1 Kings 11:29-39
“And it shall be, if thou wilt hearken unto all that I command thee, and wilt walk in my ways, and do that is right in my sight, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with thee, and build thee a sure house, as I built for David.”
King James Version
Ahijah tears a new garment into twelve pieces and hands Jeroboam ten: the kingdom will split, ten tribes north, the Davidic line keeping Judah 'that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem.' It happened at Rehoboam's accession, exactly along the announced seam.
Fulfillment References
1 Kings 12:16-20 2 Chronicles 10:15
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalEven in judgment, the lamp clause: David's light stays lit in Jerusalem for the Messiah's sake — the split served the promise it seemed to threaten.
JewishThe schism narrative explains the two-kingdom reality; the sign-act (torn garment) echoes Samuel and Saul (1 Sam. 15:27-28).
CatholicPolitical catastrophe folded into providence: the division disciplines Solomon's idolatry while preserving the messianic line.
ProtestantA named beneficiary (Jeroboam), a stated number (ten), and a preserved remainder (Judah) — fulfilled within a few years in 1 Kings 12.
AcademicThe Shishak campaign (c. 925 BC, attested at Karnak) and the divided-monarchy synchronisms make this era the earliest richly cross-datable stretch of Israelite history.
Scholarship & Sources
Shishak/Shoshenq I's Karnak relief anchors the period externally; the 'lamp for David' theme (1 Kgs. 11:36; 15:4; 2 Kgs. 8:19) is a Kings-wide motif.
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Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.