1 Kings - Map Collection
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Jeroboam's Golden Calves at Bethel and Dan Map
$10.00
See where Israel traded worship of God for golden idols.
After the kingdom divided, King Jeroboam feared his people would return to Judah if they kept traveling to Jerusalem’s temple. His solution changed Israel’s history. This map shows the two cities where he placed golden calves, leading the northern kingdom into generations of idol worship.
Description
Story Behind the Map
When the ten northern tribes broke away from Judah, Jeroboam I became their first king. To keep his people loyal, he established new worship centers at Bethel in the south and Dan in the north. At each site he placed a golden calf and told the people these were the gods who had brought Israel out of Egypt. The decision directly echoed the Israelites' earlier rebellion at Mount Sinai.
This map highlights Bethel and Dan, the two ends of the northern kingdom, along with important nearby landmarks such as Shiloh, Shechem, Mount Gerizim, Mount Ebal, and Jerusalem. By placing shrines at opposite ends of the kingdom, Jeroboam made it easy for people to worship without traveling to God's temple in Jerusalem. What may have seemed politically wise became a spiritual disaster that nearly every later king of Israel continued.
The geography helps explain Jeroboam's strategy. Bethel stood near the southern border, while Dan guarded the far north. Together they made convenient religious destinations for people throughout Israel. The Bible repeatedly measures Israel's kings against "the sins of Jeroboam," showing how these two locations became lasting symbols of unfaithfulness until the Assyrians conquered the northern kingdom in 722 BC.
