1 Kings 12:2–3 presents us with a question regarding the proper manner to interpret them: what did Jeroboam hear that caused him to return to Israel from Egypt? Is it the information that we are given in the immediately previous verse, or is it the information given at the end of 1 Kings 11, that is, that King Solomon had died? A number of interpreters are convinced that the first answer conforms to the most natural reading of the text. We would agree with this supposition if the chapter divisions had been present when the book was written, but this is not the case. Chapter divisions were a rather late addition to the Bible.
The belief that it was the news of gathering at Shechem that Jeroboam heard raises a problem or two based upon travel considerations. We live in an age in which a person can travel great distances in a relatively short period of time. In comparison, travel in the ancient world was relatively slow. The fastest means of transportation was probably a galloping horse or possibly a camel. The question, therefore, is, How was it possible for Jeroboam to travel from Egypt to Shechem (in northern Israel) in time to attend the meeting of Rehoboam with the leaders of the tribes of Israel? Rehoboam would scarcely be pleased to wait several days for the arrival of a man whom his father tried to eliminate.
The text also seems to imply that Jeroboam was called to attend the gathering at Shechem after he returned to Israel from his self-imposed exile in Egypt. This would also add some time to his ability to arrive at Shechem quickly.
Moving from the question raised concerning travel times, the writer reminds us that Jeroboam was in Egypt because of his fleeing from King Solomon. The news that he heard (whatever it was) motivated him to return to Israel. Did he conceive that the personal danger to him was over, or did he believe that he now had a following from the northern tribes that would sufficiently protect him from any continued animosity from Solomon’s son? Either supposition might be the case.
The fact that Jeroboam was called to come to the gathering and the fact that he agreed argue strongly that he did not consider that attending would put him in danger. We may possibly conclude, therefore, that Jeroboam did have a following that he could depend upon for support.
2 And as soon as Jeroboam the son of Nebat heard of it (for he was still in Egypt, where he had fled from King Solomon), then Jeroboam returned from Egypt.