Rehoboam

Rehoboam was the son of Solomon by the Ammonite princess Naamah and the last king of the united monarchy, whose foolish response to the people's petition for relief precipitated the division of the kingdom in approximately 930 BC. When the northern tribes assembled at Shechem and asked Rehoboam to lighten the heavy tax burden of Solomon's reign, Rehoboam rejected the counsel of the experienced elders who advised conciliation and instead followed the young men who advised severity: My father chastised you with whips, but I will chastise you with scorpions (1 Kings 12:14). The northern tribes immediately seceded under Jeroboam, leaving Rehoboam with only Judah and Benjamin.

Rehoboam reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem (1 Kings 14:21) but presided over a marked religious deterioration — Judah built high places, sacred pillars, and Asherah poles on every hill. In the fifth year of his reign, Shishak king of Egypt invaded and plundered both Jerusalem and the temple, carrying away the gold shields of Solomon which Rehoboam replaced with bronze shields (1 Kings 14:25–28). His reign is treated as a cautionary example of pride, folly, and the cost of ignoring wise counsel.