mighty man of valour
1 Kings 11:28
11:28 mighty man of valour. Jeroboam was an Ephraimite, and shared the long resentment of Ephraim against Judah. Ephraimite leaders had included Joshua and Samuel, and the first site of the tabernacle Shiloh, had been in Ephraim’s territory. Ephraimites undoubtedly also took pride in their heritage as Jacob’s (i.e., Israel’s chosen grandson, born of his own favorite son Joseph, who had been largely responsible for the development of the children of Israel as a viable nation. Solomon’s rigorous policies of taxation and forced labor had fueled their envy and resentment to the point that they were soon ready to follow Jeroboam when he returned from exile in Egypt after Solomon’s death.