1 Kings 12:8

“But he forsook the counsel of the old men, which they had given him, etc.] He did not rightly relish it, nor cordially receive it; it did not suit with his haughty temper, he could not brook it, to stoop to his people; he thought it a lessening of his dignity to do anything that looked like courting their favour; and therefore determined not to take the advice given him by the old men, but to seek for other: and consulted with the men, that were grown up with him, and which stood before him; the sons of nobles, with whom he had his education, and who were his companions from his youth upwards, and who were now officers in his court, and of his privy council, being his favourites, and those…”

“The age of Rehoboam at his accession is an interesting and difficult question. According to the formal statement of the present text of 1Ki 14:21; 2 Chronicles 12:13, he had reached the mature age of 41 years, and would therefore be unable to plead youth as an excuse for his conduct. The general narrative, however, seems to assume that he was quite a young man (compare 2 Chronicles 13:7). Perhaps the best way of removing the whole difficulty would be to read in the above text “twenty-one” for “forty-one.” The corruption is one which might easily take place, if letters were used for numerals. return to 'Top of Page'”

“Young men - So called, comparatively to the old men: otherwise they were near forty years old. 3 Kings (1 Kings) 12:10”

“12:8-10 young men: Rehoboam’s appointed contemporaries took a hard line and advised the opposite of the older men.”

“Ch2 10:8, Ch2 25:15, Ch2 25:16; Pro 1:2-5, Pro 1:25, Pro 1:30, Pro 19:20, Pro 25:12; Ecc 10:2, Ecc 10:3 3 Kings (1 Kings) 12:9”