What was the major reason for the division after King Solomon's death?

Answer 1

According to The Bible, King Solomon impoverished the people of the northern kingdom of Israel, to pay for his wars of conquest and his lavish lifestyle. His son, Rehoboam arrogantly ignored the pleas of the people, leaving them so impoverished that they were driven to revolt. In spite of this impoverishment, Jeroboam, the new king of Israel was able to make two calves of gold, setting one up in Bethel and one in Dan. He made priests and ordained a national feast day to the god symbolised by these calves, and the people came to worship. The two separate kingdoms are reported as being at war for at least the next century, with neither side strong enough to prevail.

However, there is no extra-biblical evidence that Solomon ever existed. Israel Finkelstein says that the kingdoms of Israel and Judah were always separate, with different life styles, different pottery, different myths and legends, and the same language Hebrew, but different dialects. He says that if there were a united monarchy, it could not have been in the tenth century BCE because Israel had far fewer than 100,000 population and was still too small, poor, backward, rural, and sparsely populated to support walled cities, far less a splendid empire. Judah was much smaller and poorer than the north, so could not have subjugated its people, nor could it have matched the separate kingdom militarily.

Answer 2

1 Kings ch.12

When his son Rehav'am (Rehoboam) became king, the people demanded that he lower the rate of taxation. Instead of following the counsel of the elder Sages who advised him to tread lightly, he scourged the people with harsh threats (as counseled by his young friends). The people (10 of the 12 tribes) seceded.

Answer 3

The division occurred after the Israelites went to King Solomon's son Rehoboam and pleaded for some of the oppressive measures Solomon put in place to be done away with. First, he consulted the older men, who suggested that he listen to the people. But instead of listening to them, he listened to his friends with whom he grew up with, who suggested he increased these oppressive measures. As a result of this arrogant attitude, 10 of the 12 tribes withdrew their support and created their own kingdom

Answer 4

Rehoboam's father, King Solomon, had levied relatively heavy taxes, which had been used for such large-scale endeavors as building the First Temple. The fact that the nation was so prosperous and happy in his time (1 Kings 4:20) demonstrates that Solomon conducted his governance in a praiseworthy manner.

After Solomon's death, the people approached his son Rehav'am (Rehoboam) and asked that he now lower the tax. He ignored the counsel of his elder advisers and refused the people's request. This led the Ten Tribes to turn away from him (1 Kings ch.12).

The background reason was because King Solomon had been less than perfectly righteous. This led God to punish him by diminishing his dynasty in the lifetime of his son (Rehoboam). 1 Kings ch.11.

A deeper reason is that God wanted the more righteous people of Judah to be influenced by the Ten Tribes as little as possible.

See also:

Solomon's errors

Jewish history timeline

Answer 5

When king Solomon was king, there was peace, but after his death war broke out and the land was split into two parts the northern and Southern Judea.