1 Kings 11:36
ESV
Yet to his son I will give one tribe, that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put my name.
NIV
I will give one tribe to his son so that David my servant may always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city where I chose to put my Name.
NASB
But to his son I will give one tribe, so that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen for Myself to put My name.
CSB
I will give one tribe to his son, so that my servant David will always have a lamp before me in Jerusalem, the city I chose for myself to put my name there.
NLT
His son will have one tribe so that the descendants of David my servant will continue to reign, shining like a lamp in Jerusalem, the city I have chosen to be the place for my name.
KJV
And unto his son will I give one tribe, that David my servant may have a light alway before me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen me to put my name there.
NKJV
And to his son I will give one tribe, that My servant David may always have a lamp before Me in Jerusalem, the city which I have chosen for Myself, to put My name there.
What does 1 Kings 11:36 mean?
God sent the prophet Ahijah to tell Jeroboam what to expect. God will punish Solomon for worshipping idols. Because Solomon's father was David, God will delay that punishment until Solomon is dead and his son, Rehoboam, takes the throne. At that time, God will take ten tribes from Rehoboam and leave him with only one, as well as the city of Jerusalem (1 Kings 11:31–35).When Saul was king, he legally ruled over all of Israel. To be more precise, he presided over a loose confederation of distantly related tribes. After Saul died, David relied on gifts (1 Samuel 30:26–31), family connections, and God's will to become king over the tribe of Judah (2 Samuel 2:4). Abner, Saul's general, made Saul's son Ish-bosheth king over the other tribes, identified by "Israel" (2 Samuel 2:8–9). After both Abner (2 Samuel 3:26–30) and Ish-bosheth (2 Samuel 4:5–8) were murdered, Israel invited David to be their king (2 Samuel 5:1–5).
David was the first king to truly unite the twelve tribes. That doesn't mean the nation was seamless. Some of Saul's kinsmen resented David throughout his reign (2 Samuel 16:5–6). Sheba, a Benjaminite, even started a short-lived coup (2 Samuel 20:1–2, 13–22). So, when God wants to leave a remnant for David's descendants to lead, it's natural to give them Judah, the tribe of David. But there's more.
Shortly after David became king over Israel, he decided to drive the remaining Canaanites out of Jerusalem. He and his men succeeded. Jerusalem became his home and capital (2 Samuel 5:6–10). Eventually, he even brought the ark of the covenant to a tent near his palace (2 Samuel 6). Later, Solomon built the temple and his government compound there (1 Kings 6—7). At its dedication, Solomon prayed that God would place His "name"—His reputation and identity—on the new temple (1 Kings 8:27–30). God agreed (1 Kings 9:3). So, even though Jerusalem is in Bethlehem, God gives Jerusalem to Solomon's son.
When David reached a certain age, his own fighters told him to stop going with them into battle "lest you quench the lamp of Israel" (2 Samuel 21:17). A lamp is a little clay pot of olive oil with a wick that casts light as it burns. In this case, it's a symbol of life and presence. This one tribe of Judah, with David's capital of Jerusalem and the temple of God, remains in the hands of David's grandson Rehoboam. Even when the people of the southern kingdom of Judah are taken into exile in Babylon, God will remember that flame. And when David's descendant Jesus returns, He will sit on David's throne for eternity.
