Kingdom of Judah, he sets up alternative worship sites. This verse describes his establishment of unauthorized religious centers, directly challenging God's appointed system of worship and the Levitical priesthood.
"He also made temples on high places and appointed priests from among all the people, who were not of the Levites." — What's easy to miss here is the deliberate rejection of God's prescribed worship system. By appointing priests from any background, not just the Levitical lineage God specifically chose, Jeroboam w…
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Last reviewed October 2026