Rehoboam, son of Solomon and the first king of the southern kingdom of Judah. He was acclaimed by all Israel at Shechem, but rejected the counsel of the elders, embraced the harsh advice of his young companions, and thereby caused the division of the united monarchy into the northern and southern kingdoms.
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Rehoboam was heir to the Davidic dynasty, the son of Solomon, and ascended the throne at the age of forty-one (cf. context of 1 Kings 12:21). The people of Israel gathered at Shechem to acclaim him as king. According to the parallel account in 2 Chronicles, Jeroboam and the assembly of Israel came before him and petitioned that Rehoboam lighten the heavy labor and harsh taxation that had characterized Solomon's reign, pledging their loyalty in return. Rehoboam first consulted the elders who had stood before Solomon his father; they advised him to answer the people with kindness and a gentle yoke, that they might serve him faithfully all his days. However, Rehoboam forsook the counsel of the old men (as recorded in 1 Kings 12:8) and instead consulted the young men who had grown up with him and attended him. They urged him to make the yoke heavier rather than lighter, threatening harsher treatment of the people. The result was that ten tribes of Israel, led by Jeroboam, rebelled and formed the northern kingdom of Israel, while only Judah and Benjamin remained loyal to the house of David. This division set the southern and northern kingdoms on distinct trajectories: Judah under the Davidic line and Israel under Jeroboam's rule, which soon led to the establishment of golden calf worship at Dan and Bethel. The reign of Rehoboam thus marks the close of the united monarchy and the beginning of the divided kingdom era. His account is frequently cited as a cautionary example of the consequences of rejecting wise counsel, governing with pride rather than humility, and failing to honor the Lord who sustained the Davidic covenant.