Thy father made our yoke grievous: now therefore make thou the grievous service of thy father, and his heavy yoke which he put upon us, lighter, and we will serve thee.
Your father made our burden too heavy to bear. So now, please make the harsh demands your father placed on us lighter, and reduce the heavy load he put on us, and we will serve you faithfully.
The people are asking the new king to reduce the heavy taxes and forced labor that his father had imposed on them.
📚 Historical Context
This was spoken to Rehoboam, Solomon's son, when he became king after Solomon's death. Solomon had imposed heavy taxes and forced labor on the Israelites to fund his massive building projects, including the temple and his palace. The northern tribes were particularly burdened and saw this transition of power as an opportunity to request relief from these oppressive policies.
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