Tore the kingdom away from the house of David and gave it to you: God first told Jeroboam in 1 Kgs 11.31 that he was going to do this. New Revised Standard Version changes the words and gave it to you into a purpose clause as follows: “[in order] to give it to you.” But the force of the Hebrew is better expressed by Revised Standard Version, which makes this the fourth thing that God has done for Jeroboam: “I exalted you … I made you leader … I tore away the kingdom … I gave it to you.” The house of David refers, of course, to the royal family that descended from David. See the comments at 1 Kgs 12.19.

Followed me with all his heart: This means that David served God with complete devotion. The heart in Hebrew, when used figuratively, refers to one’s inner self, that is, to the seat of feelings, thoughts, and impulses (see the comments on 1 Kgs 8.23). Some other ways of conveying this meaning are “he imitated me in every way” and “He always obeyed me” (Contemporary English Version).

Doing only that which was right in my eyes: This final expression of the verse clarifies further the previous clause. It may be rendered “He did only the things I said were right” (International Children’s Bible) or “doing only what pleased me” (New American Bible). See the comments on 1 Kgs 11.33, 38.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on 1-2 Kings, Volume 1. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2008. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .