In the account of I Kings and II Chronicles, Rehoboam saw his rule limited to only the Kingdom of Judah in the south following a rebellion by the ten northern tribes of Israel in 932/931 BCE, which led to the formation of the independent Kingdom of Israel under the rule of Jeroboam in the north.

[1] According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, "Solomon's wisdom and power were not sufficient to prevent the rebellion of several of his border cities.

Damascus under Rezon secured its independence [from] Solomon; and Jeroboam, a superintendent of works, his ambition stirred by the words of the prophet Ahijah,[2] fled to Egypt.

With Damascus independent and a powerful man of Ephraim, the most prominent of the Ten Tribes, awaiting his opportunity, the future of Solomon's kingdom became dubious".

[3] According to First Book of Kings 11:1–13,[4] Solomon had broken the mandate of the Torah[5] by marrying foreign wives and being influenced by them, worshipping and building shrines to the Moabite and Ammonite gods: So the Lord became angry with Solomon because his heart had turned from the Lord God of Israel ...

The reforms requested would materially reduce the royal exchequer and hence its power to continue the magnificence of Solomon's court.

The two sections had acted independently until David, by his victories, succeeded in uniting all the tribes, though the Ephraimitic jealousy was ever ready to develop into open revolt.

The building of the Temple was a severe blow for the various sanctuaries scattered through the land, and the priests of the high places probably supported the revolt.

[15] In the fifth year of Rehoboam's reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, brought a huge army and took many cities.

According to Joshua, son of Nadav, the mention in 2 Chronicles 11, 6 sqq., that Rehoboam built fifteen fortified cities, indicates that the attack was not unexpected.

[10] The account in Chronicles states that Shishak marched with 1,200 chariots, 60,000 horsemen and troops who came with him from Egypt: Libyans, Sukkites, and Kushites.

The Egyptian campaign cut off trade with south Arabia via Elath and the Negev that had been established during Solomon's reign.

[22] Extrabiblical evidence for a stable monarchy in Judah during Rehoboam’s reign is scarce, with minimal interest from Shoshenq I and little indication of significant political or economic activity in the region.

[23] The similar names of Jeroboam and Rehoboam, along with historical inconsistencies and narrative elements, suggest that their biblical portrayal may be a constructed retrojection.

21–31); but it was adduced as an illustration of divine Providence which selected the "two doves," Ruth, the Moabite, and Naamah, the Ammonitess, for honourable distinction (B. Ḳ.

Rehoboam was stricken with a running sore as a punishment for the curse which David had invoked upon Joab (II Sam.

In Season 3 of the HBO show Westworld, the artificial intelligence entity dictating the fate of humans through algorithmic analysis is named “Rehoboam”.