Texts in Conversation
The story of Jeroboam fleeing Solomon in 1 Kings mirrors Moses fleeing Pharaoh in Exodus. The irony is that Jeroboam escapes not from Egypt but to it, reversing the earlier story. This pattern shows a deliberate effort to portray Solomon as a new Pharaoh and Jeroboam as a new Moses.
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Exodus 2:15
Hebrew Bible
14 The man replied, “Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Are you planning to kill me like you killed that Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, thinking, “Surely what I did has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard about this event, he sought to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he settled by a certain well. 16 Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came and began to draw water and fill the troughs in order to water their father’s flock.
Date: 5th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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1 Kings 11:40
Hebrew Bible
39 I will humiliate David’s descendants because of this, but not forever.’” 40 Solomon tried to kill Jeroboam, but Jeroboam escaped to Egypt and found refuge with King Shishak of Egypt. He stayed in Egypt until Solomon died. 41 The rest of the events of Solomon’s reign, including all his accomplishments and his wise decisions, are recorded in the scroll called the Annals of Solomon.
Date: 6th Century B.C.E. (Final composition) (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
"... The prophet Ahijah the Shilonite comes upon Jeroboam and informs him that God is going to tear the kingdom away from Solomon and make Jeroboam king of ten tribes of Israel, so that David’s descendants will rule over only their own tribe (1 Kings 11:29–39). When Solomon hears of this, he seeks to kill Jeroboam, just as Pharaoh seeks to kill Moses after he hears that Moses smote an Egyptian taskmaster ... In a bitter irony, Jeroboam seeks refuge from the Israelite “Pharaoh” Solomon in the house of the Egyptian Pharaoh Shishak ..."
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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