Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
1 Kings 12:29 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 29. 29And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
At 1 Kings 12:29, the narrator locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan.
Read It With
- 1 Kings 12:25–12:33
Read 1 Kings 12:29 with 1 Kings 12:25–12:33, titled “Jeroboam constructs rival royal worship at Bethel and Dan.” Locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan.
Why This Verse Appears Here
1 Kings 12:29 locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan; this distinct detail carries 1 Kings 12:25–12:33 from “1 Kings 12:21–12:24 has just shown: Shemaiah stops Rehoboam's civil war.” toward “1 Kings 13:1–13:10 next develops: A man of God confronts Bethel's altar.”
Read 1 Kings 12:25–33 together
Why these verses belong together: Jeroboam constructs rival royal worship at Bethel and Dan is the complete reviewed scene, prayer, oracle, list, or regnal notice bounded at 12:25–12:33.
Verse 25. 25 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in mount Ephraim, and dwelt therein; and went out from thence, and built Penuel.
Verse 26. 26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
Verse 27. 27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
Verse 28. 28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
Verse 29. 29 And he set the one in Beth-el, and the other put he in Dan.
Verse 30. 30 And this thing became a sin: for the people went to worship before the one, even unto Dan.
Verse 31. 31 And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of Levi.
Verse 32. 32 And Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eighth month, on the fifteenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah, and he offered upon the altar. So did he in Beth-el, sacrificing unto the calves that he had made: and he placed in Beth-el the priests of the high places which he had made.
Verse 33. 33 So he offered upon the altar which he had made in Beth-el the fifteenth day of the eighth month, even in the month which he had devised of his own heart; and ordained a feast unto the children of Israel: and he offered upon the altar, and burnt incense.
Follow the Context
- Notes Jeroboam's construction and occupation of Shechem and Penuel
- Ends with a ruler-designed calendar and Jeroboam officiating at his own altar
What This Verse Is Not Saying
Divine fulfillment does not erase Rehoboam's harsh choice, the people's forced-labor grievance, or Jeroboam's political manipulation, and the split is not a map of modern parties or nations.
What Remains True
Because 1 Kings 12:29 locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan, responsible reading keeps the narrated action, source limits, accountable agents, and affected people together; Divine fulfillment does not erase Rehoboam's harsh choice, the people's forced-labor grievance, or Jeroboam's political manipulation, and the split is not a map of modern parties or nations.
How It Can Shape Life
- When an analogous issue arises, use 1 Kings 12:29 to name the specific conduct—locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan—then document power, evidence, uncertainty, safeguards, and people at risk.
Teach It Back
In 55–180 words, explain how 1 Kings 12:29 locates the rival sanctuaries at Bethel and Dan, why it needs 1 Kings 12:25–12:33, and what the complete unit does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read 1 Kings 12:25–12:33 — Jeroboam constructs rival royal worship at Bethel and DanSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
The received Hebrew narrative and its KJV presentation are clear enough to follow this movement, while precise source history, chronology, motives, textual development, and external correlation require graded confidence rather than invented certainty.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: 1 Kings 12:25–12:33, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: 1 Kings
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Hebrew wording and morphology used for lexical, grammatical, name, clause, and older-English checks; this is not a critical apparatus or historical proof.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/1Kgs.xml, Masoretic words and morphology for 12:25–12:33
Open source ↗