1 Kings 12:31

“And he made an house of high places, etc.] Or “altars” f318, built a temple at Dan, and set up several altars in it for sacrifice, both for burnt offerings, and for incense, as at Jerusalem: and made priests of the lowest of the people; this clause seems not so well rendered; for this would have been very unpopular, and brought his new form of worship into contempt, to make the dregs of the people priests, which was not only a very sacred office, but of great honour; it was usual in some nations for kings to be priests also f319, and Jeroboam himself exercised this office, (<111233>1 Kings 12:33 13:1) and therefore would never put the meanest of the people into it, but rather those of higher…”

“made priests of the lowest of the people--literally, "out of all the people," the Levites refusing to act. He himself assumed to himself the functions of the high priest, at least, at the great festival, probably from seeing the king of Egypt conjoin the royal and sacred offices, and deeming the office of the high priest too great to be vested in a subject. Next: 1 Kings Chapter 13”

“He made an house of high places - i. e., “He built a temple, or sanctuary, at each of the two cities where the calves were set up.” The writer uses the expression “house of high places” in contempt, meaning that the buildings were not real temples, or houses of God, like that at Jerusalem, but only on a par with the temples upon high places which had long existed in various parts of the land. Made priests of the lowest of the people - More correctly, “from all ranks of the people.” That the Levites did not accept Jeroboam’s innovations, and transfer their services to his two sanctuaries, must have been the consequence of their faithful attachment to the true worship of Yahweh. In all…”

“An house - Houses, or chapels, besides the temples, which are built at Dan and Beth - el; he built also for his peoples better accommodation, lesser temples upon divers high places. Of the lowest - Which he might do, either, because the better sort refused it, or, because such would be satisfied with mean allowances; and so he could put into his own purse a great part of the revenues of the Levites, which doubtless he seized upon when they forsook him, and went to Jerusalem, Ch2 11:13-14, or, because mean persons would depend upon his favour, and therefore be pliable to his humour, and firm to his interest, but the words in the Hebrew properly signify, from the ends of the people; which may…”

“12:31 Jeroboam directly violated the law of Moses, which prohibited worship at pagan shrines (Deut 12:2-7) and specified that priests were to come only from the tribe of Levi (Exod 40:13-15; Num 1:50-53).”

“an house: Kg1 13:24, Kg1 13:32; Deu 24:15; Eze 16:25; Hos 12:11 priests: Kg1 13:33; Num 3:10; Kg2 17:32; Ch2 11:14, Ch2 11:15, Ch2 13:9; Eze 44:6-8 3 Kings (1 Kings) 12:32”