How does Ahias recognize Jeroboam’s wife when she changes her dress and he cannot see?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The Lord tells Ahias that she is coming to ask about her sick son and tells him what to say. When he hears her feet at the door, he addresses her as Jeroboam’s wife and questions her pretense.

Chapter breakdown

Abia, Jeroboam’s son, falls sick. Jeroboam tells his wife to change her dress so she will not be known as his wife and go to Silo to Ahias, the prophet who told him he would reign over the people. She is to take ten loaves, cracknels and a pot of honey; Ahias will tell her what will become of the child. She does as instructed and goes to Ahias’s house. He cannot see because his eyes are dim with age.

The Lord tells Ahias that Jeroboam’s wife is coming to consult him about her sick son and directs what he is to say. As she comes in pretending to be another woman, he hears her feet at the door. He calls her Jeroboam’s wife, asks why she pretends to be someone else and says he has been sent with heavy tidings.

Ahias tells her to carry the Lord God of Israel’s word to Jeroboam. The Lord exalted him from among the people, made him prince over Israel, tore the kingdom from David’s house and gave it to him. Yet Jeroboam has not been like David, who kept the Lord’s commands, followed him with all his heart and did what pleased him. Jeroboam has done evil above all who came before him, made strange gods and molten gods to provoke the Lord to anger, and cast the Lord behind his back.

The Lord says he will bring evils on Jeroboam’s house and cut off, in the source’s words, “him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up, and the last in Israel.” He will sweep away its remnant as dung is swept away until all is clean. Dogs will eat those of Jeroboam who die in the city, and birds will devour those who die in the field, for the Lord has spoken. Ahias tells the woman to go home: when her feet enter the city, the child will die. All Israel will mourn and bury him. He alone of Jeroboam’s house will be laid in a tomb, because in his regard a good word from the Lord God of Israel is found in that house.

The Lord has appointed himself a king over Israel who will cut off Jeroboam’s house “in this day, and in this time.” The Lord God will strike Israel as a reed is shaken in water, uproot Israel from the good land given to their fathers and scatter them beyond the river, because they made groves to provoke him. He will give up Israel for Jeroboam’s sins, through which Jeroboam sinned and made Israel sin.

Jeroboam’s wife leaves and comes to Thersa. As she comes to the threshold of the house, the child dies. They bury him and all Israel mourns according to the Lord’s word spoken through his servant Ahias. The account refers the rest of Jeroboam’s acts, how he fought and how he reigned, to the book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings.

Challoner’s separate note says the often-mentioned book of the words of the days of Israel’s kings is long since lost. It distinguishes the books of Paralipomenon, or Chronicles, which the Hebrews call the words of the days, and says they were certainly written after Kings because they frequently refer to Kings.

Jeroboam reigns twenty-two years, dies and is succeeded by his son Nadab.

Solomon’s son Roboam reigns in Juda. He begins at forty-one and reigns seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city the Lord chose from all Israel’s tribes for his name. His mother is Naama, an Ammonitess. Juda does evil in the Lord’s sight, provoking him through their sins beyond what their fathers had done. They build altars, statues and groves on every high hill and under every green tree. The account also names the effeminate in the land and says they follow all the abominations of the people the Lord destroyed before Israel.

Challoner’s separate explanation of “the effeminate” is “Catamites, or men addicted to unnatural lust.”

In Roboam’s fifth year, Sesac, king of Egypt, comes against Jerusalem. He carries off all the treasures of the Lord’s house and the king’s house, including Solomon’s gold shields. Roboam makes brass shields in their place and gives them to the captains of the shieldbearers and those watching before the palace gate. When he goes into the Lord’s house, those whose office is to precede him carry the shields, then return them to the shieldbearers’ armory.

The rest of Roboam’s acts and all he did are referred to the book of the words of the days of Juda’s kings. War between Roboam and Jeroboam continues always. Roboam dies and is buried with his fathers in David’s city. The account again names his mother as Naama, an Ammonitess. His son Abiam succeeds him.

The story inside

A sick child leads Jeroboam to send his wife, with changed dress and specified gifts, to the prophet who foretold his kingship. The Lord informs Ahias before her arrival, so his blindness does not prevent recognition. The message contrasts Jeroboam’s elevation with his conduct and announces consequences for his house and Israel, while distinguishing the child’s burial. Her return, the child’s death and Israel’s mourning follow. The account records Jeroboam’s reign and succession, then turns to Roboam’s dates, Juda’s sins, Sesac’s taking of treasures, the brass shields, continuing war and Abiam’s succession. The two notes explain the cited book and an old term separately from Scripture.

Lessons worth keeping

1
Ahias’s recognition is explained before he hears the visitor. The Lord tells him who is coming and what to say; her changed dress therefore does not conceal her identity from him. The chapter does not describe a private reason for Jeroboam’s disguise instruction.
2
The sentence distinguishes the house, the child and Israel. Dogs and birds are named for the house’s dead; the child alone receives a tomb because of the stated good word; Israel is threatened with uprooting and scattering beyond the river because of groves and Jeroboam’s sins. These are distinct consequences.
3
The shield account gives both replacement and use. After Sesac takes Solomon’s gold shields with the treasures, Roboam makes brass ones. The attendants carry them when preceding him into the Lord’s house and return them to their armory. No reason for choosing brass is stated.

Test your recall

What does the Lord tell Ahias before the disguised visitor arrives, and how does that explain his recognition despite his blindness?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 36615–36634
3 Kings Chapter 14 Ahias prophesieth the destruction of the family of Jeroboam. He dieth, and is succeeded by his son Nadab. The king of Egypt taketh and pillageth Jerusalem. Roboam dieth and his son Abiam succeedeth. 14:1. At that time Abia, the son of Jeroboam, fell sick. 14:2. And Jeroboam said to his wife: Arise, and change thy dress, that thou be not known to be the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Silo, where Ahias, the prophet is, who told me that I should reign over this people. 14:3. Take also with thee ten loaves, and cracknels, and a pot of honey, and go to him: for he will tell thee what will become of this child. 14:4. Jeroboam’s wife did as he told her: and rising up, went to Silo, and came to the house of Ahias; but he could not see, for his eyes were dim by reason of his age.
Lines 36636–36643
14:5. And the Lord said to Ahias: Behold the wife of Jeroboam cometh in, to consult thee concerning her son, that is sick: thus and thus shalt thou speak to her. So when she was coming in, and made as if she were another woman, 14:6. Ahias heard the sound of her feet, coming in at the door, and said: Come in, thou wife of Jeroboam: why dost thou feign thyself to be another? But I am sent to thee with heavy tidings.
Lines 36645–36656
14:7. Go, and tell Jeroboam: Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel: For as much as I exalted thee from among the people, and made thee prince over my people Israel; 14:8. And rent the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to thee, and thou hast not been as my servant, David, who kept my commandments, and followed me with all his heart, doing that which was well pleasing in my sight: 14:9. But hast done evil above all that were before thee, and hast made thee strange gods, and molten gods, to provoke me to anger, and hast cast me behind thy back:
Lines 36658–36674
14:10. Therefore, behold I will bring evils upon the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam him that pisseth against the wall, and him that is shut up, and the last in Israel: and I will sweep away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as dung is swept away till all be clean. 14:11. Them that shall die of Jeroboam in the city, the dogs shall eat: and them that shall die in the field, the birds of the air shall devour: for the Lord hath spoken it. 14:12. Arise thou, therefore, and go to thy house: and when thy feet shall be entering into the city, the child shall die, 14:13. And all Israel shall mourn for him, and shall bury him: for he only of Jeroboam shall be laid in a sepulchre, because in his regard there is found a good word from the Lord, the God of Israel, in the house of Jeroboam.
Lines 36676–36685
14:14. And the Lord hath appointed himself a king over Israel, who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam in this day, and in this time: 14:15. And the Lord God shall strike Israel as a reed is shaken in the water: and he shall root up Israel out of this good land, which he gave to their fathers, and shall scatter them beyond the river: because they have made to themselves groves, to provoke the Lord. 14:16. And the Lord shall give up Israel for the sins of Jeroboam, who hath sinned, and made Israel to sin.
Lines 36687–36697
14:17. And the wife of Jeroboam arose, and departed, and came to Thersa: and when she was coming in to the threshold of the house, the child died, 14:18. And they buried him. And all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the Lord, which he spoke by the hand of his servant Ahias, the prophet. 14:19. And the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he fought, and how he reigned, behold they are written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel.
Lines 36699–36703
The book of the words of the days of the kings of Israel.... This book, which is often mentioned in the Book of Kings, is long since lost. For as to the books of Paralipomenon, or Chronicles, (which the Hebrews call the words of the days,) they were certainly written after the Book of Kings, since they frequently refer to them.
Lines 36705–36707
14:20. And the days that Jeroboam reigned, were two and twenty years: and he slept with his fathers: and Nadab, his son, reigned in his stead.
Lines 36709–36724
14:21. And Roboam, the son of Solomon, reigned in Juda: Roboam was one and forty years old when he began to reign: and he reigned seventeen years in Jerusalem, the city which the Lord chose out of all the tribes of Israel to put his name there. And his mother’s name was Naama, an Ammonitess. 14:22. And Juda did evil in the sight of the Lord, and provoked him above all that their fathers had done, in their sins which they committed. 14:23. For they also built them altars, and statues, and groves, upon every high hill, and under every green tree: 14:24. There were also the effeminate in the land, and they did according to all the abominations of the people, whom the Lord had destroyed before the face of the children of Israel.
Lines 36726–36726
The effeminate.... Catamites, or men addicted to unnatural lust.
Lines 36728–36741
14:25. And in the fifth year of the reign of Roboam, Sesac, king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem. 14:26. And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the king’s treasures, and carried all off: as also the shields of gold which Solomon had made: 14:27. And Roboam made shields of brass instead of them, and delivered them into the hand of the captains of the shieldbearers, and of them that kept watch before the gate of the king’s house. 14:28. And when the king went into the house of the Lord, they whose office it was to go before him, carried them: and afterwards they brought them back to the armoury of the shieldbearers.
Lines 36743–36751
14:29. Now the rest of the acts of Roboam, and all that he did, behold they are written in the book of the words of the days of the kings of Juda. 14:30. And there was war between Roboam and Jeroboam always. 14:31. And Roboam slept with his fathers, and was buried with them, in the city of David: and his mother’s name was Naama, an Ammonitess: and Abiam, his son, reigned in his stead.